B14 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Dec 27, 1902. 
A Marine Station for Florida. 
Hon. S. M. Sparkman, of Florida, has a bill before 
Congress authorizing, empowerings and directing the 
Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries to establish in 
the State of Florida, on the Gulf of Mexico, a station 
for the investigation of problems connected with the 
marine fishery interests of the region. It reads: 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of ''Representatives of 
tlie United States of American in Congress assembled. That the 
Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries be, and he is hereby, 
authorized, empoM-ered, and directed to establish at some suitable 
point in the State of Florida, on the Gulf of Mexico, a station for 
the investigation of problems connected with the marine fisherv 
interests of the region. 
Sec. 2. That for necessary surs'eys, purchase of land, erection 
of huildings and other structures, and for the proper equipment 
of said station the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars, or as 
much thereof as may be necessary, be, and the same is hereby, 
appropriated, out . of any money in the Treasury not otherwise 
appropriated. 
The House Committee on Marine and Fisheries has 
made a favorable report on the measure, on which they 
say: 
'The Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fish- 
eries, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 11476) au- 
thorizing, empowering and directing the Commissioner 
of Fish and Fisheries to establish iti the State of Flor- 
ida, on the Gulf of Mexico, a station for the investiga- 
tion of problems connected with the marine fishery in- 
terests of the region, have examined the same and 
recommend that the bill pass without amendment. 
"There have heretofore been established two of these 
similar stations for experimental work connected with 
fish problems on the Atlantic coast, one at Woods 
Hole, Mass., and the other at Beaufort, on the coast 
of North Carolina. 
"It is considered by the Fish Commission that the 
above two stations are sufficient to cover necessary 
investigations on the Atlantic coast. 
"The species of fish found in the Gulf of Mexico, 
their habits and manner of propagation, are essential- 
ly dififerent from those found upon the Atlantic coast, 
and an independent station for such investigation is 
absolutely essential if the same objects are to be sub- 
served for that region. 
•"The necessity for such biological investigations for 
the propagation of fish has now been settled beyond 
controversy, and this work must necessarily proceed 
Of be contemporaneous with the establishment of fish- 
cultural stations. 
The catch of shad on the Atlantic coast prior to the 
introduction of artificial propagation had been yearly 
decreasing. Under the influence of artificial propaga- 
tion by the Fish Commission the catch has been in- 
creased from 3,000,000 fish in 1880 to 11,760,000 in 1898, 
this increase being equal to 30,000,000 pounds of fish 
caught in 1898 over the catch of 1880 — valued at nearly 
$1,000,000. At a cost of not exceeding $4,000 shad were 
introduced on the Pacific coast, and 5,000,000 pounds 
of this fish have been recently caught where there 
were none before. By artificial propagation we are 
increasing the supply of food, and thereby cheapening 
it, to the great benefit of the people. 
"A similar work is being done for the salmon indus- 
try on the Pacific coast, where the catch has been 
greatly and continuously increased since artificial 
propagation was introduced, and the salmon is also 
being successfully introduced into the Great Lakes. 
"An equally important work has been in progress in 
connection with the cod fisheries of the Atlantic coast 
from Maine to New Jersey. In this region, under the 
influence of artificial propagation, the catch of cod in 
1898 showed an increase of 43,000,000 pounds in ten 
years; and as another result of the Fish Cominission's 
work, extensive inshore cod fisheries have been de- 
veloped there during the past few years, where few 
or no fish were found before. 
"The artificial propagation of the shad, cod and sal- 
mon was necessarily preceded by a large amount of 
biologic work, which made known the principal facts 
connected with the reproduction and breeding habits 
of these fishes ; and so in connection with the artificial 
propagation and increase of the other species of fish 
and of the oyster, clam, lobster, shrimp, etc., here 
again the practical work of propagation must be pre- 
ceded by a still larger amount of experimental work, m 
order that we may know more accurately the processes 
of reproduction; and there is need also of a much 
larger amount of information concerning the nature 
and extent of the food and feeding and breeding 
grounds of these different species of fish and other 
forms. 
"The Fish Commission is one of the most useful 
departments of the Government. The result of its 
-work is to increase the supply and thereby cheapen 
one of the most important food products of the coun- 
try. Improved transportation facilities are year by 
year distributing this food product to consumers every- 
where. The only cost of this food consists in propa- 
gating and starting the young fish, catching them when 
grown, and distributing them. Nature does the rest. 
This work of propagation cannot be done by indi- 
viduals or States. It is essentially national in char- 
acter and must be done by the Government. If this 
beneficent work should cease this great. food supply 
will ultimately disappear. Enlarge it and the supply 
will be perpetuated, increased, and cheapened. 
"As heretofore stated, careful and painstaking in- 
vestigation is necessary and precedent to the more 
pract^ical work of propagation by the hatchery sta- 
tions. 
"The Fish Commission have made a careful investi- 
gation of the territory covered by the Gulf of Mexico 
with a view to selecting that location which would offer 
greater facilities for the investigation of the sea life 
pecuhar to the Gulf of Mexico and have concluded 
that the same should be established at some point upon 
the west coast of Florida to be subsequently deter- 
mined by the Cotnmissioner of Fish and Fisheries. 
"The operations of this station will require no large 
annual expenditure, as the investigations will be con- 
ducted by volunteer observers and scientists from the 
country at large and by men already, in the employ of 
the Fish Commission.. '• 
"The committee appended hereto a commuisscation 
from the Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries recom- 
mending the passage of this bill. 
" 'Commission of Fish and Fisheries, Washington, 
D. C, April 29, I902.' — Sir: With regard to the bill 
(H. R. 2000) to authorize the establishment of a fish- 
cultural and biological station on the Gulf of Mexico 
within the limits of the State of Florida, it is recom- 
mended that it be not passed, as it contains several 
objectionable features, to which attention has been 
drawn in previous communications. In place of this 
bill. I reconmmend the passage of House bill 111476, 
which provides for the same station. Vefy rfespectfully, 
Geo. M. Bowers, 
"Hon. Charles H. Grosvenor, Clrainnaii Committee 
on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries, House of Rep- 
resentatives.' " 
Work of the New Yofk Hatcheries* 
Fishermen will bfe ;^articularly interested in that 
portion of the forthcoming report of the Forest, Fish 
and Game Commission to the Legislature which deals 
with the State Hatcheries, llvis important part of the 
work is in charge of Hon. Chas. H. Babcock, of 
Rochester, who is himself an enthusiastic fisherman, 
and who ever since his appointment as a member of 
the Commission has taken entire charge of the super- 
vision of the hatcheries and the distribution of their 
output. The State has eight regular and four tempor- 
ary hatcheries from which to stock the lakes and 
streams with every desirable variety of fish. Their 
product this year amounted to 128,672,516 fish of the 
various /'varieties, and their facilities have been so in- 
creased as to provide for a much larger output of 
yearlings and fingerlings than usual. This form of 
distribution will in the main hereafter take the place 
of fry, as the fish are much sooner available to _ the 
people, and numerous reports received from various 
parts of the State indicate that the departure made is 
giving the greatest satisfaction. The distribution for 
the year included an unsually large number of lake 
trout ycariincs. as well as of the other varieties of fav- 
orite game fish. Particular attention was also given 
to increasing the output of cheap food fish, and the 
figures of the report show that large amounts of pike, 
perch and whitcfish have been placed in the waters 
of the State. It is the intention of the Commission, if 
suitable provision is made by the Legislature, to return 
to the cultivation of black bass, for which there is a 
large demand, and for which also one of the State 
liatchcri"s is .-'d'^Tirably suited. During the past year 
]0,oco of these fish were netted out of the canal and 
distributed in nearby ponds and streams in accord- 
ance with the custom of the Commission, which is to 
save as far as possible the bass when the water is 
drawn ofif from the canal No help has been required 
from the United States Fish Commission during the 
year, as the excellent condition of the State Hatcher- 
ies enabled them to meet all requirements. The num- 
ber of applications received by the Commission from 
all parts of the State for fish of various sorts was 
about r,7oo. 
Pxke-Pctch Planting: in Northern Vermont*" 
It is gratifying to learn that thig hatching and distribut- 
ing of pike-perch fglass-eyed pike, wall-eyed pike) in 
northern Vermont has been attended with very encour- 
.'iging results. The fish were hatched at the Swanton 
Halchery on the Missiscjuoi River, and were distributed 
ill various ponds and streams in that section of the Stale 
as well as elsewhere. The work was begun by the U. S. 
T'ish Commission in 1809 as an experiment, and has since 
lieen carried On jointly by the U. S. Fish Commission 
nnd the State of Vermont. The partly grown and adult 
fish were caught ui great numbers this last summer in 
Franklin Pond (Silver Lake) and other lakes where they 
were never known to exist before. In Silver Lake, the 
pike-perch fishing is reported to be as good as in Lake 
Champlain, and in Lake Champlain itself, pike-perch are 
said to have appeared in unprecedented numbers. 
It is quite possible that the LT. S. Fish Commission will 
establish an extensive hatching plant near the mouth of 
the IVIissisciuoi River for Ihe hatching of these fish. Mr. 
Myron Green, formerly suuerintcndent of the U. S. Rain- 
bow Trout Station in California, has been appointed Su- 
perintendent of the Vermont State Hatchery at Swanton 
wliere the pike-perch hatching was conducted, last year. 
Salmo. 
Remarkable Growth of Tro«t. 
K.\LAMAZoo, Mich. — Editor Forest and Stream: In re- 
sponse to Dr. Bean's request in your issue of Dec. 13, 
] send you these notes of trout growth. 
About June 15, 1902, I placed 94 trout in a fountain of 
our City Park. Of these 78 were rainbow trout hatched 
Feb. 15, 1901, and t6 were brook trout hatched about the 
s:sme time.' The rainbow trout averaged about 10 inches 
a-.-id the brook trout about 7. Tfihe fountain basin is cir- 
c -lar. 60 feet across, having a depth of water of 4 feet. 
The water supply was tq,ken from the city mains and was 
not very large, consisting of a center spray and four or 
.•ive smaller jets. 
Here these fish found an acceptable home. Everybody 
fed them worms, minnows, liver. Hamburger steak, cake 
and crackers, in fact, almost everything. The remark- 
;ible part of it was that the rainbow trout ate everything 
that was offered them. They were very lime and every- 
thing was grist that came to their niill._ The brook trout 
were not much in evidence, there being a pyramid of 
cobble stone in the fotmtain in which they could hide. 
Six fish were lost during the sumn^er. On Oct. 23 I 
i.jok the. fish out and they were simply enormous. The 
rninbow trout weighed V/2 pounds; four of them weighed 
J. pounds. The brook trout averaged about ^ pound. 
They were very highly colored, in fact, could not be dis- 
tinguished from wild fish. I attribute their large growth 
to the amount of rains they had and the diversified food. 
Also to the .temperature Qf the water which was quite 
high, ... Albert Rosenbesci/ 
Reminiscences of an^^Octogenarian. 
Part IV. 
BV IHE OLD Al^GLlsk. 
'(ConiiiiiuM from pige 494 ) 
BEPokE leaving the- subject it may interest the Old 
Guard to know that the first time the writer met dear old 
Thad Norn's was at Rough Waters on ,th6 Nepissiguit, 
where, on a former visit, he had kilied his first salmon. 
The manner in which he handled a lively fish, fresh from 
the sea, on a rod Of Iiis own make and on a fly of his 
own dressing, settled his standing as an expert angler. 
His main object in this second visit to the North Shore 
Was to inquire thoroughly into this vexed question of a 
sea trout in North America, distinct from fontinalis, for 
the prevalence of which belief he was himself largely 
responsible. In his "American Anglers' Book," pub- 
lished some years previously, depending almost entirely on 
erroneous information and a few hours' fishing on the 
Tabusintac, an affluent of the Miramichi, he described 
the fish caught there as the Salmo Canadensis of Hamil- 
ton Smith. He stated that it was entirely distinct from 
S. fontinalis, and a purely anadromous species. He had 
afterward found reason to doubt the correctness of his 
published opinion, and hence this visit for a more thor- 
ough examination of the grounds on which it was based. 
He had just come from the Restigouche, where his in- 
quiries left him in grave doubt of the existence of such a 
fish in that river. The late Samuel Wilmot, Superinten- 
dent of Fish Culture, was one of the party, and we dis- 
cussed the question fully and freely. He was iutroduced 
to the intelligent fishery Overseer of the district, and 
by him brought in Contact with the oldest fishermen oh 
the river and down the Coast. 
During ouf stay at Rough Waters an incident occurred 
which furnished mueh amusement and some instruction 
for the whole isarty. Among the canoe-men was Billy 
Batemail, one of the best on the river, tlis home was not 
far from our camp, and his father, a man of middle age, 
came often to visit us. He was a most amusing charac- 
ter, full of cynical remarks and quaint expressions, whose 
horse-sense and mother-wit made him always a welcome 
visitor. He was a special favorite with Mr. Norfis, who 
was highly amused at his droll sayings and caustic re- 
marks about the waste of time spettt in angling. Hi; 
a^'erred that he could take more fish in a single night on 
his hickory hackle (Anglicc- — spear) than the whole party 
could in a week with all their "co.stive rods and silk- 
worm's guts." He said if a salmon knew his own strength 
he could break the strongest leader that could be made. 
Billy, who was a good rod fisherman as well as a most 
expert spearer, had all his father's quaintness and a 
stronger sense of humor, spoke up at once : 
'"Well, father, you're a good deal stronger than a sal- 
mon; do you think you could break loose if you were in 
the water and the fly was in the collar of your shirt?" 
"Of course I could, and smash your rod, too!" 
"Well, father, I get a dollar a day for poling this canoe 
a good many hours. Would you like to make it in ten 
minutes ?" 
"Just give me the chance, my bouchal (Anglice — good 
boy)." 
"Very well ; hold here." 
Taking my Castle • Connel — the strongest rod in the 
party — a fly was securely fixed in the collar of his strong 
woollen shirt. Near by was a deep pool clf)se inshore, 
where salmon never lay. It was about 25 yards across, 
but to get out of it, a steep rugged ledge of rocks had 
to be climbed before footing could be obtained. 
"Now, father, you go in, swim across, get on the rocks 
and you can run out the whole line and break the leader 
or the rod." 
"Put the dollar in Jack Buchet's hand and I'll show you 
a trick the salmon don't know." 
Wilmot supplied the dollar for Billy, and old man 
Bateman, dressed only in homespun shirt and trouser.s, 
slipped into the pool and struck out for the other side. 
Billy retreated and let the line run off the reel. . When 
he had about 20 yards out and the old man had some to 
yards' start, and was swimming strongly, Billy put the 
whole force of a wide arch on the line, which checked 
the swimmer's progress. Still he make headway slowly, 
and various were the opinions expressed and great the ex- 
citement produced. Norris cheered and encouraged the 
old man-; Wilmot and Hickson prompted Billy. I had 
little doubt of the result, but still was nervous about 
my rod and line — the leader was a small affair. For 
some moments it was doubtful whether the old man would 
get across ; but slowly he forged ahead, and Billy had 
more line out than he cared to see. Of course, he could 
not reel in, and had to let the line run or risk the leader.- 
The arch was wide and the strain so even that there was 
little fear for the rod. I doubt if one of that party was 
ever so much interested in seeing a salmon played, as he 
was in this novel trial of strength between a man in the 
water and a single gut leader in the hands of one who 
knew how to use a rod. At length the old man reached 
the ledge and lifted an arm to secure a hold. At that; in- 
stant Billy "gave him the butt" for all the rod could do, 
and as he expected, the old man lost ground. Again he 
reached for a hold, and putting out all his strength, 
raised his shoulders from the water. Another applica- 
tion of the butt, pointed straight at him, pulled the old 
man backward, and he went completely under water. 
Again he attempted to gain a hold and again he was 
drawn backward, heels oxer head, into the water. 
"Will }'Ou give in, father?" called out the graceless 
scamp, while shouts of laughter shook all the spectators of 
this queer scene. The old man was really too nearly ex- 
hausted to make further efforts, and Buchet, who had been 
sent round by Billy after the first submersion, reached 
down and assisted him up the ledge. I attached the fty 
to the hook of a spring balance, and holding it firmly by 
the ring, directed Billy to put the same strain on the line 
in order to ascertain how many pounds of tension the old 
man had contended against in the last ten yards of his 
struggle. The index marked . Perhaps no question 
in the wide and varied range of those offered b^' angling 
has given rise to more discussion than that of how much 
force, in pounds, a salmon exerts in its rushes. The 
wildest answers have been given, showing how' various 
are the - conclusions reached from the szmt data. Some 
