REPORT OF FISH CULTURES. 
W. E. HutTCHINSON, SUPT. 
HAVANA, ILLINOIS, January 6, 1909. 
The Honorable, Fish Commissioners, State of Illinois: 
GENTLEMEN—I beg to submit a brief report of the operations of the Illinois 
State Fish Hatchery at Havana, Illinois, for the year 1908, as follows: 
I arrived at Havana on April. 21, 1908, to take charge of your station, and 
had constructed a battery carry fifty-four Downing jars, for hatching pike 
perch eggs which we were to receive from the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries. I 
personally brought this consignment of 25,000,000 green eggs to the hatchery - 
from Toledo, Ohio, on April 25th; they were placed in the jars and began to- 
hatch May 9th, and continued hatching until May 16th. Fifteen million were 
hatched from the lot and distributed as shown by the detailed distribution. 
While the percentage hatched was apparently low, yet we must take into con- 
sideration the short time alloted for constructing the hatching battery, the 
long distance the green eggs were shipped, and the fact that the eggs obtained 
were the last of the season. 
The original hatehing building, which had been constructed before I-arrived 
at Havana, was a one story frame building 32 feet long and 16 feet wide, 
with concrete floor. This building was later extended 24 feet in length, 10 
feet of the east end was partitioned off and ceiled up to serve as an office. 
After the pike perch season closed, all equipment was thoroughly cleaned, 
painted’ and stored to make room for retaining tanks, which were to hold 
the fish collected from the overflow lakes along the [Illinois river. Six 
galvanized iron tanks of the following dimensions were purchased: Four 
10 feet long, 3 feet wide and 30 inches deep; two 10 feet long, 3 feet wide 
and 24 inches deep. These tanks were given three coats of asphaltum paint, 
and were placed two abreast, so that the water of the upper two flowed into 
the second two, which in turn flowed into the lower two, which discharged 
the water into a four inch drain tile leading to river. These tanks were later 
fitted with a one and a quarter inch water pipe over each row, and were . 
equipped with 12 cocks for each tank, which supplied water to all parts of the 
tanks. . 
During May, fifty 10 gallon round shoulder transportation cans were pur- 
chased, painted, stenciled and numbered, to be used in the distribution of 
fish to various parts of the State. 
On June 12th, the Steamer Illinois delivered the first consignment of fish 
to the hatchery, they were placed in the various tanks to harden in the 
cold water for a few days before being shipped away. It is the custom to hold 
all fish, that have been collected from shallow overflow lakes, in cold water 
for four or five days without food, which prepares them for distribution, and 
partially prevents the water from becoming foul enroute. 
The first shipment of fish thus collected from the overflow waters was made . 
on June 16th, and continued throughout the summer and fall to November 
*20th, during which time 266 plants were made from one extremity of the 
State to the other, distributing 19,247 adult and yearling black bass (Microp- 
