98 



Appendices to Second Annual Report 



salmon was hooked about eight in the morning in a pool called the 

 ' Clog,' and was gaffed in the ' Boat Pool of Barjarg' by some men 

 coming home from their work at six in the evening. It was then 

 found that only two hairs of Wallace's casting line remained. The 

 salmon was taken to Barjarg Tower and weighed immediately 

 afterwards in presence of the proprietor, Mr Hunter Arundell, who, 

 along with some other persons who were present, signed a certificate 

 of its weight, a copy of which is now in the possession of his son, 

 the present proprietor of Barjarg. The weight of this monster was 

 67 pounds. 



On the Nith and its tributary streams there are 22 dams, of 

 which 8 on the tributaries vary from 8 to 20 feet in height, and of 

 course, form absolute obstructions to the passage of salmon. The 

 lades in connection with 17 of these dams have no hecks at the 

 intake or tail lade, and fish-passes or ladders are chiefly conspicuous 

 by their absence. 



The Cargen Water falls into the Nith about 2 miles below Dum- 

 fries. Salmon of 30 pounds weight have been seen on this water as 

 high up as Glen Mills. Above Glen Mills there used to be a per- 

 pendicular dam built across the stream about 8 feet high, consti- 

 tuting a complete obstruction. But three years ago, a gap 10 or 

 12 feet wide was made in this barrier by a flood and ice, 

 which has not since been repaired, greatly to the advantage of the 

 fishings. The Cargen is a good trout stream. 



The Cluden Water is the principal tributary of the Nith, and, 

 both as regards salmon and trout, it is superior to the main stream. 

 Yellow trout have been got as large as 4 pounds.' They are thick 

 deep fish, and dark in colour, but cut pink. Up to Cluden Eocks, a 

 distance of 4 miles from its junction with the Nith, the Cluden is 

 unobstructed, then comes the natural barrier known as the Cluden 

 Eocks, which block up about 8 miles of river and a large extent of 

 fair spawning ground. About the centre of this natural barrier, 

 but rather nearer the right bank, it would be easy to make a pas- 

 sage so as to facilitate the ascent of the salmon, which at present 

 are detained below the rocks, and scooped out of the deep pool 

 just below the mill wheel. This pool extends a long way under 

 the rock, whose shelves and ledges project over it. It is fished 

 by means of a peculiar net, stretched between two poles, 10 or 12 

 feet long. This is worked by two men and is thrust into the pool, 

 which it searches thoroughly. In 1881, no fewer than 400 salmon 

 and grilse were taken out of this pool, and as many as 56 have 

 been captured in a single day. 



The Mctcdoncdd Fishway. 



With reference to the cheapest and most effectual way of 

 enabling salmon to surmount such obstructions as the Cluden 

 Eocks, and the other natural and artificial obstructions hereinafter 

 described, I may mention that the merit of being the best 

 pass in the world is claimed for the ' Macdonald Fishway,' which 

 was shown last year in the United States department of the Lon- 

 don International Fisheries Exhibition. A company, termed ' the 



