ALASKA SALMON INVESTIGATIONS IN 1900. 
341 
impounded in the river corral, 4,170 were males and 2,470 females. Of 3,292 dead 
salmon removed from the corral, representing the loss in the inclosure for the season, 
1,998 were males and 1,294 females. 
The amount of spawn placed in baskets during the 1897 season was not learned, 
but the superintendent stated that “fully 6,000,000 fry were ‘turned out’ from the 
eggs taken in 1897.” To this should be added the amount of eggs lost in the hatchery 
troughs, say 20 per cent, and the loss from malformations, etc., say 6 to 10 per cent. 
It is estimated that about 5,000,000 fry were planted. 
The facilities of the establishment had been much improved since the preceding 
year, spawn-taking was conducted under much better circumstances, and the expe- 
rience gained may also be considered a material factor in this season’s hatching-house 
results. It was observed that the fry hatched were more vigorous and healthy in 
appearance, though hatching more slowly. The eggs taken August 19 were hatched in 
210 days; those taken October 7 and November 2 were 123 and 138 days, respectively, 
in simply eyeing out! No artificial heat was used in hastening the development of 
the ova that luiar — season 1897. Beyond the foregoing there are no data available 
concerning the hatching period, etc. 
Preparations were being made at the time of my visit to increase the hatching- 
house capacity by 13 more troughs, to bring the total up to 64; to extend Sugarloaf 
Ditch so as to tap the waters of another stream farther to the eastward, a mile or 
more; to extend the nursery system, and to improve the present retaining or ripening 
ponds in the manner previously outlined. 
The following shows the temperature recorded in the hatching-house feed water: 
Month and 
High. 
Low. 
Mean. 
Month and 
High. 
Low. 
Mean. 
year. 
Max. 
Mean. 
Min. 
Mean. 
year. 
Max. 
Mean. 
Min. 
Mean. 
Apr., 1897... 
O 
37 
O 
-37 
O 
33 
O 
34.7 
O 
35.8 ' 
Nov., 1897 
O 
39 
O 
+30 
O 
33 
o 
35.1 
O 
35. 5 
May, 1897 ... 
47 
43 
34 
37.7 
40.3 
Dec., 1897 .... 
39 
30 
33 
35.3 
35.6 
■June, 1897. . . 
50 
47. 7 
40 
42.5 
45.1 
Jan. , 1898 .... 
36 
34.8 
33 
34.3 
34.5 
Sept., 1897 .. 
52 
46.3 
37 
42.8 
44.5 
Feb., 1898 .... 
30 
34.6 
33 
34.2 
34.4 
Oct., 1897 ... 
45 
39.1 
33 
37.7 
38.9 
Mar., 1898.... 
39 
36 
33 
34.6 
35.3 
The temperature of the air, dry bulb, outside the hatchery during the winter is 
summarized as follows, for November and December, 1897, and January, February, 
and March, 1898: 
Temperature. 
Period. 
Between 10° below and zero 
Dai/s. hrs. 
0 2 
Between zero and 10° above 
12 13 
Between 10° and 20° above 
11 19 
Between 20° and 30° above 
31 22 
Between 30° and 40° above 
83 20 
Between 40° and 50° above 
10 20 
The records for the spawning season of 1898 are again woefully incomplete. 
Some fish are reported as spawned in June, and from July 5 to November 30, 5,000,000 
eggs were placed in baskets. Of the latter 80 per cent were taken prior to October 4: 
the remainder were obtained in gradually diminishing numbers until November 30. 
