10 
KEPORT. 
cards, costing in that country six hundred and seventy- 
five thousand dollars, lately arrived in San Francisco." 
— Ex. Land and Water. 
Mrs. Neill has recently returned from Europe, 
bringing with her approved varieties of the mulberry 
tree and silkworm grain, said to be free from 
disease. The Council are most anxious for the 
success of sericulture in the colony, but feel that its. 
ultimate success must be due either to Government or 
private enterprise more than to this Society, which has 
so many other pressing demands on its funds and on 
the time of its executive officers. 
The Council regret that the trout ova, obtained from 
Tasmania last season, did not prove a success. From 
some cause, which cannot be satisfactorily explained,, 
the greater part of the ova died after being placed in 
the hatching boxes, and numbers of the young fish 
that were hatched perished likewise. The latter was 
undoubtedly due to the bad state of the Yan Yean 
water. It is the more to be regretted, as the per 
centage of loss in hatching in 1871 was very small. 
To obviate this in future, it is proposed in the coming 
season to use filter beds. Two streams have, however, 
notwithstanding been well stocked with trout — one of 
them a tributary of the Campaspe. A large number 
of carp have recently been placed in the reservoirs at 
Maldon, Sandhurst, Castlemaine, Maryborough, &c. &c. 
The San Francisco Society has kindly offered to 
send a supply of salmon ova for the mere cost of 
collecting, not exceeding £2 per thousand ; but as 
the cost of transit would be great, the Council do not 
at present see their way to accept the liberal offer 
made to them. 
