tion may be resorted to; or if economy in the amount of water used is not an object, twenty jars or more may be operated from a single supply trough.

Water for hatching eggs of pike-perch should be clear, and at a temperature not higher that fifty-five degrees or preferably between forty-five and fifty degrees Fahrenheit, to produce strong healthy fry. Warmer water encourages rapid development of fungus among the eggs, causing them to adhere and mass in lumps, interrupting the proper circulating of water through the jars, and these conditions are responsible for heavy losses.

Owing to the tendency of pike-perch eggs to fungus, it is important that the apparatus used in hatching them be kept scrupulously clean and in perfect working order, and that the use of water sediment be avoided, if good results are to be expected. In water having a temperature close to fifty degrees the eggs will hatch in about three weeks. As soon as the yolk or food sac is absorbed the fry will begin destroying each other. Unlike the trout, but resembling the fry of black bass, the young pike-perch is very cannibalistic. It is claimed that pike-perch fry are even more destructive of each other than young black bass, and that they will practice cannibalism even though abundance of natural food is before them. As might be expected, their number diminishes rapidly, if they are held in captivity until after their food sac is absorbed, and to avoid this loss it is customary to plant them just before the food sac is entirely absorbed. Being only about one-fourth of an inch long at this time, as many as 100,000 can be transported in a ten gallon can of water. On Lake Erie they are carried out on a steamer and carefully liberated while the boat is slowly moving along. In the streams and small inland lakes it is weii to give them the benefit of any protection possible, liberating them out of the way of rough water, or swift currents, and see that they are well scattered over a fairly large area, in sheltered bays or coves, or among vegetation, keeping in view to avoid, when possible, locations where their natural enemies abound.

This fish is especially suited for planting in the larger rivers and in deep lakes. Years ago they were fairly plentiful in the Wabash River and its tributaries in Indiana, and were not uncom

mon in the Kankakee and Tippecanoe rivers, from which streams many of them are still taken every year. They require two to three years after hatching to attain such a size that they may be captured with hook and line. From the beginning they are ravenous feeders, but their rate of growth, like that of other carnivorous game fishes, is dependent largely upon favorable environment and suitable food supply.

Trout Culture.

BY THEODORE G. LANGGUTH.

More than a half century has passed since the first attempts were made in this country to artificially hatch the eggs of trout. Trout hatching was in reality the beginning of fish culture in the United States, and through the earnest efforts of such men as Dr. Garlick and Seth Green, who were among the pioneers in this line of work, the first actual success was achieved; a success sufficient to demonstrate that the venture was a practical one, and to forecast the possibilities of the work, and in 1864 a trout hachery of fair capacity was established and successfully operated in New York State. Following this commencement the work was taken up by various States and the national Government, and by individuals in a commercial way, until at the present time, trout culture and propagation is carried on in almost every part of the United States, where suitable waters and climatic conditions occur, and it is cause for gratification and reflects credit on the efficiency of our fish-culturists, that in recent years the governments of certain foreign countries should decide to inaugurate and practice American fish cultural methods.

The kind of fish-cultural operations that may be advantageously carried on in any region is dependent largely upon the factors of climate, water supply, and the physical environment of a locality. A fair knowledge of the influence of these factors, together with the requirements of the species of fishes to be propagated, are essential for ultimate success of the work. The first requisite for a trout hatchery is a proper water supply, which must be constant and unfailing, without danger of contamination or pollution from any source. Four or five hundred gallons of water per minute can be made to answer where extensive operations are not contemplated, though double this amount would be an

advantage, and for best results it should exceed fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit.

The situation should be such as to permit a gravity supply of water to the hatchery building, which preferably should be located conveniently near the source of the water supply. A spring furnishes the most satisfactory water, for in addition to being fresh and clear it is not liable to be affected by floods or droughts, and ordinarily maintains a more even temperature.

It is not always an easy matter to find a spring giving a flow of five hundred or a thousand gallons of water per minute. It is sometimes advisable or necessary when a number of small springs are found within a near radius, to collect the water into one stream to obtain the desired volume. An approved method of controlling spring water for trout hatchery purposes, if the water does not naturally come from a gravel bed, or from among rocks, is to clear out the muck or soil from around the spring, and fill in with gravel and rock. A concrete wall of sufficient height to raise the water a foot or more, if possible, above the surface of the ground should then be constructed surrounding the spring, thus creating a small pond or reservoir in which the water will always be pure and comparatively free from sediment. In building the concrete wall provision must be made for the entrance of a pipe or flume for conveying the water to the hatchery, and at some convenient place in the wall an overflow and sluice gate should be provided which will carry off any excess water. This latter can also be used to clean or flush the reservoir. Rough lumber will answer the purpose of roofing the reservoir to avoid the accumulation of leaves and trash and, by excluding the light, prevent the growth of vegetation in the water.

Water from a lake, if at a suitable temperature, can be utilized as a supply for a trout hatchery. If water is taken from a lake at any considerable depth it would be especially necessary to have it well aerated in the hatchery before entering the hatchery troughs. Indeed shaking it up and exposing it to the air will improve any water for use in a trout hatchery. One of the chief advantages in using water from a creek or brook is that in dashing among rocks or over occasional shallow riffles, it is abundantly charged

with oxygen, and is therefore better suited to prevent "smothering," which sometimes happens when a large number of eggs, or fry, are being held in the hatching troughs. Another advantage in using water from a lake or creek is that is usually contains more or less minute insect life, which furnishes natural food for the fry. When a creek is made use of for this purpose a dam is built to obtain the required head of water and the hatchery is located near it. There are, however, certain disadvantages that discourage the use of lake or creek water; the water supply naturally is not as uniform in temperature or quality as when a spring is used, nor can it be as well controlled. Floods muddy the water, leaves and other refuse matter and ice accumulate around the intake. These latter are very disturbing elements, and may cause disastrous consequences to the eggs and fry in the hatchery. Artesian wells as a water supply for hatcheries have been experimented with to some extent by the New York Forest, Fish and Game Commission. It seems that the main difficulty encountered in their use was in obtaining a uniform flow. Some of the wells became partly choked with sand, and in some instances quicksand caused leakage around the outside of the pipe, thus diminishing the flow; and again the water from others contained an excess of gas or air. This latter was overcome by conducting the water through a reservoir box, which permitted its gaseous content to become equalized by exposure to the atmosphere, after which it was suitable for use.

SITE FOR A HATCHERY.

Having found a suitable water supply, it is then necessary to locate a site for the hatchery house. Low marshy or foggy locations, or places liable to overflow should not be chosen. And piping or otherwise conveying the water for any great distance should be avoided if possible. The site selected must show a level below the source of the water supply that will assure an ample fall in the water passing through the hatching troughs. Preferably there should be a fall of not less than five or six feet between the source of the water supply and the floor of the hatching house,