318 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
This food is given by the teaspoonful from a feeding spoon, which is covered with 
zinc (perforation No. 4 for char, No. 6 for other salmonoids) and from which the pulp 
gradually sinks under the water. The young fish take to this food very readily, but 
only when it is driven toward them by a strong current. Trout will not, till far into 
the summer, skirmish for food. The fontinalis and fario act very differently in taking 
their food. The fario kinds (and I include among these the Scotch Loch Leven) 
remain close to the bottom, and only a movement of the head indicates that they are 
taking food; the fontinalis are distributed throughout the entire depth of the water 
and almost rush at the food. In order to satisfactorily raise the young fish it requires 
extraordinary patience and great care not to let any food fall to the bottom unused. 
The young fish soon learn to gather at the head of the trough, and the sooner they 
do this the better are the prospects of success. 
Fry which have been badly raised or hatched — and I include among these both 
fry from too young parent fish, apparently looking very nice in the eggs, and those 
which in a closely packed hatching-apparatus have not received a sufficient supply of 
oxygen in the egg during hatching — will perish at this stage; and I can not sufficiently 
urge the necessity of obtaining eggs (unless they have been laid and hatched in the 
establishment itself, which is of course preferable) only from thoroughly reliable 
establishments, whose eggs may be somewhat higher priced but whose careful 
management is a sufficient guaranty for a good article. 
Failure to raise young fish is in many cases caused by mistakes made in remote 
stages of the development of the eggs or the parent fish. Whenever fry perish it 
is by no means right to seek the cause in recent occurrences, as the feeding of the 
parent fish and the hatching of the eggs may have had a great deal to do with it. 
The great care which is essential for producing high-grade eggs will naturally limit 
their production and will justify the higher price asked. 
Healthy fry will, as soon as they commence to eat, give very little trouble. In 
addition to the utmost care in giving the food to the young fish it will be necessary 
to thoroughly clean the boxes at least once a week. A nail-brush with strong bristles 
will answer this purpose admirably, and, after the water has been let out of the 
hatching- trough until it is only an inch deep, the sides are thoroughly brushed, 
commencing at the head. The young fish skillfully evade the brush and are rarely 
injured. From the commencement of the feeding period the water in each trough is 
twice a day made thoroughly turbid by pouring in a bucketful of water and rich sod 
soil mixed. After this has been done the young fish will always take their food more 
readily. After they have been thoroughly accustomed to take the food the troughs 
are emptied by taking out the bung at the end and the young fish are swept into 
large buckets with the water. Prior to this the Sandfort “ nurseries ” (large raising- 
boxes) are laid at anchor in the open bed of the brook near the hatching-house by 
being fastened to boxes and poles. 
These “nurseries” are strong boxes made of wood 1J- inches thick with a well- 
finished and tightly fitting bottom of wood three-fourths inch thick. The sides are 
covered with plates of perforated zinc (perforation No. 9) and the boxes are furnished 
with closely fitting lids, which are covered with wirework and admit as much light 
as possible. The boxes should be placed in a strong current, and tbe stronger the 
pressure of water which the young fish have to resist the stronger and healthier they 
appear to be. The Sandfort brook is a mill stream with a very irregular current, 
