19S 
■ J-Qiie 26 
SAL.HOX BREEI)L\G I.\ CANADA. 
A ride of about two and a halt hours on the Grand 
Trunk Railway eastward from Toronto, brings the 
traveler to the village of Newcastle, a spot which has 
already become historical in connection with Canadian 
pisciculture. It is here that the famous artificial fish 
breeding establishment of Mr. Samuel Wilmot is lo- 
cated. 
About three-quarters of a mile to the west of the vil- 
lage is “Belmont Farm,” the “old homestead" of the 
IVilmots. A creek flows through this estate, which at 
an early day abounded in salmon. The first settlers 
took these noble fish with torch and spear in large num- 
bers, and carried on a profitable trade in their sale. 
The fish helped greatly in paying for the land when it 
was originally taken up. Gradually, as might have 
been expected, the salmon diminished in number, until 
they were well-nigh exterminated. When it is home 
in mind that they only visited the stream in spawning 
time, it will be seen that old stock and progeny alike 
suflered destruction at the hands of the earlj' inhabit- 
ants. In those days, however, this wholesale destruc- 
tion was not only permitted but legalized, there being 
no protection for fish during the breeding season. 
When at length a protective law came to be enacted, it 
was too late; there was not suflicient stock of old fish 
left to ensure adequate reproduction in the natural waj"; 
and the salmon population of the stre;im was practic- 
aUv exterminated. 
About ten 3 'ear s since Mr. S. AVilmot, the present 
owner and occupant of “Belmont” came across a brief 
newspaper paragraph, stating that a French peasant 
had conceived the idea of artificial fish-breeding, and 
that measures were being taken to re-stock the rivers of 
France. It occurred to him that if this was practicable 
in France it was also practicable in Canada, and his 
fancy pictured the creek where in his boyhood he had 
often speared the salmon, again teeming with that mag- 
nificent fish. He resolved to obtain all the information 
available, and to re-stock, if possible, the stream that 
meandered through his domain. In 180C he obtained 
an Order in Council setting apart Wilmot’s Creek for 
natural and artificial fish-breeding, and began, as an 
amateur, to carry out the plans he had formed. He 
erected a small building as a reception- house, and at 
spawning time had the satisfaction of luring some fif- 
teen salmon, male and female, into it. His designs 
came near being nipped in the bud, through a depreda- 
tion committed by some evil-disposed persons, who des- 
troj'ed eleven out of the fifteen fish which had been se- 
cured. The four salmon remaining formed the first 
breeding stock. From these about 1.5,000 ova were ob- 
tained, the greater proportion of which were success- 
full)' hatched. In the fall of ISOT twenl\'-five or thirtj- 
adult sa' mon were secured, and from them about .50,- 
000 ova obtained. Part of these proved immature, and 
failed to hatch. Skill had to be acquired in the sch.»ol 
of experience. In September, 1SG8, a “grilse” found 
its way into the reception-house. Others followed. Bj- 
the close of the season a hundred and fifty were safely 
housed. A “grilse” is a salmon two seasons old. He 
has made his first trip to the sea, and received the first 
great impetus to growth. He has felt and obe 3 'ed the 
first mighty impulse to return to his native waters. 
For it is a singular law of salmon existence, that from 
attaining the “grilse” age, it will return every fall to 
the ver)' stream in which it was originall)' hatched, or 
in which it found a home after being artificial!)- hatched. 
The appearance of these 3 'ouug salmon in AVilmot’s 
Creek was naturally regarded as proof positive of the 
success of the attempt to re-stock the stream. 
Passing over the intervening 3 'ears during which Mr. 
Wilmot persevered in his exertions, receiving, ver)’ pro- 
perl)', some Government encouragement, let us jot down 
a few observations m-ade during a recent visit to this es- 
tablishment. 
First as to the premises out of doors. The fish-hatch- 
ing house is supplied with water by means of a reser- 
voir fed by a pipe laid from the creek a short distance 
above. Down this pipe a large number of the young 
fish planted in the upper waters have made their way, 
so that the pond or reservoir is “all alive” with “parrs” 
and “smelts,” as they are called before the)' attain the 
age of “grilse.” The little creatures already dis- 
play the characteristics of the xahnouida famiiv, in 
their beautiful colors, graceful movements, and occa- 
sional leaps into the air. Below the hatching-house is 
a succession of ponds, of which various uses are made. 
One contains large numbers of young fry which, spite 
of all precautions, manage somehow or other to escape 
from the hatching-house, and are caught and detained 
until of .sutficient size to be let out into the creek and 
lake. Another is filled with young fish which are be- 
ing fed for the present, and watched in the. various 
«tages of their growth. Another is a sort of exhibition 
pond, where mature s.almon are kept for scientific ob- 
servation, and to show visitors. About thirty of these 
beautiful fish, varying in size from five to fifteen pounds, 
may here be seen in graceful repo.se, in slow motion, in 
the act of flashing forth the silver of their sides, or in 
the execution of all manner of expert fish gymnastics. 
They have aci}uired a degree of tameness, and betray 
no special fear while being watched, though it is plain 
enough that they are on the alert, and wary. One of 
these ponds contains about sixiy black bass, which have 
been collected therein for purposes of observ ation and 
experiment, mainly with a view of accurately determm 
ing the limits which ought to be fixed for their close 
season. 
The ponds already constructed occupy what was orig- 
inally a cedar swamp, and furnish a good example of 
the way in which many similar localities might very 
ea.sily be utilized. By taking advantage of the bed of 
the creek, and a channel or two made by spring fresh- 
ets, the ponds have been formed with comparatively 
slight cost, and a ipor.ass has been changed into what 
bids fair to be at no distant day a beautiful pleasure- 
ground. Many of the native cedars have been retained 
and others planted. The landscape gardening pait of 
the work has been kept in view from the beginning, 
thougk as yet the plan is but partially carried out. But 
the curved shores of rlie ponds, the winding patliVays, 
the grouping of the trees-, all show the presidency of 
good taste, as well as utilitarian ideas. The creek, which 
forms the basis of operation, is a more insignificenl 
stream than one would suppo.^e, being scarcely more 
than a rod in width, and in places very shallow, so 
much so that the larger fish cannot make their way up 
to the hatching-house, and must be left to construct 
their own .'•pawning-beds in the natural way. 
Next we come to the hatching-house. This really 
consists of two buildings, a reception hou.«e, where :he 
parent fish find temporary accommodation; and a hatch- 
ing-house proper, where the spawn is kept during the 
process of incubation, and the young fry are cared for 
until old enough to be distribuiedl The adult fish make 
their way into the leception-house of their own accord. 
Pushing their way up-stream, they come to an impassa- 
ble barrier, which has been thrown across. On one side 
of this barrier there is a channel which leads into the 
reception-house. Following this channel, the fish pass 
a couple of weirs, ingeniously arranged to admit of 
ready ingress, but to forbid egress. The parent fish are 
detained until ripe for spawning, a space of but a few 
days, when the spawn and milt are taken from them, and 
the eggs, having been duly impregnated, are placed on 
trays, which are set in troughs, through which there 
flows a constant stream of waicr introduced from the 
reservoir, until they hatch out. This process takes from 
ninety to one hur.dred and eighty days, according to 
the temperature of the water. It has been found by 
.Mr. AViiniot th-it the natural water of the creek is best 
adapted for hatching purposes, as it retards the birth of 
the young fiy until suitable weather in spring. AA'hen 
the fry is hatched, the tr.ays are removed, and the bab) 
salmon are left to occupy the troughs as nurseries Foi 
about three weeks afterbirth they subsist on a yolky oi 
oily substance contained in little sacs close to their 
beads. A baby ¥311000 comes into being with a provis- 
ion bag attached to its tiny form, which is good for 
three weeks or a month's board. 
AA'hen the young fry are about ready to begin foraging 
for themselves, it is a sight long to be remembered to 
beiiol 1 the troughs just ailverted to swarming with juve- 
nile salntomd/f, each abo*: the length of a good sized 
pin, and about the thicknes.s of a large bodkin. Mr. 
Wilmot estimates the number at about half a million 
It is astonishing to notice theagility and strength of th< 
little creatures — fatal qualities in some ca.ses — for heie 
and there one another may be .‘•een lying dead on tin 
upper edge of the trough, a victim to a too adventure 
ous leap. A building 2o x (50 is pretty well tilled nith 
hatching troughs, all more or less numerously populated 
by tiny creatures, destined, let us hope, a large propor- 
tion of them to adorn the dinner tables, and t"inpt the 
appetites of the good citizens of onr Duininion 
Large numbers of these fry have been distribufed 
already the present spring. Four barrels were recenilv 
prepared, about six thousand in a barrel, for shipineni 
to Jlount Forest, to be pl-inted in the Saugeen, in order 
to test the question which h is arisen, whether the sal- 
mon can be acclimatized .so as to flourish in our uppei 
lakes, without acce.ss to the sea. Alost of the young 
fry, however, are to be put in the various rivers and 
creeks that empty into Lake Ontario. 
AA'e aie glad to learn ih-it the Dominion Government, 
which has charge of our fishing matters, is prosecuiing 
pisciculture with coiisiilerable zeal. The Newcastle es- 
tablishment is one of five now in operation under its 
auspices. Three more are to be started the present seti- 
son; one on the l)>-troil river at S.indwich, for the 
breeding of whitefish: another on Prince Edward.s’s Is- 
land; and a third somewhere in the Province of Nova 
Scotia; the two last being for .sidnion. The work is 
truly national and patriotic. But if it is to be crowned 
with the desireil success, ihe people must cooperate, es- 
pecially in the enforcement of those proleelive regula 
tions, which are absolutely indispensible lo the preser- 
vation and multiplication of our fish supplies. 
Tite Rochester Courier reporu a iu lUe police coart wliica 
will interebt the fishing commiiLily. It was a prosecution for catch- 
ins: trout without right, ont of the artificial pond of Martin L. 
Hayes, in New Durham, in the Mitchell brook. The complaint was 
founded on cliap. '^1. (ten. Statu sex*. r>. aiiieiided by chap. 1. 
Ijiwj* of 1N>, 5?cc. which t nucts a of $10 forciuHi fish 
taken. caa 2 ht or deslruyed, accordiii? to the statute above iiaiaid. 
The defeudaet was held to au^v^er at the next term of the court. 
“No Fish, xo AVater.” — This should be the slogan 
or battle-cry of the sturdy New Hampshire farmer on 
the shores of the Alerrimac river and the ATinnipisseogee 
Lake until the salmon and the shad, the natural inhab. 
itants of the river, shall he allowid free access to its 
head waters to deposit their spawn and to people the 
stream in their ancient numbers. Each salmon that 
ast-euds the river is worth as much as a sheep Taised 
upon its shores, and is spawned, nurtured and pastured 
in the ocean without cost to its captor. By what right, 
legal or monal, this delicious and nutritious food is 
witliheld from our people we are slow to apprehend, 
especially since the decision of the Supreme Dis rict 
Court of the Unite 1 States that the Hadley Falls Corpo- 
ration on the Connecticut river is legally bound to con- 
struct and maintain practicable fishways for the pas- 
sage ‘of fish over its dam. Is there one law for the Con- 
necticut and another for the Alerrimac river? 
If, by defective legislation or unwise contracts be- 
tween Massachusetts and some of her corporations, she 
may have lost her power to enforce: our rights, our 
Stale has yielded no rights and has made no bargaims. 
The sad spectacle of the waterless fishway at Law- 
rence, suspended, like Mahomet’s coffin, betwi.xt heaven 
and earth, naturally suggests the question whether the 
coriioeation, which draws large supplies from Lake 
\A'iiinipisseogee by a liberal charter from New Hamp- 
shire, could not contrive to repair this fishway and turn 
through it a small rill of New Hampshire water, to glad- 
den the hearts of our citizens by the restoration of their 
valued fish. 
Possibly the action of our Legislature migiit be the 
most efiicient mode of remedy, and a suspension or re- 
peal of the charter of the Lake AA'innipisseogee Cotton 
and Woolen manufacturing company, until efficient and 
practicable fishways shall be constructed the length of 
ibe river, might secure at once what has been sought 
for so long in vain . — Mirror and F 
The Hunters of .Alain". 
BY IS.YAC McLELLtN. 
Deep in Maine's*primeval forests, 
WorMg of hemlock and of pine,! 
Roams the woodman with his rifie • 
Where the densest bonghs entuinc. 
There he wades the moantain torrent. 
Flanges thro' the icy stream. 
(inided by the twinkling starlight 
With its evenescenl gleam. 
Long the clattering moose he follows 
When the winter snows lie deep: 
Thro' the thick swamp and the ravine. 
Where the snailing wild cats leap. 
Seeks the stag with branching antlers, 
Cariboo and growling bear. 
Tracks the red fox to its cavern 
And the gray wolf to his lair. 
Far in sunset's mellow glory, 
Far in daybreak's rosy bloom, 
Fring<;d by ocean's foamy surges. 
Belted in by woods of gloom, 
Stretch thy soft and sumptuous borders, 
Smile thy shores in hill and plain, 
Flower-envmel'd, ocean-girtlK-d, 
Green, fair shores of Maine! 
Rivers of surpassing beauty 
From thy hemlock uplands flow; 
Androscoggin and Fenobfcoi, 
Sac<A, chilled with mountain snow; 
These from many a darkling laAine, 
A.*i o'er mossy rocks they leap. 
Sparkling, bear their ice-cold tribute 
To the surges of the deep. 
Bays arc thine as heaven transparent, 
Starr'd and gemin d with countless isl* s, 
(^tKKldy with its emerald islets, 
Casco with its dimpled smili^, 
O'er them swift the coasting sharops. 
Princely ships their wings expani'. 
While the smoke flag of the steamer 
Waves its long and cloudy ^t^eamL•r, 
Bound for distant foreign land.<>. 
Mooschead lake in girdling forests 
Spreads afar its aznre breast. 
Lonely, solitary, silent. 
Sleeping in unbroken rest ; 
Silent, save when o'er its wafers, 
Fringed with pine ti\*eaud with dr. 
Roars the rushing winter tempest. 
Or the summer breezes stir. 
Eagle lake and Xinquamneag 
Spread their ocean-like expanse; ** 
Shadow'd now by cloudy he iven«. 
Blazing now in sunbeam's glance. 
O'er them creeps the fisher's shallop 
Or the indiau's liin h canoe, 
Rufllmg the undimpled mirror, 
Lovely, beautiful and blue.* | 
