340 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
them through a screen two or three times, and they would not work so freely in the jar; but the 
per cent of hatch was nearly the same. The other method was to constantly stir the eggs in the 
pans of water until time to can them for shipment. These did not adhere or bunch up, and though 
it required more work at the spawning grounds at time of stripping, it saved much labor at the 
hatchery. 
The foreman as a rule arrived at the Palmer Hatchery with a consignment of eggs about 11 
a. m. The eggs were at once placed in large pans and the water changed frequently until 4 p. m. 
Then they were placed in the hatching jars, 24 ounces to each jar, and from that time until they 
hatched had to be watched constantly, night and day, to be sure water was running through each 
jar and that the eggs did not bunch up and smother. The average temperature of the water during 
the hatching period was 57°; period of hatching, thirteen days. 
The capacity of the battery at Palmer is 42,500,000 eggs. Immediately after hatching begins 
distribution should be started, else the tank will be too full of fish and the screen become clogged, 
though smelt, being more lively and better swimmers, can be held longer in the tank without loss 
than either yellow or pike perch. 
Of the 110,000,000 eggs received at the hatchery there were hatched and planted 76,125,000 
with about 30 per cent loss. In view of the fact that the work is still experimental (last year but 
a few ounces of eggs were handled, merely to determine whether the fish could be stripped and eggs 
hatched) the number of fry produced can be considered very satisfactory. With the necessary 
facilities it would be an easy matter to hatch 200,000,000 instead of only a few fish. 
A brief note appeared in the Massachusetts report for 1921 to the effect that a 
little experimental work was done in hatching spawn in jars at the Weir River field 
station, using pond water, and 3,000,000 hatched in this way. The spawn hatched in 
13 days, a shorter period than when handled in the batteries at Palmer. The fry 
were permtted to pass directly from the hatching jars into the river. 
The United States Bureau of Fisheries has propagated smelts at Green Lake, 
Me., for a number of years. As has been noted, at Green Lake there are two size 
classes of adult smelts that constitute distinct runs, the larger form ascending the 
brooks earlier than the smaller one. According to the superintendent of the station 
at Green Lake the first of the run of each form is composed almost entirely of males. 
A descriptive circular concerning the process of collecting the eggs and hatching the 
smelts at the station says that careful daily observations have to be made in order 
to determine when sufficient females are present to warrant operations. As soon as 
the sexes appear to be about equal in number the fish are collected in small dip nets, 
carried in 10-quart pails to the hatchery, and placed in ordinary hatching troughs, 
six pails to a trough. Here they remain undisturbed a sufficient length of time to 
insure the casting and fertilization of their spawn, which usually occurs within two 
or three days. The fish are then liberated and the coating of spawn at the bottom 
of the troughs is gathered up by means of a net frame which is of the same width 
as the trough and tightly covered with cheesecloth. As the eggs tend to adhere to 
the surface of the trough, special care must be exercised in this process to avoid in- 
juring them. They are placed in large pans and the lumps smoothed out with the 
bare hands, after which they are measured and installed in hatching jars similar to 
those used in the whitefish and shad work, about one quart of the eggs of the “large 
smelt” being placed in a jar, with a water circulation of 3 quarts per minute. It 
has been customary in the past to allow 1 Yi quarts of eggs of the “small smelt” per 
jar, but recently the number had to be increased to 2 quarts owing to a shortage 
of hatching facilities, and the results were just as good as formerly. On account of 
