New York Fish Commission. 
, The fourth annual report of the Commissioners of 
Fisheries, Gaine and Forfeits haS jltst hee« isstled in tifc- 
lirainary form. From it we take the following: 
Superintendent of State Hatcheries James F. Annin 
reports : 
The work for the year closing Sept. 30 has been highly 
satisfactory, and in importance and value exceeds that 
of any previous year. The new hatchery at Constantia, 
t'h Ohelda Lalife, iil Qswego coiirtty, was . completed, 
equipped and all ready foi" worli April t. The eohumis- 
sion named it the Oneida Hatchery. A special apfifupfiii- 
tion of $6,000 for acquiring a suitable site, building and 
equipping of a fresh-water fish food hatchery, w^as passed 
by the Legislature of 1897. The work was finished within 
the amount of the appropriation, and it is a first-class 
hatchery .in every respect. Pike-perch, yellow perch, cis- 
coes and whitefish are ainoiig tile flsli that will be 
hatched there the first j'^ear. The pike and the perch are 
hatched in the spring, ciscoes and whitefish in the fall 
and winter. 
The hatchery has the capacity for handling 123,000,000 
eggs of the spring-spawning fish, and again in the fall 
and winter of 35,000,009 (?ggs of the fall or winter-spawn- 
ing fish, such as whitefish aha ciscd^i 
It is the mtention to build ponds for black bass in coii- 
nection with this hatchery, ■ where tlie bass can deposit 
their eggs naturally, and the young bass be collected and 
distributed. Comparatively few people know that blade 
bass have never been hatched artificially like trout, mas- 
cS,lohge, pike, pefch, shad, whitefisht ete. The. nearest 
approach has been to confine a limited huiiit'ei- 6f bass hi 
one or two artificial ponds so constructed that after the 
eggs were hatched and the j'oung old enough, the adult 
bass were taken or driven out of the ponds and the young 
collected and fed until they could be distributed. I 
trust some one will have the time and patience to con- 
tiiltie e^p^fililehtthg in the iitxe. of artilicial bass hatch- 
iiig, as I believe it can and will yet tie doiie. Then, artd 
not until then, will it be possible to supply a sufficient 
quantity of black bass to meet all the requisitions made 
by our citizens. The shortening of the legal or open 
sfeasoti fO!" eatehiug l^ass eannot but help to increase the 
number of these ilslL 
In the past, all of the bass distributed by this commis- 
sion, and the same is true of other State commissions, 
have been obtained by netting where bass were numerous. 
This has always resulted in strong opposition from the 
people living in the vicinity where the tietting was done. 
Pii . ttjis dccoiitit thq distfibutipii, of .the . shiall-lrlotlth 
black bass hiis Beeh tlis&bttntied; but the (ji.stributiaii of 
the large-mouth black bass, incorrectly cHUeu b?^fe'{*6 
bass, was continued from near Claj^ton, same as in years 
past. The young bass were obtained from a marshv creek 
entering the St. Lawrence. The past year's distribution 
w^s, 116,450, la/g?r than, the previous tin years' output. 
the Adirondack HatcHefy lie&f Safaiiac Imi. in ^Ftank- 
lin county, has been entirely remodeled and erilai'gea. 
Six and Sin. iron pipes have been laid from the hatchery 
(a distance of about 2.000ft.) to a point at the bottom 
of Little Clear Lake, where the water is 50ft. deep and 
the temperature stands at 42 degrees, and varies only 4 
degrees summer and winter.. This furnishes the hatchery 
aiid an entire system of rearing ponds -t^ith alt! gbiiiidatlce 
of the very best pure water, making it one of the nidst 
valuable hatcheries in the State. Now, it is possible to 
raise thousands of trout there to eight, ten and fifteen 
months old before planting them in the streams and 
ponds of the northern portion of the State. 
In addition to the trout hatching, glass hatching jars 
sufficient for hatching 10,000,000 frostfish eggs have been 
supplied and put in complete running order, 
The location of the Adirondack Hatchery as a dis- 
tributing point is unsurpassed by any point in the Adifott- 
dacks. The surrounding four counties contain hundreds 
of the vfety best tfolit lakes, ponds ahd streams that are 
how alnfost barren of ti"otit, Where filigei'litig atid 
yearling trout have been planted in this section iti thfe 
past two years, from some of our other hatcheries, most 
flattering and enthusiastic reports as to the fishing are at 
hand. 
In 1896 the Legislature appropriated $5,000 to buy and 
improve what was called the McKay pond and springs, in 
the town of Caledonia, Livingston colUlty. This pond 
furnished power for a saw and grist mill, and after the 
owners had used the water as tney savv fit, it furnished 
the supply for the Caledonia State Hatcherj^, located 
about one-half mile below the mills. 
Soon after the commission came into possession of the 
property, we commenced the cleaning of the springs, and 
the removing of everything in the vichiity that in any 
way might prove detrimental in the future. For over 
seventy years all kinds of foul matter had been collecting 
in and around these springs. The accumulation varied in 
depth from 1 to 4ft. All of this had to be removed down 
to the hard gravelly bottom, over at least an acre and one- 
half. This process developed quite a large additional 
amount of water. All of the springs are now clean, and a 
wall or diking constructed about them to prevent their 
again filling up. This insures to the hatchery a sure 
supply of pure water. 
At the Cold Spring Hatchery, on Long Island, new 
ponds have been built, so that the water supply can be 
fully" utilized, and the greatest number of fish possible 
turned out. With these additional ponds,, and the neces- 
sary grading that has been done upon the grounds, it 
makes this plant one of the most attractive in the State. 
Another ver};- gratifying fact in regard to this hatchery 
i.s, that it has on hand for distribution more fingerlings 
and yearlings than the total production of the hatchery 
for three previous j^ears. 
At the Beaverkill Hatchery, in Sullivan count}', the 
water supply always becomes so warm in the summer 
that it is impossible to rear fingerlings, and all the spring's 
hatch of fry must be taken away by the first or middle of 
May, on account of the water warming up so very fast at 
the beginning of hot weathen 
Locating a small spring on the hills about 1,200ft. from 
the hatchery, and finding that it was feasible to pipe the 
water to the hatcher3% a contract was made with the 
owner of the spring, allowing the commission to collect 
the water and conduct it to the hatchery for one year 
without charge, and 4f at the end of the year the com- 
mission wished to continue using the water they could 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
lease the spring atid thfe fi^ht to colivey the vvatef to 
the hatchery for a term of fof"ty-hif]le years fdi- $ioH3, 
which would be in full for all rights duriilg sii(ia terrri. 
The work of conducting this water to the hatchefj? ^hs 
;J!1 doiie €ilfly in December.- and considering the small 
amount of waiHf dthefWj$e obtainable, the supply has 
certainly been worth double thi t:0si: ftitd I recommend 
that the commission lease the spring. 
About S,ooo fingerling trout were reared at this b^t^hefj' 
since the above spring water supply was obtained. 
Other springs, situated from 2,000 to 5,000ft. from 
the hatdiery. that will furnish considerable more pure 
^'Btf;f; can be leased if desired. 
The mccss'Aff repairs and the ihliifoved Water supply 
for each of the hatcnefifes has had the irlost eareftll atteti- 
tion. All of the hatcheries are i'tifi to theif greatest 
capacity. New and improved methods are beifig intro- 
duced, and it may be said without exaggeration that the 
hatcheries of New York State are superior to any of the 
kind ih this or any other country. 
The policy addptfed bf the. eoinihission, of planting 
larger and older fish in additiofi td iff, is meeting the 
approbation of the fishing fraternity. From the fiiiniefolls 
reports received in regard to the fishing in streams arid 
lakes, where fingerlings or yearlings have been planted, it 
is satisfactorily shown that the work should be continued, 
as the festllts fully warrant the additional expense. 
Reports have beeri tecelved regardittg streams and 
lakes stocked within the last tWo yeats With fingerlittg 
and yearling brown and rainbow trout (waters that ilevef 
before contained these varieties), that during tH6 p$ist 
fishing season specimens varying in weight from J-'z to 
i5.'2lb3. have been taken. From all over the State come 
encouragilig fgpdfts. of better fishing. The commission 
has done more in the ivaf oi restocking the streams in 
the past two years than was ever done befofe. 
An actual count is always made of the fingeflifigs attd 
yearliiigs sent out by your commis^sion. Ten thousand 
fingerlings or 8,000 yearlings make a large carload. Three 
arid fifty thousand fingerlings (thirty-five carloads) have 
been seiit oiit by.yoUr Goffltriission inside of three months, 
and 40,000 yearlings (fi>e Carloads) will be ready for 
distribution next spring. 
It is pleasing to know that the fish commissions oi dthef 
States have commenced the planting or fingerlings and 
yMi'Hhp. , ■ 
With the continued tf^ot^s to have our hatcheries in- 
C'.tdse their output of fingerlings S.rid ^eSfliilgs eomes the 
vjuestion of expense. Two of the prlncip&l itfiiris efltef- 
Ing into the eost of producing this sized fish is tnfi food 
attd the titne taken to prepare it. Recent experiments 
with. iieW food lead Me to believe that the cost of pro- 
dtictidri c^il be niiifgf jfjl1>- fgdtleed. 
Espfefitrierits iii.tbe tfiode Of hatehiflg and rearing 
young of some viif'etJes ,of f?sh pifeviotisljr Considered im- 
possible to raise have beetl siteeessfu'}. . 1 t^iet id the 
hatching and rearing in confinement df the red-throat 
trout. About 100,000 fingerlings of this varietj^ irfe fieri*- 
at the Caledonia and Pleasant Valley hatcheries, tht 
eggs wei-e t^keti ff6ffl the aduU fish confined in the 
'hatchery ponds. 
We have also been successful in hsittihirit itjascalonge 
eggs by the glass-jar method, and the rearing df, the 
young fry to the length of 4 and AVzin. in three months. 
It has aLso been found by actual work and experiment 
that ouf if-lkttd. lakes ean furnish whitefish eggs in suffi- 
cient numbers fdl- the fgstdckillg df Lake Ontario and in- 
land waters with this valuable food fish. Over 20,000,000 
of whitefish were hatched and planted during the past 
year,, and the supply of eggs was obtained frorri itilattd 
waters of the State. 
Previous to the fall of 1896, all of the whitefish eggs 
hatched by New York State Fish Commissions were ob- 
tained from Lakes Ontario and Michigan, in November 
and pecernber of each year, but on account of storms and 
scarcitj' of fish in recent years the number obtained was 
always very ilttcettaiii, arid the eispettsCs -ivefe sure to be 
heavy. It is seldohi that stoftils of sufHcieHt strength 
occur to interfere vi'ith Our ■vVOi'k of collecting eggs on 
our inland liikesj so that -ive can rio^v jii\^'ays calctllate on 
obtaining whitefish eggs it a reasonable expense, attd as 
the fishing grounds are within t\Vo dr three hours from 
the hatcheries, there is but slight loss m tfaiispoTtatipn, 
whereas by the old method it was often a month jiftef 
the eggs were taken before they arrived at our hatcheries. 
At present it would be almost impossible to collect under 
the iriost favorable eircUnlstances g,ooo,ooo whitefish eggs 
at the east elid of Lake OritariO;, Fdfttlefly this was the 
best spawning ground for whitefish hi the lake. 
For the past five years plants of whitefish fry have been 
made by the commission in Lake Ontario, from Charlotte 
west to Lewiston, and the past summer the fishing off the 
Niagara county shore has been better than it has been 
before in thirty years. I state this upon the most reliable 
information. The fishermen in that section all unite in 
saying, that if the plants can be continued in a liberal 
manner the old-time fishing can be restored. 
A few years ago the United States Fish Conlnlisslotl 
and some of the States bordering on the Great Lakes 
erected large and extensive whitefish hatcheries, some 
single plants having a capacity for handling 200,000,000 
eggs. To-day part of them are running about half their 
capacity, and others are closed. All of this is due to the 
great falling off in the whitefish catch. Ten or fifteen 
years ago some of the best authorities in the country pre- 
dicted that unless the whitefish were protected at once 
they would soon be exterminated. 
This matter was deemed of such importance that meet- 
ings were called by people interested in the subject, and 
the matter was thoroughly discussed, and the States 
bordering on the Great Lakes were asked to provide a 
close season, and to restrict the size of the mesh of the 
nets the fishermen were using, but on account of the 
opposition by the fishermen little was accomplished. 
Two years ago Michigan passed a law making a close 
season on whitefish and lake trout during the greater 
part of their spawning season. These facts demonstrate 
the necessity for better protection of the comparatively 
few whitefish that still remain in our State waters. 
We have found whitefish in abundance in Hemlock 
Lake this season, weighing from 3 to lolbs. each. A 
small plant of whitefish was made in one of our northern 
inland lakes in 1894-5. This fall we found that these 
whitefish had attained an average weight of ij^lbs. eacb^ 
and that they were abundant 
In my report of a year ago, mention was made of the 
satisfactory results attending the breeding of the Mon- 
golian of ting-necked pheasants, carried on in connection 
\«itH the fleSsant Valley Hatcherv. near Bath, ,Ste»^b'-n 
The past jreair the work has been contmued as far dis thf' 
limited space oil (.be grounds woittd permit. Having fi'o' 
special appropriation tor this Work, it has not been pushed 
as far as recent results would warrant. From a dozen 
bitds in the spring of 1897, the flock has increased to 180 
fine, healthy birds at the present time. This fully war- 
rants the cotflmission asking for an appropriation to carry 
on the work. It does not come directly undev thf-' 
Hatchery Department, but the work has been dirctfeij 
by Commissioner Babcock, chairman of the commjttt?<i 
having charge of that branch of the work. 
For the past year the pheasantry has been one of 
the great attractions for the numerous viisiilofs f'^ the 
t'ltfJsartt Valley Hatchery grounds. 
The tiiascalorige batching is carried on at Bemus Foini,. 
on Chautauqua, Lake, It was here that these fi.sh AVd's'e' 
first hatched artificially by the old Fish Commission of the 
State of New York. 
Hatching mascalonge eggs has always been done in 
boxes With a double wire screen top and bottom, and 
arranged in the lake. The State owns a storehouse at 
the point convenieftfly located, in which all tb« bulky 
appliances for carrying ofl the work are stored* Thfe 
building is also the headquarters of the men during the 
hatching season, which lasts about six weeks. 
Utttil the past season it had been considered impossible 
fd stiecessfully hateh mascalonge eggs in any way ex- 
cept iti the boxes mentioned. A lack of watei" at the 
proper elevatidri permitted of our operating only a fevtf 
of the glass jars, btlfc they demonstrated what could b'e' 
done. The experiment Wals highly successful, and it is 
perfectly safe to say that wfth a batching house prop- 
erly equipped the annual output oi hy can be doubled. 
TKis is important, as the growing scarcity of mascalonge 
in the St. Lawrence River has been apparent for some 
time. 
Your commission is the only Fish Commission (thfe' 
Wisconsin Commission excepted) that makes provisioUsr 
for the artificial propagation of ttiasealonge. 
feperiments in rearing the fry in confinement were 
also made during the past season. * The fry liatched 
on the 19th day of May and placed in a small' a'FtificiaJ 
pond. They were removed from the pond on the igth day 
of August, having attained the length of 4 and 45.'£'iti- We' 
GOtlld not keep them in the pond longer, as, owing to dry 
Weather, the water supply failed on the date last above 
meritiorted: 
The fishing in Chautauqua Lake for mascdilonge stnd 
black bass cannot be excelled in any other lake p>f oitr' 
State. This is entirely due to the disposition ofl ih& 
part of the inhabitants in the vicinity of the lake to abfvl" 
strktly by the game and fish laws, and to the liberal 
planting of young mascalonge in the lake by youT com- 
riilssion. 
In the last report of your commission it wr-IS stiggeste^ 
to the trLettibefs of the Legislature that they pass a bjft giv - 
ing the Fish CoHlfflission power to stop all fishing on sfhfL]t 
streams where they think the situation demands it, tCv' 
a period of from three to five years, I think it essential 
that the commission have the power to stop fishing en- 
tirely in the small brooks tributary to the Adirondack 
lakes or streams. These small brooks rarely contain a 
trout over 5in. in length. As soon as the trout feach thai' 
size, they always drop dowfl out of the brook and into the' 
larger waters below. These small brooks are the JJurs- 
eries, and my observation is that all through the Adirdfi!-' 
dacks yoii will find plenty of people that are contmually 
fishing these brooks for small trout. Not one of their 
catch is of the legal size, but no one will make a com- 
plaint against them. In many cases the proprietor of a 
hotel, or a boarding house, keeps one or two boj'^s, or a 
man, continually at work fishing the brooks so that his 
table may be supplied with so-called brook trout. 
In planting young trout from the hatcheries, especially 
in the spring or fall, it is desirous that they should be 
planted in these nursery brooks, and our attendants are 
always instructed to have them planted in such brooki^ 
when possible; but when these fish are caught out before 
they have had a chance to reproduce, or to attain Jegall 
size, it will be slow work for our hatcheries to restock 
such waters as the Fulton Chain of Lakes. Cranberry 
Lake, with Its many tributaries, and the many lakes in 
other sections in tile Adirondacks. When it is possible 
to stop fishing at all tirxles on these small brooks, then 
can we expect the quickest arid best returns for our labor 
of stocking. 
I cannot help referring to the fish car, the. property of 
the State, and the very important part tt has taken m 
transporting the product of the hatcheries. During the 
year it has made forty-six trips with fish, e3ch time 
loaded with from 100 to 125 cans. It would be impC.ssible 
to deliver our yearly increased output without this car; 
Your commission thought it advisable to erect a build- 
ing for the protection of this car from the elements. Con- 
sent was obtained from the New York Central & Hud- 
son River Railroad Company to erect such a building on 
their property in Caledonia. They kindly laid the neces- 
sary track into the car house, so that now when the can' 
is Hot in use it has proper protection and care. 
In this connection I wish to call attention to the liberal 
and continuous courtesies extended to the cofflfflission 
by the railroads of the State in hauling free the State fisb 
car, with the necessary crew in charge, and transpo>rtirig 
fish and fish eggs with attendant, and returning ih-p- 
empty cans free in the baggage cars of their lines. 
The foUowing is a record of the distribution from each 
hatchery, and the total summary of all for the year end- 
ing Sept. 30, 1898 : 
Adirondack.— 508,060 brook trout; 147,140 brown 
trout; 23,000 rainbow trout; 130,000 lake trout; 3,250,000 
frostfish. 
Beaverkill.— 774,875 brook, trout ; 86,700 brown trout. 
Caledonia.— 365,112 brook trout; 367.268 brown trout; 
45,125 rainbow trout; 368,786 lake trout; 1,000 red-throat 
trout; 18,300,000 whitefish; 65,000 fresh-water shrimp. 
Clayton. — 15,000,000 ciscoes; 5,800,000 whitefish; 115,- 
100 large-mouth black bass. 
Chautauqua Lake.— -2,650,000 mascalonge. 
Oneida.— -50 pickerel; 17,550,472 pike-perch ; 1,350 small 
and large-mouth black bass; 2,5,62,800 yellow perch. 
