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ERICAN FISHERIES
SOCIETY

SY a

TRANSACTIONS

Volume 16
1887

R

Ep ANSACTIONS

—OF THE—

+ American +

FISMERIES SOCIETY

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING.

HELD AT THE

RATIONAL PRUSEUM, WASHINGTEN, P. &.

MAY 31ST, AND JUNE 4ST, 1887.

New York.

1887.

Reprinted with the permission of the American Fisheries Society

JOHNSON REPRINT CORPORATION JOHNSON REPRINT ComPANY LIMITED
111 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10003 Berkeley Square House, London, W. 1

OFFICERS POR Mee (-c.

PRESIDENT, W. Li MAY, - - Fremont, Neb.
VICE-PRESIDENT, H."H CARY; - - Atlanta, Ga.
REC. SECRETAAY, FRED MATHER, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.
Cor. SECRETARY, W. A. BUTLER, Jr. - Detroit, Mich,

TREASURER, E. G. BLACKFOBD, = Brooklyn, N. Y.

| “TT45668

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

CALVERT SPENSLEY, Chazrman, = Mineral Point, W7s.
J. H.. BISSELES- - - - - Detrott, Mich.

Dr. R. O. SWEENEY, - = - St. Paul, Minn.
Draws MY EU DSONEAT= = = - Hartford, Conn.
LIVINGSTON STONE, - - - Charlestown, N. H.
CoLt. M. MCDONALD, - - - - Berryville, Va.
FRANK N. CLARK, - - - Northville, Mich.

Reprinted from a copy in the collections of
The New York Public Library

First reprinting, 1965, Johnson Reprint Corporation

Printed in the United States of America

CONSTI Ue w.

ARTICLE I.—NaME anpD OBJECTS.

The name of this Society shall be “ The American Fisheries Society.”
Its object shall be to promote the cause of fish-culture ; to gather and
diffuse information bearing upon its practical success, and upon all
matters relating to the fisheries; the uniting and encouraging of the
interests of fish-culture and the fisheries; and the treatment of all
) questions regarding fish, of a scientific and economic character.

ARTICLE II.—MeEmpsers.

Any person shall, upon a two-thirds vote and the payment of three
jdollars, become a member of this Society. In case members do not
pay their fees, which shall be three dollars per year, after the first
year, and are delinquent for two years, they shall be notified by the
Treasurer, and if the amount due is not paid within a month there-
after, they shall be, without further notice, dropped from the roll of
membership. Any person can be made an honorary or a correspond-
ing member upon a two-thirds vote of the members present at any
regular meeting.

ARTICLE III.—Orricers.

The officers of this Society shall be a President and a Vice-President.
who shall be ineligible for election to the same office until a year after
-he expiration of their terms, a Corresponding Secretary, a Recording

Secretary, a Treasurer, and an Executive Committee of seven, which,
with the officers before named, shall form a council and transact such
business as may be necessary when the Society is not in session—four

to constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE IV.— MEETINGS.

The regular meeting of the Society shall be held once a year, the
time and place being decided upon at.the previous meeting, or in
default of such action, by the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE V.—CHANGING THE CONSTITUTION.

The Constitution of the Society may be amended, altered or repealed,
by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any regular meeting,
provided, at least fifteen members are present at said meeting.

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING

———Oe ka

AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

PInS lie y..

The Sixteenth Annual Meeting of the Society was held in the
lecture room of the National Museum, at Washington, D. C,, on
Tuesday, May 31st, and Wednesday, June rst. In the absence
of Dr. W. M. Hudson, President of the Society, Vice-President
W. L. May called the meeting to order at 11 a. M. on Tuesday,
and after a short address the meeting adjourned until 3 o’clock
in the afternoon.

On assembling again the following new members were elected:
M. B. Hill, Clayton, N. Y.; Calvert Spensley, Mineral Point,
Wis.; Walter D. Marks, Paris, Mich. The following were elected
corresponding members: K. Ito, Hokkaido, Cho, Sapporo, Japan,
member of the Fisheries Department of Hokkaido, and President
of the Fisheries Society; W. Oldham Chambers, Esq., Secretary
National Fish-Culture Association, South Kensington, London,

Dr. H. H. Cary said he had recently been examining oysters
on the coast of Georgia with a view to planting in Lake Worth,
Fla. The lake is situated on the east coast in one of the south-
ern counties, near Jupiter Inlet, and is twenty-three miles long.
It was once a fresh water lake, separated from the ocean by a
barrier of coquina formation; but the inlet has been cut for the
transportation of boats of ten tons or more, and now the lake is
partially salt. The temperature of the Gulf Stream is not far

6 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

from 79 degrees Fahrenheit, and the lake is about the same.
The question now arises, is this temperature too high for the
breeding of oysters? The average depth of the lake is eight
feet, and the bottom of the south end is muddy; other parts
have hard bottom.

Mr. WuHirrakKEeR.—What is the temperature of the Indian
River?

Dr. Cary.—I think it is lower. The Gulf Stream diverges
almost northeast, and the inlet to the lake is ten miles south of
Jupiter Inlet. I believe that Mr. Mather has had some experi-
ence in raising oysters, and perhaps he can give us some infor-
mation on this point.

Mr. MatHer.—My experience has not been extensive enough
to say at what temperature the eggs of the oyster will decline
to hatch or the young will die. In 1885 Prof. Henry J. Rice
came to Cold Spring Harbor to make some experiments in
the propagation of oysters, and I loaned him a large wooden
tank, in which he placed some young oysters immediately after
hatching. The tank was put on the south side of the hatchery,
and was fed by a stream of salt water not larger than a lead
pencil; it was exposed to the sun and the water attained a
temperature of go degrees, and no result was obtained. The
next year I continued the experiments in the same tank placed
on the north side of the building, with a temperature never
exceeding 80 degrees, fair results being attained. How much
higher a temperature they would have stood, I have no means
of knowing.

Dr. Cary.—I can place layers of shells on the bottom for
catching the spawn, but there is a great deal of moving sand,
and 1 would like to know if this would be injurious to the
young oysters.

Mr. Eartit.—No doubt moving sands would be injurious to
the young oysters, because the shells tu which they were attached
would be buried and the young woutd be mothered.

Dr. Cary.—There are oysters in Indian River, but it has been

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 7

a question whether there would be food in Lake Worth, the kind
that oysters feed upon.

Mr. Maruer.—The oyster feeds mainly upon diatoms, and
attains a size in proportion to the food it gets. Some of the
best feeding grounds on Long Island are in the brackish waters
of the bays.

Mr. Eartit.—While I don't know the limit of temperature at
which oysters will spawn, I will say that I have found adults in
water 84 degrees, and at 80 they spawn readily, Chesapeake Bay
being 80 deg. every summer. Chrisfield, near Pokomoke Sound,
and Tangiers Sound, famous oyster places, are often 80 to 85
degrees, and oysters spawn there in June and July.

The Secretary then read a paper by Prof. W. O. Atwater,
entitled “Chemical Changes Produced in Oysters in Floating
and their Effect upon the Nutritive Value.” The meeting then
adjourned until the following day.

SECOND ‘DAY:

The meeting was called to order at 11:30 A.M. A telegram
from Treasurer Blackford, stating his inability to attend, was
read. The committee, consisting of Messrs. Whittaker, Spens-
ley, Cary, Nevin and Earll, appointed on the previous day to
nominate officers, made the following report:

For President.—W. L. May, Nebraska.

For Vice-President.—H. H. Cary, Georgia.

For Recording Secretary.—Fred Mather, New York.

For Corresponding Secretary.—W. A. Butler, Jr., Michigan.
For Treasurer.—E. G. Blackford, New York.

Executive Committee.—Calvert Spensley, chairman, Wiscon-
sin; J. H. Bissell, Michigan; Dr. R. O. Sweeney, Minnesota;
Dr. W. M. Hudson, Connecticut; Livingston Stone, New Hamp-

8 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

shire; Col. McDonald, Virginia; Frank N. Clark, Michigan;
and upon vote these officers were declared duly elected.
The following paper was then read:

WORK AT COLD SPRING HARBOR.

BY FRED MATHER.

The past season has been the most successful one we have had
since operations were begun here in 1883. We have turned out
more fish than ever before, the figures for 1886 footing up to
over 6,000,000; while this year the figures are over 9,000,coo,
‘There was a decrease in the numbers of salmon hatched and
planted; also in trout, but an increase in shad and Adirondack
frostfish and other species.

SaLmon.—We received 300,000 eggs from the United States
station on the Penobscot River, which hatched in such excellent
condition that our loss was only about 8,000, which is the best
we have ever done; of these fish 50,000 were planted in the
Housatonic River, near Kent, New Milford and Falls Village,
Conn.; 50,000 were placed in the Salmon River, near Albicn,
Oswego County, N. Y., and the remainder were placed in the
smaller trout streams on the Upper Hudson, near North Créek,
Warren County, N. Y., the terminus of the Adirondack Railroad.
Mr. J. W. Burdick, General Passenger Agent of the D. and H.
Canal Co., at Albany, very kindly gave us free transportation
for cans and mento Albany, and Mr. C. E. Durkee, Superintend-
ent of the Adirondack Railroad, offered us the same facilities
over his road. Very encouraging accounts of our plantings of
salmon in the Hudson are continually coming in. Last year over
fifty were taken by different persons, and this year we are hear-
ing of captures every day. A letter from Judge Danaher, of
Albany, says that some of the fish have gone above the dam at
Troy, and it is to be hoped that fishways will be placed there
this year, a bill for that purpose being now before the New York
Legislature. One salmon of 28¥ Ibs. has been-taken this spring,

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 9

just below the dam at Troy, the largest fish of which we have
auy record of being captured in the Hudson. It has been proved
conclusively that the Hudson can-be made a saimon river. A
bill introduced into the Legislature by Mr. Collins, which pro-
vides that no person shall at any time catch salmon in the waters
of the State of New York with any device, save that of angling
with line or rod, held in the hand, and then only from March 1st
to August 15th in each year, passed both Houses and is now in
the hands of the Governor.

LANDLOCKED SALMON.—From 40,000 eggs received from the
United States station at Grand Lake Stream, it was decided to
plant 25,000 in the tributaries of the Hudson River, and the ma-
jority of the fish were sent to Mr. A. N. Cheney, of Glens Falls,
who placed them in Clendon Brook, a trout stream where the
sea salmon have done well for several years, while the remainder
of the fry were planted in Long Island waters.

Brook Trout.—We have received go,ooo eggs from the New
York station at Caledonia, and from these and eggs which we
took from our limited number of stock fish, we have distributed
in waters in the State 148,986 fish and fry, and we may say that
in all cases where the numbers are given there is no guess work
about it. The eggs are counted in a measure, and the rest are
‘measured in the same glass; then when they are placed in the
hatching troughs an account is kept of the number of dead eggs
and fry taken from each trough, so that we can tell exactly how
many fish there should be remaining in each compartment.

Brown Trout.—We received several consignments of the
brown trout, Salmo farto, the common brook trout of Europe,
from the Deutchen Fishcherei Verein, and also from Herr Max
von dem Borne, the well-known fishculturist of Berneuchen.
These were on account of the United States Fish Commission,
and some of the eggs were sent to Michigan, Pennsylvania, Vir-
ginia and Washington. We hatched and distributed 34,000.

Locu Leven Trout (Salmo levenensts).—The eggs of this famous
Scotch trout were sent to us by James Gibson Maitland, Esq.,
proprietor of the Howietown Fishery at Sterling, Scotland;
24,000 fry were produced from the eggs.

fe) AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

Rainsow Trour.—From 10,000 eggs sent us from the New
York station, Caledonia, we have 8,oo0 strong, healthy fry.

SaiBLING (Salmo salvelinus).—TVhis handsome trout, which is a
native of the cool lakes of Germany and Bavaria, and attains a
large size, being one of the chars, is a very brilliant fish. I have
seen a specimen of 5 lbs., a male in breeding dress, in October,
which was a brilliant crimson up to and above the lateral line.
The eggs of this fish were distributed by the order of the United
States Fish Commissioner in several. States, some going to Vir-
ginia, Michigan and Pennsylvania. We sent some fry to Mr.
Cheney for Lake George, and have retained some for breeders.

WHITEFISH.—From 1,000,000 eggs received from the United
States station at Northville, Mich., we have planted in Dutchess
County, N. Y., and on Long Island, over goo,oo0 fry.

FrostFisH (Prosopium quadrilateralis).—This fish, which is found
in the Adirondacks, where in Chateaugay Lake it is called
“Shad,” while in Maine and perhaps other places it is variously
known as frost-fish, shad-waiter, etc. We received some 250,000
eggs from the New York station at Lake Brandon, and planted
200,000 fry in Duchess County, N. Y.

GRAYLING.—From 10,000 eggs sent to Mr. Blackford from
France, we first thought we could not save a fish, but we hatched
and brought to the point of taking food 350 fry from these eggs.
We placed these in-a small pond of about 15 feet in diameter
and 1% feet deep, where there was a good flow of water, but we
have never seen one of the fish since.

SunaAPEE Trout.—From Mr. E. B. Hodge, of the New Hamp-
shire Commission, we received 10,000 eggs of the large trout
recently discovered there; it is of the Oquassa type, concerning
which there has been considerable dispute as to its species. We
hatched 3,000 fry which seemed strong and healthy, which we
placed in a pond similarly described for the grayling, but we
have never been able to see them since.

WuitE PEercH.—We obtained some eggs of these fish from
St. John’s Lake, near the hatchery, and we also took some by
hand from the fish; in all about 10,000 eggs. The eggs are ad-

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. Il

hesive, and when laid by the fish are scattered similar to those
of thecarp. The fry are the smallest of any that I have hatched,
and it requires a second look to see them in a small glass aqua-
rium. We tried to retain a few, but we were not successful, as
they died shortly after the absorbing of-the sac.

SMELTS.—Out of over 4,000,000 eggs we hatched and planted
2,000,000, or about 50 per cent., which is as good as we have ever
done. I have on two former occasions read papers on the hatch-
ing of the fish before your honorable body, and have nothing
new to add. The little smelt carries a great many eggs for its
size; from 30,000 to 60,000, or perhaps more, and from 100 ripe
females of good size, probably 5,000,000 could be obtained.

SHap.—We received from the United States Commission at
Washington, over 5,000,000 eggs taken on the Potomac River,
packed there and sent to Cold Spring Harbor. From this lot we
hatched 2,000,000 fry, the last lot of eggs being a total loss; per-
haps, because they remained in New York a day and were placed
in a refrigerator, for the shad egg will not bear the chilling
changes necessary to preserve the eggs of salmon or trout. Of
the fry obtained, 800,000 were placed in the Hudson River at
Albany, and 1,200,000 in Long Island streams, shipments being
made to the Nissequoge River, at Smithtown, on the north shore
of Long Island, and to the Connetquoit River, emptying into
the Great South Bay; the planting in the latter river was made
at Bridge Hampton. The weather was very favorable for hatch-
ing, and we used only spring water for them, and at no time the
temperature of the water fell below fifty-nine degrees.

Last winter was the third winter we hatched the little tomcod
and we turned out 3,400,000 in the harbor. This little fish, al-
though not in great demand in the markets, forms an important
item in the food supply of the inhabitants of Long Island, especi-
ally on the north side, as the boys catch them by hundreds and
sell them to people in the vicinity. Shorty after we began our
hatching operations and paid some attention to this fish. Cold
Spring, Huntington and Oyster Bay harbors have been literally
swarming with little tomcods, which are all credited by the
people here to our hatching operations. We made no attempt

12 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

to hatch codfish, because of the condition of our hatchery, in
which we could not keep the salt water pipes from freezing; but
if we get a new building, as we expect, we will no doubt be able
to proceed with the hatching of the cod, as has been done at
Wood's. Holl. Last winter, when every salt water pipe froze,
we had a portion of our tomcod eggs in jars, and as salt water
was not available we tried fresh water; and after hatching them
in fresh water, we kept a large number in fresh water until they
were ready to take food. No doubt:this little fish could be
‘acclimatized in the Great Lakes, and if not valued for food,
would be desirable as food for the other fishes; but on Long
Island the tomcod is regarded as a very desirable fish, and they
are taken from all sizes up to perhaps 1% lbs., which is the
largest I have ever seen. They resemble the common cod in
having three dorsal and two anal fins.

The following table gives a summary of this year’s work:

Penobscot salmon planted in Hudson River........ 192,000
Penobscot salmon planted in Salmon River.’....... 50,000
Penobscot salmon planted in Housatonic River... "50,000
Landlocked salmon planted in Hudson River... .. 25,000
Landlocked salmon planted in Hatchery Pond..... 12,000
Brook trout planted in State waters. ............-.. 148,986
Brown trout planted in State waters....... ....... 34,000
Rainbow trout planted in State waters........... , 8,000
Loch Leven trout planted in State waters... ...... 24,000
Saibling planted im State watersi?.) 0.00... 0.0000. 5,000
Whitefish plantédin*State waters! 799. 12.2 985,000
Tomcod planted in Cold Spring Harbor........... 3,400,000
Smelt planted in Cold Spring Harbor... .......... 2,000,000
Shad planted in Hudson River and Long Island.... 2,000,000
Krostish” (Adirondack) i....°.:tcen ae pace a eae 200,000
Grayling’. -26 +. Sy).0 Cl ees Coe a IES 350
Sunapee: Lake, N. Tie Oquassa itrouti ne. wp. eos 3,000
White: Perch. . :ravietoay. 1 eeece Ran ones Pela Aree 10,000

9:157,336

Cold Spring Harbor, N. Y.

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 13

—

Cot. McDonatp.—So far, I have found no satisfaction in hand-
ling glutinous eggs, and the only real success I have met with
was with the eggs of the white pereh. We had collected some
adult fisn for Mr. Mather to send to Germany, and they were
put in a perforated can in the river to keep for a few days, and
on taking it out we found the side of the can coated with eggs,
and sent it to the central station, hardly expecting any results,
as we were not certain that the eggs were impregnated. In three
or four days a large proportion of the eggs hatched; we had
given them no attention at all, but simply left them alone. The
eggs were evenly distributed on the can, and not hung in masses;
now, perhaps as good a thing to do with glutinous eggs is to let
them alone. The eggs of the yellow perch are laid in rows and
hung over twigs and are merely suspended, where the eggs hatch
without being disturbed. The catfish also lays glutinous eggs,
but they are not stuck together; when the female lays them she
leaves the male to hover over them. Now, it may be, that in all
our attempts to hatch glutinous eggs we have only tried the
same methods which we used in handling eggs which are non-
adhesive, and have departed too far from nature in this matter.

Mr. MaruHer.—You will notice in my report I mention the
fact that all the white perch which we tried to keep and feed
died.

Cot. McDona.p.—So did ours, and I would like to hear from
Mr. Marks about the ‘“jack-salmon,” or pike-perch, and what
success he has had in hatching the glutinous eggs of this fish.

Mr. Marxs.—We have hatched them for the past two years,
and always by separating the eggs, and never in any other way.
Although it is a long and tedious process to break the adhesive
character of the eggs, it is the only way we have ever succeeded.
Mr. Nevin has a paper on the hatching of the fish, and I can only
say that our method isthe same as his. The eggs are taken in
the rivers and transported to the hatchery On trays.

The Society then adjourned until 2 P. M.
At the opening of the afternoon session, the Secretary read
the following paper:

14 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

HATCHING THE WALL-EYED PIKE.

BY JAMES NEVIN..

The eggs of the wall-eyed pike cause more trouble while
undergoing the process of hatching, than those of any other of
our better class of fish, owing to their great adhesiveness. If
not attended to properly before being placed in the hatching
jars, they will stick together in bunches and float off through
the outlet from the jar; and should screens be used to prevent
this, they will be blocked up and the eggs carried off with the
overflow. In our Milwaukee hatchery we have been raising
pike fry for the past three seasons, and after trying various
plans to counteract this evil, I have found the following to
answer most satisfactorily.

As soon as impregnated the eggs are placed in tubs or some
such vessels, and kept in constant motion by gently stirring
until they have become hard, usually about five hours after being
taken from the fish. They are then placed on cotton flannel
trays and shipped in boxes in the same manner as whitefish
eggs. As soon as they are received at the hatchery they are put
into tubs, each tub to be not more than three parts full of eggs;
they are then gently stirred with the hand until thoroughly
loosened or separated. Immediately alongside should be a
screen about three inches deep, and with holes just large enough
to allow the egg to pass through. This screen fits into a tub of
clean water and the eggs are dipped into it, and by gently shak-
ing the screen they all pass through. By this means we know
that each egg is separated from those surrounding it. I then
take some of the sediment from the bottoms of the supply tanks
and mix thoroughly with the eggs. A certain amount of this
sediment adheres to the eggs and prevents the “bunching” when
placed in the jars. After carefully following this plan the eggs
can be placed in the jars, and if given a sufficient current of
water to keep them moving very gently, there will be no danger
of their floating off; nor do they require continual watching for
the first forty-eight hours, as in the old method.

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 15

a eeeeeeeeeSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSmmMMHsesFeFeFFFFsSSSSSSMMSMMhkehees

They take from fifteen to thirty-five days to hatch, according
to the temperature of the water; the colder the water the longer
the time required. When the fry-are seven or eight days old,
the little fellows will begin eating one another, and hundreds
of them can be seen swimming in the tanks, each with a fish in
his mouth that seems as large as himself. A small percentage
of loss can be put down to this cause. We usually ship 50,000
in a twelve-gallon can, and find it necessary to use ice to keep
the temperature of the water sufficiently low for them to stand
the journey.

If fifty per cent. of the eggs can be hatched it can be consid-
ered very fair success. My opinion is that the general average
is lower, although one case that came under my notice very
much exceeded this. In the instance I refer to, there were two
small shipping boxes of eggs sent to a hatchery and fully 75 per
cent. were dead before leaving the spawning grounds, and the
man who took the eggs told me that the rest of them died when
put in the jars, and there were no more pike eggs sent to that
hatchery that season; yet, on reading the annual report for the
same season’s operations at that hatchery, I saw that ten millions
of wall eyed pike fry had been distributed! Men claim that they
can hatch 50, 75 and even go per cent. of the eggs of certain fish;
but here is a case that calls for special attention — several hun-
dred per cent. from dead eggs. Why each egg, even if dead,
must have brought forth twins or triplets, at least. I think it
would be a capital idea for all of us that are engaged in pike
culture to get our eggs from that locality in the future, and we
should work hard to get very stringent laws passed protecting
the Jocality, so that such a very prolific and peculiar class of fish
should not be killed or destroyed.

There is no doubt that such deception as this injuriously affects
the science of fishculture. The people of the country on read-
ing or hearing of certain waters being stocked with thousands or
millions of fry, as the case may be, naturally look for some bene-
ficial result in the near future; and when no such result shows
itself, they are inclined to say that artificial propagation of fish
is very much over-estimated, nor can we blame them.

During the season just passed we secured for our Milwaukee

16 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

hatchery about 30,000,000 wall-eyed pike eggs, estimating them
at 120,000 to the quart measure, and though as fine a looking lot
of eggs as one could wish to see, I do.not expect to have more
than 10,000,000 fry to distribute. These 10,000,000 will fill about
one hundred of the applications we have on file, leaving nearly
another hundred to be left over until next year.

The best breeding grounds in Wisconsin for this fish are Green
Bay, and Fox River emptying into it. Last winter our Legis-
lature passed a law preventing the killing, buying, selling or
having in possession any wall-eyed pike from these waters
weighing less than 1% lbs. A similar law for protecting our
whitefish in Lakes Michigan and Superior, and their bays, was
passed, and I have no doubt that a very few years will prove the
wisdom of these laws, as the fish will be enabled to reach an age
and size that will make them useful as breeders, and valuable as
commercial fish. The main trouble hitherto has been that our
lake fish have been caught when weighing a pound, and even
less; consequently they had no opportunity of being reproducers
of their kind, and brought such a low price per pound that a
fishermen could hardly make more than living expenses.

In conclusion, I will give a brief summary of the fry that have
been turned out and the number of applications filled in 1887 up
to the present time, by the Wisconsin Fish Commission :

No. of applica- No. of fry
tions filled. planted

Brook trout, :5:)\ see ob once ae 212 2,930,000
Mountain (troutadines tees Ai. FXO 1,350,000
Mackinaw, or lake trout....... bey Ae 500,000
W hiteiSie nF Aa ie ar ca 31,500,000
Wall-eyed pike ........ UE SY BG 8,000,000
MGtal, 32., sepia Piteont. | svets es eye: 44,280,000

Madison, Wisconsin.

By request, Mr. K. Ito, President of the Fisheries Society of
Northern Japan, spoke on the Fishing Industries of his country,
and his remarks were taken down by Mr. J. C. O’Connor, Secre-
tary to Col. McDonald, of the United States Fish Commission.
They were as follows:

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MECTING. 17

THE FISHERIES OF JAPAN.
BY K. ITO.

Gentlemen: My intention in being present at this meeting is
simply to benefit myself by gathering the crumbs that fall from
your table, and not to benefit you by any talk, as | am not pre-
pared to make any remarks; but at the same time I am very
much interested in this society. 1 have heard and read so much
about it while in my owncountry that it gives me great pleasure
to be able to be present at this meeting, my great interest in
which has prompted me to make the bold attempt of addressing
you in a tongue with which I am not familiar.

Fish constitutes the chief article of food in Japan, and the
fishing industries are necessarily the most important pursuit of
the Japanesg. It gives employment to 1,654,178 men, and yields °
$35,000,000. The peculiar features of the country afford every
kind of fishing, and a great many varieties of the marine animals
and plants are collected and utilized. It is not possible, how-
ever, Without some previous preparation, for me to enumerate
them or to give any account of the methods used for catching
and curing them. I will, therefore, limit my subject to the fish-
eries of Northern Japan, or Hokkaido, with which I am more
familiar. Hokkaido, more familiarly known to you under the
name of Yesso, is one of the islands constituting the Japanese
Empire, and is situated between 4o deg. 21 min. and 45 deg. 30
min. north latitude. It covers an area of about 319,000 square
miles. The fisheries industry is the oldest and most important
of the island. I will give a brief description of some of the
principal fisheries of the Hokkaido.

First in the order of importance are the spring herring fisher-
ies. The spring herring (Clupea harengus) approaches the western
coast of the island in tremendous groups in the spring and early
summer, and fishing is carried on from the first part of April to
the last of June. The implements used for the capture of this
fish are of two kinds—the gill-net and the moored trap-net.

18 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

The fish caught are gutted, and the bones and head taken off and
dried upon scaffoldings. They are then made into bundles and
sent to the southern part of Japan for food, while the roes, whica
are left, are dried on the flake or pickled and used for food.. The
head bones and gills, left after making the boneless herring, are
also dried and utilized as fertilizers. But since the introduction
of traps, about thirty years ago, and also the introduction of the
pocket attachment after that, the catch became so enormous that
every fish caught could not be utilized in the old way, and so
the guano‘and oil industries were inaugurated. This industry,
has grown from year to year, and at present is the most import-
ant of the fisheries of the Hokkaido. At present the total
amount of the dried scraps manufactured reaches the enormous
quantity of ninety thousand tons.

Next in importance is the salmon fishery. Our salmon be-
longs to the same genus as the Pacific coast salmon. There are
two principal species of salmon, namely, the spring salmon
(Oncorhynchus perryi) and the fall salmon (Oncorhynchus habert).
The spring salmon ascend the waters for the purpose of spawn-
ing in the months of May and June, and the fall salmon in the
late fall months. The fall run is the more numerous of the two
but inferior in flavor.

The methods used in the capture of this fish are several, but
the principal kinds of nets used are the drag-seines, traps and
gili nets in the seas, while oily the drag-seines are used in the
rivers. Some of the chief salmon rivers in the island can still
compare with any salmon rivers in this country. The most
important river for salmon is Ishikari, emptying into Strogonof
Bay, on the western coast. Curing in salt used to be the only
way of preparing salmon for market, but about eight years ago
the Government employed Mr. Treat, of Eastport, Me., to intro-
duce the method of canning the fish, and the new industry is
growing constantly, and some of the articles are now sent to
France. About three years ago a gentleman commenced a
smoking business there, and this we hope will soon become one
of the principal industries in the salmon fisheries.

Now, I will make a few remarks on the cod fisheries. The
cod are most abundant in the winter and early spring. The fish-

SIXTEENNH ANNUAL MEETING. 19

ing ground at present is limited more to the in-shore, being from
five to twenty-five miles from the shore and in water of 100 or
zoo fathoms deep. The gear used for capture is the trawl ex-
clusively, the construction of which is on the same principle as
the trawls used in the New England: fisheries of this country.
The vessel used in this work is very small. It is an open, flat
bottomed boat, about 36 feet in length, and is furnished with a
single mast and one large clumsy rectangular sail. The most
common method of treating the cod is to take off the head and
‘bones and dry them very hard, like the Norwegian stockfish.
The second way is to split and thoroughly cure them with salt.
Still, some of the fish of the early catch are just gutted, slightly
cured and sent away for more immediate consumption.

Another important fishery is the iwashi (C/upea melanosticta), a
kind of herring that comes into the apen sandy beach of the
eastern coast in the months of June and July. Their schools are
not so large as those of the spring herring, and are sometimes
mixed with “seven dots” (Z¢rumeus micropus) and also with the
young of the spring herring. The principal contrivance for the
capture of this species is the drag-seine. The fish are all made
into scrap and oil.

Next, I will mention the trepang fisheries. Trepangs, or sea-
cucumbers, occur in the sandy bottom of the sea all along the
coast, and are gathered by the use of a dredge. The fish caught
are gutted and boiled in a decoction of mugglewolts or arte-
mesia, and are then spread on a sort of cleat with bamboo bot-
tom, and dried for exportation to the Chinese market.

Another fish for the Chinese market and of great importance,
is the awabi. The awabi is a gigantic gasteropod, which is
known on the Pacific coast of this country as “abalone.” It is
speared from an open boat just like the dories used by the New
England cod fishermen, in water from two to four and a halt
fathoms deep. The fishermen formerly used cod oil in order to
look into the bottom of this deep water, but water glass is now
almost universally used for this purpose. About five years ago
some adventurous fisherman introduced the diving apparatus,
but in consequence of its injurious effect upon the propagation
of the shellfish it was finally prohibited by legislation. The

20 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

fresh product of this fish is separated from the shell, cooked.
slightly smoked and dried, and then sent to the Chinese market.

Next comes the squid. The squid, which has its run in the
fall, lives in big schools and is caught with the jig. lt is split
open, pressed and dried, and sent over to China.

Another product of the sea I would like to mention is the
kombu. The kombu is a kind of alge belonging to the species
of Laminaria. They occur in great abundance all along the
coast, but the best kind is obtained on the northeastern coast,
where the cold current comes down from the north. They are
taken from the rock upon which they grow by the use of the
wooden hook; they are then dried on the sandy beach, made into
bundles and exported to China.

Now, let me say a few words in reference to the fishermen on
the island. They are divided into three classes: First, outfitters;
second, fishery proprietors; and third, employees. Outfitters are
those who furnish the fishing gears, or capital or food supply to
the fishermen who cannot fit out for themselves; the fishery pro-
prietors are those who own the fishing vessels, fish houses and
all fishing gears, and the employees are those employed by the
fishery proprietors for the prosecution of the fisheries. Some
of the fishing is done on shares, like the cod fishery of this
‘country, while others are part in shares and part in wages, and
in some cases certain parts of the entire catch are given to the
gang of employees, besides regular wages.

The fishermen of my country are a most open-hearted and
frank set of people, and are sometimes superstitious. Among
the fishery proprietors there are a great many well educated, in-
telligent and progressive men. They have formed associations
there for the purpose of preventing the manufacture of inferior
articles and to adjust any disputes arising between fishermen.
They have a fishery society there under the name of Hokusui
Kyokwai, for the promotion and improvement of the fisheries.
They publish monthly reports and distribute among the fisher-
men important and useful information in regard to the fisheries.
They also publish the translated account of valuable informa-
tion from this country. I think it will be of some interest to you
to know that a recent. number of a publication which I have

AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY. 21

received contains a translation of the paper read before the Fish-
ery Convention in London, by one of your prominent members,
Prof. Goode. This society holds fairs for competing in the kind
of articles manufactured by the different fishermen.

Now, I will say a few words in regard to the measures adopted
by the Government for the promotion of the fisheries on the
island. Under this head there are only a few laws for the pro-
tection of salmon. The principal feature of the legislation pro-
tecting salmon is that no stationary apparatus is allowed in the
river, and the only kind of net allowed is the drag-seine. The
next feature is that all nets must be taken out of the water from
sunset to sunrise, that is, every night they must cease fishing.
The next prominent feature is that fishing of any kind is prohib-
ited in the spawning tributaries; and during the spawning season
the Government appoints fish wardens to protect the fisheries
from the poachers. In addition to this legislation in regard to
salmon, there is also a law, which I have already mentioned,
against the use of diving apparatus for the capture of the awabis.

Next, let me refer to the measures adopted for encouraging
the fishermen. The Government has a fund which is loaned to
the fishermen when they meet a bad season, and when they can-
not borrow the capital tu furnish their outfit. The Government
also exempts for a certain length of time from the fishery tax all
those fishermen who open new fishing grounds or who make
new fishing establishments wherever it is impossible to make
them without the expenditure of large sums of money.

Lastly, let me just touch on the legislation for regulating the
fisheries. Under this head | may mention the method which
has been adopted by the Government to govern all fishing
grounds. In every fishing locality the position of alf traps and
seines is located on a map, and this map is filed in the county
offices for the reference of fishermen, so that when they have any
quarrel in regard to the position of nets it can be settled very
easily. Under this head comes the regulation for inspecting the
manufacture of ““kombu.” The manufacture of “ kombu” lately
became inferior, and to check this evil the Government has made
a regulation requiring that all kinds of kombu must be inspected

22 SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING.

and branded before it is exported, just as the mackerel are
branded in this country.

Now, before I finish my remarks, let me read a few statistics
concerning the fisheries of the island, which I prepared some
time ago for the United States Fish Commission Bulletin :

NUMBER OF PERSONS, BOATS, SEINES AND NETS ENGAGED IN THE
FISHERIES OF HOKKAIDO IN 1884.

Hakodate

Sapporo

Nemuro

district. district. district. Total.
Fisheries propriet’rs 3,218 3,324 1,338 7,880
Employed hands... 17,440 33,630 14,703 65,773
Bodice. 525 ten 2 be 15,100 16,800 3,473 35,373
SGIGCS oes. Ween. aie 496 267 32 1,089
Trap-nets 207, 22229: 935 1,828 335 3,098
Gillenetseyie A i 150,820 33,305 65 184,250
Miscellaneous nets.. 6,406 40 65 6,511

VALUE OF THE PRINCIPAL FISHERY PRODUCTS OF HOKKAIDO IN 1884.

Hakodate

Sapporo

Nemuro

Fishery. district. district. district. Total.

Yens.* Yens. Yens. Yens.
Herings: ot: eee 1,412,762. 2,023,883 108,003 3,544,648
Fall salmon ........ 31,389 221,993 281,874 535,856
Spring salmon...... 1,528 5,617 118,675 125,820
Codey) Akg pee 16,396 85,048 712 102,156
washer. scene 116,577 15,434 1,640 133,651
Trepangz.}icnioecaet, 5,661 23,210 14,623 43.494
Bar-shell ee oe 26,818 OGM 2300 tice nek 121,941
Squid 2p: abe 35,250 Brow wie | atnces 38,067
Kombu 8.42 49,993 189,811 164,440 404.244
Sea-Otbees biss ive headed ie® eae Vil peek Be 3,150 3,150
Oy Steir wor Ug Coe le) Lees eee ee eee 13,413 13,413
DORAL sees’ + cece 1,696,974 2,662,936 706,530 5,066,440

*One yen equals about 80 cents.

I will remark here, however, that the figures just given are
rather smaller than the average, on account of the poor catch and
low prices during the year; but I think they will give an idea of
the amount of the fish caught on the island.

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 23

At the conclusion of Mr. Ito’s remarks, a vote of thanks was
accorded him for his very interesting statements of the fisheries
of a country of which we know so little, but which has made such
rapid strides in acquiring the knowledge possessed by what a
few years ago was an outside world to it. It is interesting to
note, how closely all foreign methods have been copied by these
exceedingly intelligent people, as soon as their ports had been
opened to the world.

Mr. Earl] then made the following remarks upon the changes
and conditions of fish-culture, and the duties of fish commision-
ers under the new conditions, which were also taken down by
Mr. O’Connor.

STATE FISH COMMISSIONERS.
BY R. EDWARD EARLL.

Mr. President—I do not intend to occupy the time of the So-
ciety with a paper, but it has occurred to me that this would be
an excellent opportunity to bring to the attention of itsmembers
a matter, the importance of which, has been growing upon.me for
some time, namely: the changed condition of the duties of Com-
missioners of Fisheries. During the past few years it has been
the one great and sole.aim of all the Commissioners to hatch our
and plant in the waters of their respective States as many fish of
the different kinds as it was possible for them to hatch and dis-
tribute, with the means placed at their disposal; but we find
that the time is rapidly approaching when it wiil become ne-
cessary forthe officials to present to their respective govern-
ments, or to the appropriation committees of said governments,
a clear and concise statement of all that is being accémplished
with the money appropriated for fish-cultural work.

There has thus far been very little effort on the part of most
of the States, and until recently upon the part of the general
government, to obtain definite and detailed information regard-
ing the extent and value of the fisheries of the various localities. It
is, in my judgment, especially important that each Commissioner

24 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

of Fisheries should make himself, as far as possible, thoroughly
familiar with the details of the fisheries of his own State. I say
the fisheries, I mean more especially the commercial fisheries—
that he should give special attention to the kinds of apparatus
that are being introduced into the waters, and to the effect of
each particular kind of apparatus upon the abundance of fish. It
isonly by this means that he will be enabled to tell what the result
of his labors in stocking the waters is proving to be; and, fur-
ther,it is only by this means that he will be enabled to stand be-
tween the man who condemns all fishing for profit and the man
who wants no restrictions placed upon the fisheries. We have
at the present time two contending parties—on the one hand,
the angler, who wants fishing only for sport, and wishes to pro-
hibit the use of every form of implement for catching fish that
will interfere with the enjoyment of his summer vacation ; and
on the other hand,-a large class of men who derive their entire sup-
port from the catching of fish for market. Each class comes with
its complaints to the legislative bodies of the country, and the one
that makes the best impression upon the legislature is wery apt
to carry the day. Wearethus coming to have a series of laws
enacted, some of which are very unwise and ought never to ap-
pear upon the statute books.

It is only recently that the U.S. Fish Commission has under-
taken to familiarize itself with the details of the fisheries. Through
an arrangement with the Census Office in 1879, Professor Baird,
as you all know, was allowed an opportunity of carrying out an
elaborate scheme for the investigation of the commercial fish-
eries. The work was placed under the direction of Prof. Goode,
and the results of that work are beginning to appear. Owing to
the exhaustion of the appropriation of the Census Office, they
were able to print only a small portion of the material that was
given them, but all of the manuscripts were retained by them
until recently, when they were returned to the U. S. Fish Com-
mission. Professor Goode and his associates has given much
time to the preparation of these reports, the first two volumes
of which have already appeared, anda large amount of additional
material is now in type and will soon be ready for distribution.
At least half a dozen more volumes similiar in size to those al-

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 25

ready out will be published. These will describe in detail the
fisheries of all the more important fishing towns, the history,
methods and present extent of each of the special fisheries ; the
characteristics of the fishermen bothat home and at sea, the char-
acter, extent and location of the principal fishing grounds, the
apparatus of the fisheries, and in addition will give an exhaus-
tive statistical review of the fishery industries of the country.

But these reports will picture the fisheries asthey were in 1880,
and if they are to be available for present use, they must be kept
up to date.. With the desire to keep abreast with any changes
that might take place, Professor Baird has frequently, since that
time, sent out committees for the investigation of special subjects.
It has been my privilege to be on several of these committees of
investigation, and I have found how comparatively easy it is for
one, even though a stranger to the locality, to get control of the
details of the fisheries of any village or stretch of coast. From
my experience I have been convinced that it would be entirely
practicable for the Commissioners of several States to familiar-
ize themselves with the changes that are taking place within
their own borders, and to collect from year to year full and com-
plete statistics of the fish caught intheterritory under their con-
trol, and to publish these for the information of the public in
their annual reports.

I have been much pleased to see in the States of Michigan and
Wisconsin a very commendable effort in this direction. [| think
the Commissioners of both of these States have so familiarized
themselves with the details of the fisheries in their own waters
and with the influence of each kind of apparatus of capture, that
they will be better able to cope with the problem of legislation
than the Commissioners of other States, and also to show more
clearly the influence of their fish-cultural operations upon the
yield of the commercial fisheries. Any one who has heard the
conflicting statements of the fishermen when summoned to give
evidence regarding proper legislation for the protection of the
fisheries, cannot fail to appreciate the importance ofa full
knowledge of all important details. In the Great Lake fisher-
ies the gill net and pound net fishermen are at sword points ; one
claiming that the other is using the most destructive apparatus

26 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

that could be devised, while the angling element, especially in
the more eastern lakes, is opposed to both. There have been
frequent attempts in various States to entirely prohibit the pound
net fishing, and there have been equally strenuous efforts to pro-
hibit the use of the gill net, and again laws have been framed for-
bidding the. use of haul seines, while fishing with pound nets and
gill nets was in no wayrestricted. Numerous attempts have also
been made to control and protect the fisheries by regulating the
size of the mesh, but the utter inability of legislation to protect
the small fish by this means is shown very clearly by the remark
made to me yesterday by one of the gentlemen present, who
claimed that if it were possible to insist upon the use of a given
size of mesh, the fishermen could still regulate the size of the fish
taken quite as his pleasure, by simply pulling hard upon the
upper cork line at one end of the net, and upon the lead line at
the other end, so as to draw the meshes together, and thus pre-
vent the very smallest fish from going through.

I bring this matter to your attention because I have come to feel
the importance of a definite and positive knowledge in this con-
test, when parties interested and parties whose interests are not
apparent are clamoring for legislation. I think the time has
arrived when the Commissioners of the different States should
stand between the contending elements and should settle defin-
itely in the minds of the law makers, the questions which are
up for consideration, and nothing, in my judgment, is more
necessary to a proper understanding of these questions than a
careful comparison of the yield of the fisheries of the various
localities from year to year.

With a desire to obtain as reliable statistics as possible, the
U.S. Fish Commission has recently, through the co-operation of
the Treasury Department, established a series of reports in which
I think you will all beinterested. The Secretary of the Treasury
has consented to require of the owner and master of each vessel
engaged in the fisheries of the United States, regardless of the
locality, a detailed statement regarding the size, the value and
the rig of the vessel ; the number of men employed; the kind of
apparatus used; the locality where fishing ; the quantities and
values of the fish caught, and other questions of importance af-

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 27

fecting that particular vessel. We are receiving hundreds of
these reports every month from all portions of the coast, includ-
ing the Pacific coast, the Gulf of Mexico and the numerous fish-
ing ports of the Atlantic ; and we are thus gathering a very large
amount of information regarding the vessel fisheries, but the boat
fisheries are still unprovided for, and if it were possible for the
Commissioners of each of the States to arrange to get reliable
estimates of the quantity of fishcaught yearly within their own
borders,-the number of men that are dependent upon these fisher-
ies, and the distribution of the catch, I think we would be able to
show what legislation is needed, and consequently, which I con-
sider more important, to show clearly the importance of fishcul-
ture in the commercial fisheries and the achievements that fish;
culture has already attained. I should be very glad if some of
the Commissioners present would give us a statement of what
has already been done in their waters and ofthe difficulties, if
such exist, in carrying out the line proposed. It has been sug-
gested this afternoon in conversation, that there would be consid-
erable difficulty owing tothe fact that many of the Commission-
ers have only limited appropriations placed at there disposal,
while others receive nothing whatever for their services, these
being gratuitous, but it occurred to me that by haying intelli-
gent correspondents in each of the leading centers, men in whom
they had confidence, it would be possible to get together for the
State reports, very valuable contributions to our information re-
garding the condition of the fisheries.
* x * * * * * * *

I will simply add for the information of any one here who sees
no way of sending out agents to inquire as to the extent and
value of the fisheries, that there is a growing prejudice among
the commercial fishermen in favor of the work of the various
State Commissioners and of the U. S. Fish Commissioner, and
thatthey are now quite willing togiveto the different commissions
reliable information in answer to questions that may be asked.
As a proof of this I will state that a circular was sent to each of
the 1,600 vesselsemployed in the food fisheries of New England,
and answers have been received from 1,560 of them, leaving only
about 4o vessels out of the 1,600 that failed to respond. In the

28 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

case of the fisheries of the Great Lakes, inquiry circulars were
recently sent to every fisherman on each of the five lakes, and
more than ninety per cent. of them have been returned, and when-
ever, during the past two or three years, there has been an effort
to obtain information by correspondence, this effort has been
met with hearty co-operation on the part of those engaged in
the commercial fisheries ; so that even without the expenditure
of any considerableamount of money, it will be possible for those
who are familiar with the localities and with the more intelli-
gent resident fishermen to obtain possession of information from
which very satisfactory reports can be prepared.
Washington, D. C.

The meeting then adjourned ‘until the following day.

THIRD DAY.

On assembling the Secretary read the following paper.

FISH -PRESERVATION « BY. sTHE\ USE) OP eaACErig
BORACIC,.- SALICYLIC, AND OTHER ACIDS
AND COMPOUNDS.

BY A... HOWARD) CLARKE

An important method of preventing decomposition of animal
tlesh, is the application of antiseptic salts in a powdered form to
the surface of the substance or to impregnate it with a solution
either by atmospheric or hydraulic pressure. Among the com-
monest and most effective. anticeptics, exclusive of chloride of
sodium (common salt) are acetic, as contained in vinegar, and
boracic acid. The latter preservative is fast coming into favor
in the preparation of fishery products, because of its very satis-

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 29

factory properties. As compounded with salt in the form of a
powder or in solution with tartaric acid, boracic acid is foundto
effectually preserve either dry or pickled fish in good condition
for a long time.

At the Fisheries Exhibition, at London, in 1883, some Pacific
salmon were shown which had been packed in a solution of bo-
racic acid and other ingredients for several weeks, and after their
long land and water journey, they were removed fromthe solution
and exposed to the atmosphere at the fish market for several
days, still retaining most of their original flavor and fresh-
ness.

It is my purpose in this paper to enumerate some of the more
important methods of preserving fish by chemical treatment.
Only a few of the numerous compounds which have been brought
to the notice of fish curers have come into commercial use, though
it is probable that many of them would upon trial be found ef-
fectual and profitable.

At the Centennial Exposition, at Philadelphia in 1876, there
were some exhibits of fresh oysters and clams preserved in chem-
ical liquids, and which the juries on awards pronounced of good
quality. Boracic acid was reported to preserve animal matter
for several months without changing the texture as common salt
does. Citric and acetic acids also proved good preservatives,
and fish cured in these acids were, after a little soaking in fresh
water, found free from all unpleasant flavor.

In Portugal, fish are kept fresh for a considerable time by re-
moving the viscera and sprinkling the abdominal cavity with
sugar, when they are hung up to allow the sugar to impregnate
the flesh as much as possible.

I shall notice the several methods in the order of their com-
mercial importance, beginning with acetic acid, which, next to
common salt, is perhaps the principal antiseptic in use in this
country.

Vinegar, Spices, etc—Lobsters, oysters, oyster crabs, mussels,
scallops and some other marine products are preserved in vine-
gar alone, and packed in glass jars, are common inthe New
York markets under the name of “ pickled” products. Herring,

30 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

mackerel, and other fish are largely prepared with compounds of
vinegar and spices and sold as Russian sardines, maranated fish,
soused fish, and by othertrade names. The preparation of Rus-
sian sardines from the common sea herring, was introduced in
this country by some enterprising New York merchants during
the Franco-Prussian war. The principal seat of operations was
Eastport, Me., and the methods employed, as patented in 1875 by
Messr. Sellman, Reessing and Wolff, have been as follows:
The fish while alive are thrown into strong brine contained in
suitable casks on board the fishing vessels. This part of the
process is important, as it not only kills the fish but prevents
them from spoiling while being cleaned and cured. After being
kept in the brine for at least ten days they are beheaded, gutted,
scaled, and thoroughly cleaned in clear cold water and placed in
large willow baskets or in sieves to drain off the superfluous
water. In five or six hours they are spread upon packing tables
and assorted as to size, each size being packed by themselves.

The fish are preserved and at the same time flavored by being
packed with the following ingredients, the quantities given be-
ing for 120 lbs. of fish ; Two gallons vinegar, 1% Ibs. allspice,
20z. pepper, 4lbs. sliced onions, 2lbs: sliced horse radish, 11b. bay
leaves, %lb. cloves, 5lb. ginger, 3{lb. coriander seed, 31b. Chili
pepper, and 2%oz. capers.

‘In packing the fish a small quantity of vinegar and a thin layer
of the other ingredients are placed in the bottom of the vessel
and a layer of fish, placed back upward, are put inand gently
pressed down. Another small quantity of vinegar and a thin
layer of the other ingredients are put in and another layer of
fish, and so on until the vessel is full. The fish are ready for
market and consumption in about fourdays in summer and three
to four weeks in winter.

Method of Sousing.—Soused mackerel and other fish may be
prepared as follows: The fish are cut into pieces about 2 in.
long and cleaned. A souse is made of cider vinegar and cloves,
nutmeg or other spices, with parsley, bay leaf and onions, and
the fish are immersed in this souse for twelve hours, when they
are put in a second souse, made the same as the first with the ad-

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 31

dition of capers, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, and extract of
anchovy and lemons. After remaining in the second souse for ten
hours, they are heated in the sousé for four to eight hours at
about 140deg. Farh. and are then packed with the souse in air-
tight pots or jars.

2. Acetic Acid and Corbonate of Soda.—The fish to be preserved:
are put in barrels, or other packages, with a liquid composed of
acetic acid and carbonate of soda, in sufficient quantities to make
a slightly:acid solution of acetate of soda, to which is added
enough water to give the liquida density of three to five degrees.
A few grains of salt may be added to give an agreeable taste, and
about five drops of nitrate of soda for each pound of the liquid
to preserve the color of the substance. Prepared chalk may be
used instead of carbonate of soda. The fish may be kept in this
solution, or after being saturated with a denser liquid may be
dried.

3. Boracic Acid and Common Salt——In the United States, until
within a very few years, little advantage has been taken in the fish
trade of the effective preservative power of boracic acid in com-
bination with common salt. In 1883, the writer found that at
Gloucester, Mass., the headquarters in this country for the cur-
ing of dry salted fish, the use of boracic acid was just begun,
and then only by a few curers. Since that date, however, ‘‘Pre-
servaline ” and other chemical powders having the above sub-
stances as their base have come into quite general use, partic-
ularly in the warmer months, when without this preservative it
is often found impossible to keep dry fish in good condition for
many weeks or even days. This powder checks the peculiar
reddening so commonly seen on dry salted fish in summer.

The chemical powder used by the Norwegians in preserving
fresh herring for export, is a mixture of boracic acid and salt,
using about two pounds of salt to each pound of boracic acid.
Herring are packed in barrels, in the ordinary method with alter-
nate layers of fish and powder, and after the barrel is headed they
are “pickled” with a weak solytion of pure boracic acid. Fish
preserved in this way will keep perfectly fresh and of their nat-
ural flavor for a week or even longer. The Norwegians have

32 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

already succeeded in profitably competing with Scotland in sup-
plying the London market with fresh herring thus prepared. A
more complete preservation of herring, so that they will keep in
good order fora long time, is obtained by the Sahlstrom process
and by the Roosen method by which a solution of boracic acid
and salt is thoroughly impregnated into the flesh, under a pres-
sure of 60 to roolbs. to the square inch. Successful experiments
have been made in Scotland in treating fresh.salwon by the
Roosen process. Three hundred pounds of fish were packed in
a strong steel barrel, and with a pressure pump the solution was
forced into the salmon until they were thoroughly impregnated.
After three weeks subjection to this process the fish were cooked
andfound of excellent flavor. Strongly made wooden barrels
may be substituted for steel barrels, or, after being treated under
pressure, the fish may be repacked with the solution in common
fish barrels.

4. Eckhart’s Method.—By this process, devised by John Eck-
hart, of Munich, and patented in 1880-’82, fish are prepared in a
preserving salt consisting of a mixture of 50 per cent. common
salt, 47% per cent. chemically pure boracic acid, 2 per cent. tar-
taric acid, and % per cent. salicylic acid. The fish are first strip-
ped of skin and bones, and the flesh is mixed with the preservative
in the proportion of 20 grams of the mixture to one kilogram of
fish flesh. They are then packed in cases of parchment or other
material and put into casks which are filled with a gelatine solu-
tion made in the proportion of 50 grams of gelatine, 20 grams
of the preservative, and 1,000 grams of water. The casks are
then headed and connected with a force pump and more of the
solution is forced in until the contents are well saturated. The
sacks or cases of fish are then removed from the cask, and may
be strewn over with more of the salt indry condition and packed
for shipment, or they may be shiped in casks with the liquid.

5. Boracic and Acetic Acids—By the Am Ende process, boracic
acid eitherin a liquid or pulverous state, is compounded with
acetic acid inthe proportion of.about one drop of acetic to every
ounce of boracic acid, and the compound is applied in the usual
manner. The acetic acid is said to prevent the formation of fungi,

SIXTEENNH ANNUAL MEETING. 33

while the boracic acid prevents putrefaction by hindering the
formation of bacteria.

6. Boracic Acid, Chloride of Potassium, etc—The process devised
by Hugo Jannish, consists in subjecting fish to a compound pre-
pared of chloride of potassium, nitrate of soda, and chemically-
pure boracic acid, which ingredients are dissolved in water, then
mixed under exposure of heat, thus forming an antiseptic salt
composed of hyponitrate of potash, hypochlorate of soda, borate
of soda, borate of potash, and free boracic acid. The compound
is applied either as a salt or in a more or less strong solution ac-
cording to the time for which the fish are to be preserved.

7. Borax, Saltpetre, etc—By the Herzen preserving process, meat
is soaked for 24 to 36 hours ina solution of three parts borax,
two boracic acid, three saltpetre, and one salt, in one hundred
parts of water, and then packed in some of the solution. Before
use the meat must be soaked 24 hours in fresh. water.

8. Glycerine and Antiseptic Salts —Oysters, fish, meats, etc.. may
be preserved by the use of a mixture of glycerine with phosphate
of soda, or other antiseptic salt in connection with aldehyde,
formic ether or acid in a solution of carbonic acid, water, gly-
cerine, etc., and the preserved substance is then covered with
paraffine or stearine.

9. Miscellaneous Compounds—Among the many other chemical
compounds that have been experimented with, and some of which
have been successfully used in the commercial preservation of
fish, may be mentioned :

a. A solution of gelatine and bisulphite of lime forced under
pressure.

6. Fish flesh ground into fine pieces, pressed, moistened with
glycerine, and wrapped in tinfoil.

c. A solution of saltpetre and alum in proportion of 5 lbs. of
saltpetreand 4 oz. of alum to 60 gallons of sea water.

d. A solution of thymol, thymic acid, or any of the thymate
salts and water, alcohol or glycerine.

c. Acetate of lime solution in water at a density of six degrees
by the zrometer, to which is added acetic acid of eight degrees,

34 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

so that the liquid will produce sensible acid reaction upon blue
reaction paper.

J. Sulphite of soda and carbolic acid in solution in proportion
of 5 gals. water, 2 lbs. selphite of soda and 20z. carbolic acid.

gy. Hydrocarbon substituted for the air, which occupies the
space in and around the substance to be preserved and subject-
ing the same to a temperature of about 30 deg. Fahr., the gas en-
tering by a hole at the top and the air escaping through a hole
in the bottom of the package.

hk. A solution of salicylic acid dissolved in water, with which
the fish is impregnated under hydraulic pressure.

?. Salicylic acid dissolved in hot glycerine and mixed with hot
water. Preserving cans are coated on the inside with the above
solution, then the fish are hermetically sealed in the ordinary
manner.

j. A brine of composition for preserying fish, meat, etc., con-
sisting of a solution of starch, sugar or glucose and common salt.

k. Fish are packed in a dry powder of gypsum and carbonand
then enveloped with plastic shell, composed of gypsum, carbon,
silicate of soda and water.

7, Fish washed in lime water then rubbed with pepper, salt-
petre and fine salt.

m. Fish packed in air-tight packages and subjected to vapor of
chloroform.

n. Gaseous sulphide of carbon is forced into the fish,
0. A solution of equal parts of water and bisulplute of lime.

p. Fish are covered with a coating of gum and immersed in
acetate of alumina then a solution of gelatine allowing the whole
to dry on the surface.

g. Fish are immersed in a solution of gum, benzoin and alum.
Washington, D. C.
Mr. May—The paper just read treats of preserving fish by

means of acids and other compounds, but does not say what effect
these preseryatives have upon the human stomach. Is there any

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 35

member present who has eaten fish which had been kept by any
of these processes ?

Mr. Maruer—I once ate a tiout which had been kept for some
ten days without ice. It was given to me by Mr. Thomas J.
Conroy, of New York, the dealer in fishing tackle,and had been
preserved by a patent process or powder called Rex Magnus,
not now on the market, and which probably may have been
largely composed of boracic acid, and the fish was fairly eat-
able, a little dry but still better than no fish.

Mr. May—As our worthy secretary still lives, it is fair to
presume that the use of these preparations does not bring on in-
stant death, but what would be the result of eating a thousand
such prepared fish ?

Mr. MatrHer—I cannot say. Prawns preserved in some acid
come to New York from Charleston and other southern ports,
and I see them at Blackford’s daily. I have here the quarterly
number of the /ournal of the National Fish Culture Association,
edited by J. W. Willis Bund, Esq., and published by the Fish-
culture Association of, England, in which there are two items
referring to this matter, which I will read. The first one favors
the use of acics and the second one condemns them.

There are two sides to all questions. The British Medical
Journal writes thus as to herrings cured with boracic acid:
“Large quantities of herring preserved with salt and boracic
acid being at present imported from Norway, and sold in the
London and Newcastle markets. attempts have been made to
prevent their sale. The National Sea Fisheries Protection As-
sociation discussed the question at a recent conference at Fish-
mongers’ Hall, but no decision as to such fish was arrived at.
It may, therefore, be worth while to point out that boracic acid,
being the essential ingredient of our many food preservatives—
be it in the form of the acid, of boroglyceride, or of borax—has
been used for years, especially to preserve milk in hot weather,
and no evidence has ever been brought forward even to suggest
injurious effects upon the health ; it may, therefore, be taken to
be perfectly harmless. The Norwegian herrings preserved with
salt and boracic acid are of exceptionally fine quality, are per-

36 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

fectly fresh when brought into the market, and are, of course,
subject to the usual process of inspection by the market inspec-
tors, whose power of rejection is almost absolute. If, neverthe-
less, an outcry is heard against this sale, it is difficult to resist
the belief that it is dictated by the jealousy which is notoriously
rife in Billingsgate circles.

“ The introduction of cheap food from new sources, welcomed
as it always is by the public, is invariably opposed by the trade
who, after all, reap the chief advantage in the long run. One
has but to recall the sneers of the meat venders at American and
Australian meat to value the agitation against Norway herrings
at its proper worth. Hitherto, happily, we have been spared the
bitter discussions which have on the Continent led to legislation
against certain food preservatives, such as salicylic acid, which
we in England admit without hesitation. The question is mainly
one of public economy: Shall good food be wasted for want of
a preservative, even if certain objections may be urged against
their use, or shall we put up with these objections and aim at
cheapening food for the masses, provided, always, that nothing
which could injuriously affect their health is allowed to be pres-
ent? A sufficient guarantee is afforded by the vigilance of
medical officers, public analysts and market inspectors against
the abuse of antiseptics and food preservatives.”

On the other hand, a fish trader writes to the 77sh Trade Ga-
sette: ““ Hundreds of barrels of herrings from Norway out of one
cargo were condemned, and also, that there were about 1,500
barrels unsold lying in London at that time. France will not
admit the Swedish and Norwegian herrings nor any other fish
cured by the process named. Many shopkeepers soon find out
to their cost that once their customers have tasted herrings cured
with acid they don’t ask for them a second time.”

Mr. S. G. Worth explained a new method for outlets of fish-
ponds which he illustrated by a diagram upon the blackboard,
and of this no notes were taken as Mr. Worth promised to send
them, but as the report goes to press, they have not arrived.

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 37

THE CHEMICAL CHANGES PRODUCED IN OYSTERS
IN FLOATING, AND THEIR EFFECT UPON
THE NUTRITIVE VALUE.

BY PROF. W. O. ATWATER.

It is a common practice of oyster dealers, instead of selling
the oysters in the condition in which they are taken from the
beds in salt water, to first place them for a time, forty-eight
hours, more or less, in fresh or brackish water, in order, as the
oyster-men say, to ‘‘fatten”’ them, the operation being called
“floating” or “laying out.’’ By this process the body of the
oyster acquires such a plumpness and rotundity, and its bulk
and weight are so increased as to materially increase its selling
value.

The belief is common among oyster-men, that this “ fattening ”
is due to an actual gain of flesh and fat, and that the nutritive
value of the oyster is increased.

A moment’s consideration of the chemistry and physiology of
the subject will make it clear, not only that such an increase of
tissue-substance in so short a time and with such scanty food-
supply is out of the question, but that the increase of volume
and weight of the bodies of the oysters is just what would be
expected from the osmose or dialysis which would naturally take
place between the contents of the bodies of the oysters as taken
from salt water, and the fresh or brackish water in which they
are floated.

If we fill a bladder with salt water and then put it into fresh
water the salt water will gradually work its way out through
the pores of the bladder and, at the same time, the fresher water
will enter the bladder; and further, the fresh water will go in
much more rapidly than the salt water gocs out. The result
will be that the amount of water in the bladder will be increased,
It will swell by taking up more water than it loses, while, at the
same time, it loses a portion of the salt.

It does this in obedience to a physical law, to which the term
osmose and dialysis are applied. In accordance with this law,

38 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

if a membraneous sac holding salts in solution is immersed in a
more dilute solution or impure water, the more concentrated so-
lution will pass out and at the same time the water or more dilute
solution will pass in and more rapidly. The escape of the con-
centrated and entrance of the dilute solution will be, in general
the more rapid the greater the difference in concentration and
the higher the temperature of the two solutions. After the os-
mose has proceeded fora time, the two solutions will become
equally diluted. When this equilibrium between the two is
reached the osmose will stop. If the sac which has become dis-
tended is elastic, it will, after osmose has ceased, tend to come
back to its normal size, the extra quantity of solution which it
has received, being driven out again.

We should expect .these principles to apply to the oyster.
Roughly speaking, the body of the animal may be regarded as
a collection of membraneous sacs. It seems entirely reasonable
to suppose, that the intercellular spaces and probably the cells
of the body would be impregnated with the salts of the sea-water
in which the animal lives, and this supposition is confirmed by
the large quantity of mineral salts which the body is found by
analysis to contain, and which amounts, in some cases, to over
14 per cent. of the water-free substance of the body.

It seems equally reasonable to assume that osmose would take
place through both the outer coating of the body and the cell
walls. In the salt water the solution of salts within the body
may be assumed to be in equilibrium with the surrounding me-
dium. When the animal is brought into fresh or brackish water
1.é.,into a more dilute solution, the salts in the more concen-
trated solution within the body would tend to pass in and pro-
duce just such a distension as actually takes place in the floating.
If this assumption is correct, we should expect that the osmose
would be the more rapid the less the amount of salts in the sur-
rounding” water; that it would proceed more rapidly in warm
and more slowly in cold water; that it would take place whether
the body of the animal is left in the shell or is previously re-
moved from it; that the quantity of salts would be greatly
reduced in floating; and that if it were left in the water
after the maximum distension had been reached, the imbibed

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 39

water would pass out again and the oyster would be reduced to
its original size. Just such is actually the case. Oyster-men
find that the oysters “fatten” much more quickly in fresh than
in brackish water; warmth is so favorable to the process that it
is said to be sometimes found profitable to warm artificially the
water in which the oysters are floated; although oysters are
generally floated in the shell, the same effect is very commonly
obtained by adding fresh water to the oysters after they have
been taken out of the shell, indeed, I am told that this is a by no
means unusual practice of retail dealers; oysters lose much of
their salty flavor in floating; and it is a common experience of
oyster-men that if the “fattened” oysters are left too long on
the floats they become “lean” again.

This exact agreement of theory and fact might seem to war-
rant the conclusion that the actual changes in the so called fatten-
ingof oysters in floating are essentially gain of water and loss
of salts. The absolute proof however is to be sought in chemical
analysis. In the course of an investigation conducted under the
auspices of the United States Fish Commission, and which in-
cluded examinations of a number of specimens of oysters and
other shell-fish, I have improved the opportunity to test this
matter by some analysis of oysters before and after floating.
The results of the investigation are to be given in one of the
publications of the Commission. From this the following state-
ments are selected as perhaps not without interest tothe Fisheries
Association. It is not improper that I should add here, that a
portion of the expenses of the investigation was borne by one of
the prominent officers of the association, Mr. E. G. Blackford.

The account just mentioned of the experiments is preceded by
some citations regarding the practice of floating oysters which
I insert here, adding that I should be greatly obliged for any
further information upon the subject.

The following very opposite statements* are by Prof. Persi-
for Frazer, Jr., who attributes the changes mentioned to dialytic
action.

* Note on Dialysis in Oyster Culture in Proceedings of Philadelphia Academy of Sciences,
1875 p. 472.

40 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

“The oysters brought to our large markets on the Atlantic
seaboard are generally first subjected to a process of “laying
out,” which consists in placing them fora short time in fresher
water than that from which they have been taken.

‘“Persons who are fond of this animal as an article of food
know how much the ‘fresh’ exceed the ‘salts’ in size and con-
sistency. The ‘Morris Coves’ of this city, (Philadelphia) while
very insipid, are the plumpest bivalves brought to market. On
the other hand, the ‘Absecoms’ and ‘ Brigantines,’ while of a
better flavor (to those who prefer salt oysters), are invariably
lean, compared to their transplanted rivals, as also are the ‘ Cape
Mays,’ though from some reason, not to the same extent.

“The most experienced oyster dealers inform me, that the
time for allowing the salt oysters taken from the sea-coast to
lie out, varies, but is seldom over two or three days. At the end
of this time the maximum plumpness is attained, and beyond
this, the oyster becomes lean again, besides having lost in
flavor.”

The subjoined statements by Prof. J. A. Ryder are interesting
in this connection. They are taken from a letter to Prof. Baird,
U.S. Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries on “ Floats for the
so-called fattening of oysters.’*

“The simplest and most practical structures of the kind which
I have seen are the storage and fattening floats used by Mr.
Conger, of Franklin City, Md., and now in use by all the ship-
pers and planters in the vicinity of Chincoteague Bay. I have
been informed that similar structures, or rather structures serv-
ing similar purposes, are in use on the oyster-beds along the
shore of Staten Island, New York.

“Tt is probably a fact that in all these contrivances they take
advantage of the effect produced by fresher water upon oysters
which have been taken from slightly salter water. The planters
of Chincoteague call this ‘plumping the oysters for market.’
It does not mean that the oysters are augmented in volume by
the addition of substantial matter, such as occurs during the
actual appropriation of food, but only that the vascular spaces

* Bulletin of the U. S. Fish Commission, 1884, p. 302.

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING, 41

and vessels in the animals are filled with a larger relative amount
of water due to endosmose. It is a dealer’s trick to give his
product a better appearance in the market, and as such I do not
think deserves encouragement, but rather exposure.

“Mr. Conger has actually resorted to warming fresh water to
60 fahr. in winter by steam pipes running underneath the wooden
inclosure surrounding the ‘ fattening’ or ‘ plumping’ float. One
good, drink,’ as he expressed himself to me, renders the animals
fit for sale and of better appearance.

““Conger’s floats are simply a pair of windlasses supported by
two pairs of piles driven into the bottom. Chains or ropes
which wind upon the windlasses pass down to a pair of cross
pieces, upon which the float rests, which’ has a perforated or
strong slat bottom and a rim 18 inches to 2 feet high. These
floats I should think are about 8 feet wide and 16 feet long, per-
haps 20. These structures are usually built alongside the wharfs
of the packing and shipping houses and are really a great con-
venience in conducting the work.”

Elsewhere Prof. Ryder speaks of the floats thus:

“The diaphragm itself was constructed of boards perforated
with auger holes, and lined on the inside with gunny-cloth or
sacking; and the space between the perforated boards was filled
with sharp, clean sand. The space between the boards was about
2 inches; through this the tide ebbed and flowed, giving a rise
and fall of from 4 to 6 inches during the interval between suc-
cessive tides.”

Mr. F. T. Lane of New Haven, Conn., writes as follows about
the method of floating practiced by himself, and as I understand,
by other New Haven growers :

“We do not always leave them two days in the floats,;—as a
rule, only one day. We put them into brackish water and take
them out at low water or in the last of the falling tide as then
the water is the freshest and the oysters are at their best. As it
is not convenient for us to put them into the floats and take them
out the same day we do not want the water too fresh. On one
occasion, wishing to know what the result would be of putting
the oysters into water that was quite fresh I had one of my floats
taken up the river half a mile further than where we commonly

42 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

use them and roo bushels of oysters put into it at high water and
taken out at low water. They were in the water from 6 to 7
hours and came out very nice, fully as-good as those floated 24
hours in the brackish water. It was a warm day and the water
was warm. Under these conditions they will drink very quickly.
| have seen them open their shells in io minutes after they were
put into the water.”

For the following valuable information I am indebted to Mr.
R. G. Pike, Chairman of the Board of Shell-fish Commissioners
of Connecticut:

‘Connecticut oysters, when brought from their beds in the
salt waters of Long Island Sound, are seldom sent to market
before they have been subjected to more or less manipulation.
As soon as possible after being gathered, they are deposited in
shallow tide rivers where the water is more or less brackish; and
are left there from one to four days; the time varying according
to the temperature of the season, the saltness of the oyster, and
the freshening quality of the water. Generally two tides are
sufficient for the two ‘good drinks’ which the oyster-men say
they should always have.

“ This ‘floating,’ as it is called, results in cleaning out, and
freshening the oysters, and increasing their bulk; or, as many
oyster-men confidently assert, ‘fattening’ them. If the weather
is warm, they will take a ‘drink’ immediately, if not disturbed,
but if the weather is cold they will wait sometimes ten or twelve
hours before opening their valves. Good fat oysters generally
yield five quarts of solid meat to the bushel; but after floating
two tides or more, they will measure six quarts to the bushel.
After they have been properly floated they are taken from the
shell—and as soon as the liquor is all strained off, they are
washed in cold fresh water—and are then packed for market.
In warm weather they are put into the water with ice, and are
also packed with ice for shipping. Water increases their bulk
by absorbtion and by mixing with the liquor on the surface of
the oysters. The salter the oyster the more water it absorbs.
In twelve hours one gallon of oysters, with their juices strained
out, will‘take in a pint of water; but when very salt and dry they
have been known to absorb a pint in three hours.

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 43

“Water always thickens the natural juices that adhere to the
surface of the oyster; and makesthem slimy. If too much water
is added the oyster loses its plumpness and firmness and becomes
watery and flabby.

“Oysters that have been floated bear transportation in the
shell much better than when shipped directly from their beds.
Oysters, too, that are taken from their shells and packed in all
their native juices spoil much sooner than when their juices are
strained out and the meats are washed in fresh cold water.

‘‘Long clams are not floated—but roundclamsare. But both,
when shucked are washed in fresh water. This cleanses them
of mud, sand and excess of salt; increases their bulk and im-
proves their flavor. After washing they will keep much longer
without risk of spoiling. If the salt is left in them, as they
come from their native beds, their liquor will ferment and they
will quickly spoil.

“The above facts are gathered from the most intelligent men
in the shell-fish business in Connecticut,—men who have had
many years experience in gathering oysters and clams and pre-
paring them for home and foreign consumption. They are all
agreed that by judicious floating in the shell, and by washing
and soaking when out of the shell, the oyster and the clam in-
crease in bulk and improve in quality and flavor. We will not
presume to say that this increased bulk is anything more than a
mechanical distension of the organs and the cellular tissues of
the oyster by water; or that its improved flavor is not due simply
to a loss of bitter sea salt dissolved out by the water. Many in-
telligent cultivators are confident that the increase in bulk isa
growth of fat; while just as many, of equal intelligence, declare
that it is mere ‘ bloat’ or distention, akin to that of a dry sponge
when plunged into the water. The exact nature of the change
the chemist alone can determine.”

The following experiments were made with oysters supplied
by Mr. F. T. Lane, of New Haven, Conn., a communication from
whom was just quoted, and for whose courteous aid as well in
furnishing the specimens as in giving useful information, I take
this occasion to express thanks. |

The oysters had been broug ht from the James and Potoma

44 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

Rivers and “planted” in the beds in New Haven Harbor (Long
Island Sound) in April, 1881, and were taken for analysis in the
following November.

Two experiments were made. The plan of each experiment
consisted in analysing two lots of oysters, of which both had
been taken from the same bed at the same time, but one had been
“floated” while the other had not. The first specimen was
selected from a boat-load as they were taken from the salt water,
and the second from the same lot after they had been floated in
the usual way in brackish water for forty-eight hours. For each
of the two experiments, Mr. Lane selected, from a boat-load of
oysters as they were taken from the salt water, a number, about
three dozen; which fairly represented the whole boat-load. The
remainder were taken to the brackish water of a stream empty-
ing into the bay and kept upon the floats for forty-eight hours,
this being the usual practice in the floating of oysters in this
region. At the end of that time, the oysters were taken from
the floats and a number fairly representing the whole were
selected as before. Two lots, one floated and the other not
floated, were thus taken from each of two different beds. The
four lots were brought to our laboratory for analysis.

The specimens as received at the laboratory were weighed.
Thereupon, the shell-contents were taken out and the shells and
shell-contents both weighed. The solid and liquid portions
of the shell-contents, ze¢., the flesh or “solid” and “liquor” or
liquids were weighed separately, and then analyzed. We thus
had for each lot, the weights of flesh and liquids, which, together,
made the weight of the total shell contents, and the weight of
the shells, which with that of the shell-contents made the weight
of the whole specimens. We also had, from the analysis, the
percentages of water, nutritive ingredients, salts, &c., in the flesh
and in the liquids. From these data the calculations were made
of the changes which took place in floating. For the details,
which are somewhat extended, I may refer to the publications
mentioned above. It will suffice here to give only the main re-
sults.

The body of the animal may be regarded as made up of water
and so-called water-free substance. The water-free substance

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 45

contains the nutritive ingredients or “nutrients.” These may
be divided into four classes: (1) Protein compounds, the so-
called “fleshformers” which contain nitrogen; (2) fatty sub-
stances, classed as Fats; (3) Carbohydrates; (4) Mineral Salts.*
These constituents of the flesh of oysters have been but little
studied. It is customary to assume them to be similar to the
corresponding compounds of other food-materials, but very prob-
ably the differences, if known, might prove to be important.
The mineral matters especially which are very large in amount,
appear to include considerable of the salts of sea-water. Of the
nature of the ingredients of the liquids but littleis known. They
consist mainly of water and salts and the amounts of their in-
gredients which are here reckoned as protein, fats and car-
bohydrates are very small, so that whatever error there may be
in classing them with the ordinary nutrients of food, it will not
very seriously affect the estimates of nutritive values.

GERERAL RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENTS.

During the sojourn in brackish water both the flesh (body)
and the liquid portion of the shell-contents of the oysters suf-
fered more or less alteration in composition. In order to show
clearly what the principal changes as shown by the chemical
analysis were, some statistics may perhaps be permissible here.

CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION OF THE FLESH (BODY) OF THE
OYSTERS IN FLOATING.

1. The changes in the constituents of the body were mainly

* The technical terms here used demand perhaps a word of explanation. The “ water-free
substance” is the dry matter which is left when the water has all been driven out. Over
three-quarters of the whole weight of the flesh (‘‘ solids *’) of oysters is water, so that the
water-free substance makes less than one-fourth of the whole weight. As the oysters are
ordinarily sold, i.e. after being floated, the flesh averages about one-fifth water-free sub-
stance. Taking both the flesh (‘‘meat’’) and liquids (‘liquor’) together, the oysters as
commonly retailed in our markets are about seven-eighths water and one-eighth water-free
substance. That is to say the actual nutritive material in oysters as we usually buy them
makes on the average just about one-eighth of the whole weight. It is worth noting that
this proportion of actual nutriment is very near the same as in milk. The protein includes
the parts of the oyster that are similar to the lean of meats, white of egg, casein of milk,
&c. The quantities of protein and of fatty and oily substance in the flesh of oysters is
smaller, while that of carbohydrates (substances allied to sugar and starch) is far larger
that in ordinary meats.

46 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

such as would be caused by osmose, though there were indica-
tions of secretion of nitrogenous matters and, especially, of fats,
which are not so easily explained by osmose. This I will speak
of later.

2. The amounts of gain and loss of constituents which the
bodies of the oysters experienced may be estimated either by
comparing the percentages found by analysis before and after
dialysis, or by comparing the absolute weight of a given quantity
of flesh and the weights of each of its ingredients before, with
the weights of the same flesh and of its ingredients after dialy-
sis. For the estimate by the first method we have simply to
compare the results of the analyses of the floated and the not-
floated specimens. Taking the averages of the two experiments,
it appears that :—

The percentages of Dawns Diaivela

W ateriwose irom... ..cisi ds ae 7739) tox jee
Water-free substance fell from ......... 22s Temes 17.6
otal MAeshts. ot ions woe te eee pee ae 100.0 100.0
Protein felltiron.t 342 o2ehee Ree rosa, = 8.9
Fatrfelliitony:,..... G.:slen aitkiaee dee 25 Siasts 1.9
Carbohydrates &c., fell from ........... i) ait 5.2
Mineralisaltsfelli frome soe meee 2a A a 1.6
Total water-free substance of flesh.. 22.1 17.6

There was, accordingly, a gain in the percentage of water and
a loss of that in each of the ingredients of the water-free sub-
stance. This accords exactly with the supposition that during
the floating the flesh gained water and lost salts and other in-
gredients.

It will be more to the point to note the absolute increase and
decrease in amounts of flesh and its constituents—in other words,
the actual gain or loss of each, in the floating. Estimates by
this method have been made and explained in the detailed ac-
counts referred to. They make it appear that roo grams of the
flesh as it came from the salt water was increased by floating,
in one specimen, to 120.9, and in the other to 113.4 grams. This
is equivalent to saying, that the two specimens of flesh gained

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 47
nn

in the floating, respectively, 20°9 and 13.4 per cent., or, on the
average, 17.3 per cent. of their original weight. By the same
estimates the water-free substance in the too grams of flesh be-
fore the floating, weighed, on the averrge, 22.1 grams, while that
of the same flesh after floating weighed only 20.6 grams making
a loss of. 1.5 grams or 6.6 per cent. of the 22.1 grams which the
water-free substance weighed before dialysis. The main re-
sults of the two experiments thus computed, may be stated as
follows:—

In the “floating” of 100 grams of flesh (body) of the oysters:

The Weight of Before Dialysis. After Dialysis.
Meater tase rom: ©. ....--2 0 +. - 226s 77.9 grams to 96.6 grams.
Water-free substance fell from .. 22.1 “ SR 2oiG: EA
Whole flesh rose from ...... LW TOO. jit! eT rnore sae
Protein was assumed to remain
fe samen: - 2) 20. 5i- nest S85 int 1) BOG ae
Fat (ether extract) fell from ..... 7 ee
Carbohydrates &c., fellfrom.... 69 “ Mn Ogres
Mineral salts (ash) fell from..... ta ‘2 ae
2201 20.6

Estimating the increase or decrease of weight of each con-
stituent in per cent. of its weight before floating :—

Per cent of
original weight.

The water gained.......-.-. --+--+--+ ser ceets . 26
The water-free substance lost... ..- ----- sin ea
The whole flesh (body) gained .........-.-----+++- 17.3
The protein was assumed to neither gain nor lose.

Bae iit 0 26 SY LOL. . REN oe Bee es Sees 8.8
The carbohydrates, &c., Ves bt eo ys ees oe eee te 12.5
The mineral salts lost......- .-------eee eer ereeee 15.5

In brief, according to these computations, the flesh lost be-
tween one-sixth and one-seventh of its mineral salts, one-eighth
of its carbohydrates, and one-twelfth of its fats, but gained
enough water to make up this loss and to increase its whole
weight, by an amount equal to from one-seventh to one-fifth of

the original weight.
These estimates are based on the assumption that the amount

48 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

of protein in the flesh remained unchanged during the floating.
It seems probable however that the flesh may have lost a small
amount of nitrogenous material. If this was the case the actual
gain of flesh and of water must have been less and the loss of
fats, carbohydrates and mineral salts, greater than the estimates
make them. But there appears to be every reason to believe
that the error must be very small, and since it would affect all
the ingredients in the same ratio, the main result, namely, that
there was a large gain of water and a considerable loss not only
of mineral salts, but of fats and carbohydrates as well, can not
be questioned.

CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION OF THE LIQUID PORTION. (LIQUOR).

3. The liquids might be expected to receive material from
the flesh, and to yield material to the surrounding water. The
materials coming from the flesh would be such as the latter
parted with by either osmose or secretion. Those yielded to the
water would either escape by diffusion or be washed away when
the shells were open wide enough to allow. What share each
of these agencies had in effecting the changes that actually oc-
curred in the liquids, the experiments do not and, in the nature
of the case, cannot, tell. Comparing the percentage composi-
tion of the liquids before and after floating, as shown by the
averages of the analyses in the two experiments, it appears
that :-—

The percentages of Dieae: winleete
Waterroseivomsen® Tbs 242k heat 94.9 tO 95.5
Water-free substance fell from ........... Fab tak eatg

WOtal e325 siete oss On. Ae eee 100.0 ‘* 100,0
PrOtemarOse IT OmMnes soto e tee Sac sin tee LaCie - aor
Carbohydrates, &c., rose from....... sisi O:7 eet
Mineralsalts tell'trom,.5. 2) esha. eee 255. ue ee

The increase in the percentage of water, and the decrease in
that of mineral salts are very marked. The quantities of fats
(“ether extract”) are too small to be taken into account. The in-
crease of nitrogen and that of carbohydrates, though absolutely

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 49

small, are nevertheless outside the limits of error of analysis,
and must, like those of the salts, ss latins actual changes in the
composition of the liquids.

The experiments give no reliable data for the determinations
of the absolute increase and decrease of the liquids and their
constituents, so that it is imposible to say with entire certainty
whether there was or was not an actual gain of protein or fats
or carbohydrates. It would seem extremely probable however
that the liquids received and retained small quantities of these
materials from the flesh (bodies) of the animals.

CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION OF THE WHOLE SHELL-CONTENTS,
FLESH AND LIQUIDS.

4. Comparing the average percentage composition of the
total shell-contents before and after floating in the two experi-
ments, it appears that:—

The percentages of 2
Wiater roserom’). «..2.. geet rs AES 85.2 to 87.1
Water-free substance fell fate aS ee 14,8) {fo 3290
PRG are ee cot see ae) Cts. 5 vere. 100.0 100.0
Prorem (n..0.25) fell from .....:---...-. 6.5) on
Fats, (ether extract) fell from...:..-..-.... La Se BS
Sarpohy drates,. ac: tell from’... 7.6222. 2% Bae TN Be
Mineral.salts;(ash)fell-‘from: 3.2.2... 4< oe She he
Total water-free substance ....... Pay | 2 12.9

After so much detail, I ought perhaps to simply summarise
the results in a few words and close. But one or two matters
call for brief notice.

If the changes in composition of the oysters in floating were
due to osmose or dialysis alone, we should expect simply a gain
of water and loss of salts (and perhaps of carbohydrates). But
the flesh seems to have lost a little carbohydrates and fats and
probably protein also, along with the salts, while it was absorb-
ing water. A way in which this may have come about is sug-
gested by my colleague, Prof. H. W. Conn, who calls attention to
the fact that some mollusks, when irritated, produce an extremely

5° AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

abundant secretion of mucous or “slime,” s® much, indeed, as
to sometimes render a small quantity of water in which the
animals may be confined, quite sensibly gelatinous. He sug-
gests that the change to fresh water may, indeed, induce such a
secretion of mucous and perhaps of carbohydrates and fats as
well, which would account for the increase of these substances
in the liquids. The observation of oyster dealers that water al-
ways thickens the natural juices that adhere to the surface of
the oyster and makes it slimy,’’ accords with Prof. Conn’s
statement. :

If such secretion did take place, the flesh must probably have
lost a little protein during the floating. The estimates of ab-
solute gain and loss of weight of flesh and ingredients (see de-
tailed accounts of the experiments) are based upon the assump-
tion that the quantity of protein was unaltered in floating. If
protein was given off, therefore, the estimates are wrong. But
the quantity of protein secreted and the consequent error must
be, at most, very slight. If there is an error its effect would be
to make the quantities of nutrients after floating appear larger
than they really were. In other words, if the error was cor-
rected it would make the loss of nutritive material in floating
greater than it appears to be in the figures above given. As ex-
plained in the detailed report above referred to, I have assumed
that the changes due to the ordinary processes of metabolism
would be too small to materially affect the results.

The experiments might have been so conducted as to decide
this question. It would have been necessary to simply take a
larger number in each lot before and after floating and be cer-
tain that the number, weight, and bulk were the same in the
floated and not-floated lots of each experiment. For instance,
we might, in each experiment, carefully select two lots of, say
a bushel, each, as taken from the beds, have the number of oys-
ters the same in each bushel as an additional assurance that the
two lots were alike, float one bushel and weigh and analyze
both. <A few experiments of this sort made under different con-
ditions of time, temperature, kind and age of oysters, &c,, would
give reliable and valuable data. Unfgrtunately the means
at my disposal did not permit so thorough experiments. I am

SIXTEENNH ANNUAL MEETING. 51

persuaded, however, that the results of such series of trials, if
they could be made,—and I wish they might be—would be very
similar to those of the trials here reported.

It is very interesting to note that these processes which we
have been considering in the body of oyster are apparently very
similar to processes which go on in our own bodies, namely
those by which our food, after it is digested, finds its way
through the walls of the stomach and other parts of the alimen-
tary canal into the blood, to be used for nourishment. Physi-
ologists tell us that the passage of the digested materials through
the walls of the canal is in part merely a physical action, due to
osmose, but that it is in part merely dependent upon a special
function of the organs. In like manner the changes in the com-
position of the oyster, if the above explanation be correct, are
caused partly by osmose, and partly by special secretive action,
the cell walls and outer coating of the body of the oyster cor-
responding to the walls of the alimentary canal in the human
body.

CONCLUSIONS.

The main points presented in this paper may be very briefly
summarized thus.

In the floating of oysters for the market a practice which is
very general and is also used for other shell-fish, the animals
are either taken direct from the beds in salt water and kept for
a time in fresher (brackish) water before opening, or water is
added to the shell-contents after they are taken out of the shell.

When this treated, the body of the animal takes up water and
parts with some of its salts; and small quantities of the nutritive
ingredients escape at the same time. The oysters thus become
more plump and increase considerably in bulk and weight. But
the quantity of nutritive material, so far from increasing, suffers
a slight loss.

In the experiments here reported, the increase in bulk and
weight amounted to from one-eigth to one-fifth of the original
amounts. This proportion of increase is about the same as is
said to occur in the ordinary practice of floating or “ fattening ”
for the market. According to this, ive quarts of oysters in their

52 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

natural condition would take up water enough in “floating” to
increase their bulk to nearly or quite six quarts, but the six
quarts of floated oysters would contain a trifle less of actual
nutrients than the five quarts not floated.

The gain of water and loss of salts is evidently due to osmose.
The more concentrated solution of salts in the body of the ani-
mal as taken from salt water, passes into the more dilute solu-
tion (fresher water) in which it is immersed, while a larger
amount of the fresher water at the same time enters the body.
But part of the exchange and especially that by which other
materials, namely fat, carbohydrates, protein, &c., are given off
in small quantities, is more probably due to a special secretory
action. There is thus a very interesting parallelism between
these processes of secretion and osmose (dialysis) in the oyster
and those in the bodies of higher animals, including man, by
which the digested food is carried through the walls of the ali-
mentary Canal into the blood.

The flavor of oysters is improved by the removal of the salts
in floating and they are said to bear transporting and to keep
better. When therefore the oyster-man takes ‘good fat oysters”
which “yields five quarts of solid meat to the bushel” and floats
them so that “they will yield six quarts to the bushel” and thus
has an extra quart of the largest and highest priced oysters, to
sell, he offers his customers no more nutritive material—indeed,
a very little less—than he would have in the five quarts if he
had not floated them. But many people prefer the flavor of the
floated oysters and since they buy them more for the flavor than
for the nutriment, doubtless very few customers would complain
if they understood all the facts. And considering that the prac-
tice is very general and the prices are regulated by free compe-
tition, the watering of oysters by floating in the shell, perhaps,
ought not to be called fraudulent. But rather than pronounce
upon this and other questions suggested by the above consider-
ations, I should prefer to leave them to the Association for
discussion.

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 53

NORTH CAROLINA ENCOURAGEMENT TO
SHELLFISH CULTURE.

BY S. G. WORTH (RECENT STATE COMMISSIONER).

Mr. PrEsIDENT—The subject to which I desire to direct the
attention of the Association is the new oyster law of my native
State, North Carolina. When, four years ago, I met Lieut.
Francis Winslow urging before this body the adoption of a re-
solution declaring in favor of private ownership of oyster bot-
tom, I became impressed with his views, and brought about, after
months of ceaseless work, the passage of a resolution in the
North Caroline Legislature of 1885, instructing the State Board
of Agriculture to expend $2,000 on a survey of the oyster area,
looking to the adoption of the principle of ownership in fee
simple. Accordingly the work was done, and two years later,
in the session of January-February, 1887, in consequence of the
able report of Lieut. Winslow, an act was passed which puts on
sale, at twenty-five cents an acre, nearly a million acres.

Owing to apprehensions of assemblymen, lest too big a step
should be taken at once, the bottom within two miles of the
shore was exempted from the general provisions of the act and
left under jurisdiction of the several counties, but the main body
of Pamlico Sound and much additional area was put on sale,
except the well established natural beds. These, as public beds,
were exempted and still remain the common property of the
people. Under laws operative prior to the new act, no person
could own more than ten acres in a county, and as a consequence
the limited areas precluded the use of dredges and restrained
healthy growth. Under the new act a person can own any
amount up to a square mile. The new law is regarded by the
press of North Carolina as an advanced movement, and as the
law found its origin in a meeting of this body, I now gladly lay
it before you entire, with all that may be good or bad in it, and
invite friendly criticism from members practically experienced
in such legislation, looking to modifications which may be sug-
gested to the next General Assembly in the interest of the people
at large.

54 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

The Board of Shellfish Commissioners is elected outside the
membership of the State Board of Agriculture, and consists of
three—W. J. Griffin, Elizabeth City, Pasquotank county; I. B.
Watson, Hyde county, and W. T. Caho, Bayboro, Pamlico county.
Lieut. Francis Winslow, schooner Scoresby, of the U. S. Navy, is
conducting all details of a complete survey.

THE ACT.

An act to promote the cultivation of shellfish in the State [of North
Carolina].

The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact:

SECTION 1. That the State shall exercise exclusive jurisdiction and
control over all shellfisheries which are or may be located in the
boundaries of the State, south of Roanoke and Croatan Sounds and
north of Core Sound.

Sec. 2. In order to carry out the purposes of this act, the southern
boundary line of Hyde county shall extend from the middle of Ocra-
coke Inlet to the Royal Shoal Lighthouse, thence across Pamlico
Sound and with the middle line of Pamlico and Pungo rivers to the
dividing line between the counties of Hyde and Beaufort, and the
northern boundary line of Cartaret County shall extend from the
middle of Ocracoke Inlet to the Royal Shoal Lighthouse, thence to
the Brant Island Shoal Lighthouse, thence across Pamlico Sound to
a point midway between Maw Point and Point of Marsh, and thence
with the middle line of the Neuse River to the dividing line between
the counties of Carteret, Craven or Pamlico, and that portion of Pam-
lico Sound and the Neuse and Pamlico rivers not within the bound-
aries of Dare, Hyde or Carteret counties, and not a part of any other
county, shall be in the county of Pamlico, and for the purposes of this
act and in the execution of the requirements thereof the shore line as
now defined by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey shall be accepted
as correct.

SEC. 3. The State Board of Agriculture shall, at the next regular
meeting following the passage of this act, elect three commissioners
of shellfisheries, whose term of office shall be one year, and the said
Board of Commissioners of Shellfisheries shall be maintained so long
as may be necessary to carry out the special duties confided to them
by the provisions of this act and no longer, and they shall employ

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 55

such engineers and clerks as may be necessary for the execution of
the said duties, and fix their compensation.

SEc. 4. The Board ot Shellfish Commissioners shall make or cause
to be made a survey and map of the area hereinbefore described,
whereon shall be shown the location and area of all the natural beds,
and of all the grounds which may have been occupied under authority
of previous acts for the growing, planting or cultivation of shellfish,
and upon the completion of the said survey in and maps of each or
any county, the Board of Commissioners of Shellfisheries shall deter-
mine the location, area, limits and designation of each and every
public ground in the county, and such public grounds are to include
the natural beds, together with such additional areas adjacant thereto
as may be deemed by the Board of Commissioners as necessary to
provide for the natural expansion of the said natural beds; and having
decided upon the location, area, limits and’ designation of the said
public grounds, the Board. of Commissioners of Shellfisheries shall
publish the same for the period of thirty days at the court house door,
andin four other public places in the county wherein the said public
grounds are located, and any person or persons objecting to the decis-
ion of the Board of Commissioners of Shellfisheries, as published,
may file a written protest, stating the ground for his or their objec-
tions, within the said thirty days, with the clerk of the Superior Court
of the county wherein the said publication is made, upon payment
to the said clerk of the sum of twenty-five cents, and at the expiration
of the said thirty days, the said clerk of the Superior Court shall for-
ward all such written protests to the Board of Shellfish Commis-
sioners, and in case such protests are so filed and forwarded, the said
Commissioners, or a majority of them, shall upon fifteen days’ notice
in writing, mailed or personally delivered to all parties in interest,
hear and pass upon such protests or objections in the county in which
the said public grounds are located; and the said Board of Commis-
sioners of Shellfisheries, having fully informed themselves of the facts
in the case, shall make within twenty days from the conclusion of the
hearing a decision, which shall be final, and shall be so considered
until reversed on appeal to the Superior Court. And at all hearings
authorized by this act said Commissioners may, by themselves or
their clerk, suapcena witnesses and administer oaths, as in court of law.

SEC. 5. The Board of Commissioners of Shellfisheries shall, upon
making the said final decisions as to the location, limits, area and de-
signation of the several public grounds in the county, publish the
same in the county in which the said public grounds are located, and
in two newspapers having a general circulation in the State, and shall

56 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

announce in the said publication that at the expiration of twenty days
from the first day of publication, the territory within said county and
embraced within the provisions of this act will be open for entry in
manner and form as hereinafter provided, and any person or persons
desiring to raise, plant, or cultivate shellfish upon any ground in the
county which has not been designated as public ground by the Board
of Shellfish Commissioners, may, at the expiration of the said period
of twenty days, make an application in writing, in which shall be stated
as nearly as may be, the area, limits and location of the ground desired
to the entry-taker of the county in which the said area for which
application is made is situated, for a franchise for the purpose of rais-
ing or Cultivating shellfish in said grounds, and the said entry-taker,
having received said application, shall proceed as with all other entries,
as provided in Section 2,765 of the Code, as amended, except that the
warrant to survey and locate the ground or grounds shall be delivered
to the engineer appointed by the Board of Commissioners of Shellfish-
eries and not to the county surveyor,and the said engineer shall make
such surveys in accordance with the provisions of Section 2,769 of the
Code, except that it shall not be necessary to employ chain-bearers,
nor to administer oaths to assistants, nor to make surveys according
to the priority of the application or warrant.

SEC. 6. The Secretary of State, on receipt of the Auditor’s certificate
as provided in Section 2,778 of the Code, shall grant to the applicant
a written instrument conveying a perpetual franchise for the purpose
of raising and cultivating shellfish in and to the grounds for which
application is made, and the said written instrument of conveyante
shall be authenticated by the Governor, countersigned by the Secre-
tary, and recorded in his office. The date of the application for the
franchise and a description of the ground for which such franchise
was granted shall be inserted in each instrument, and no grant shall
issue except in accordance with acertificate from the engineer of the
commissioners of shellfisheries, as to the area, limits and location of
the grounds in which the said franchise is to be granted, and every
person obtaining such grant or franchise, shall within three months
from the receipt of the same, record the said written instrument in
the office of the register of deeds for the county wherein the said
grounds may lie, and shall define the boundaries of the said grounds
by suitable stakes, buoys, ranges or monuments; but no franchise
shall be given in or to any of the public grounds as determined by the
Commissioners of Shellfisheries, and all franchises granted under this
or previous acts shall be and remain in the grantee, his heirs and legal
representatives, provided that the holder or holders shall make in

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 57

good faith, within five years from the day of obtaining said franchise,
an actual effort to raise and cultivate shellfish on said grounds. And
provided further that the area hereinbefore described, lying within
two statute miles of the main land or any island, shall be entered or
held only by residents of the State of North Carolina, and no grant
shall be made to any one person of more than ten acres of said terri-
tory,and no person shall hold more than ten acres in any creek unless
the same shall be acquired through devise, inheritance or marriage.
And all that territory within the provisions of this act and lying more
than two miles from the mainland or any island, shall be subject to
entry by any person, but no person shall be permitted to enter in any
one period for five years, more than six hundred and forty acres.

SEC. 7. Twenty-five cents per acre shall be paid to the State Treas-
urer for all franchises granted, and all moneys received for the grant-
ing of franchises, or for taxes laid on the said grounds or on property
thereon, shall be set apart and kept separate for the purpose of defray-
ing the expenses entailed by the provision of this act,and any moneys
remaining after the payment of said expenses shall be paid into and
credited to the school fund.

Sec. 8. The Secretary of State is hereby authorized and empowered
to hire and take upon leases, not exceeding a term of ten years, in the
name and behalf of the State, any such plot or plots of ground within
the State as may be deemed necessary for the constructing, erecting,
setting, maintaining and protecting of signals, beacons, bound-stones,
posts or buoys to be used in designating, locating, surveying or map-
ping any shellfish grounds, and any person who shall willfully injure or
remove any such beacon, bound-stone, post or buoy, or any part, ap-
purtenance or enclosure thereof, or any buoy, stake, mark or range
of any private or public shellfish ground, shall be guilty of a mis-
demeanor.

SEC. 9. All grounds taken up or held under this or previous acts
shall be subject to taxation as real estate and shall be so considered in
the settlement of the estates of deceased or insolvent persons.

SEc. 10. The Board of County Commissioners shall have entise con-
trol and jurisdiction over all public grounds lying within the Sound-
aries of the counties, shall place and maintain suchs marks, and shall
prescribe and publish at the court-house door and at four other public
places in the county, such rules and regulations as may be neces-
sary for the governance and control of the fisheries on such public
grounds.

SEc. 11, Any person who shall willfully commit any trespass or in-

58 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

jury with any instrument or implement upon any ground designated
under this act, upon which shellfish are being raised or cultivated, or
shall remove, destroy or detace any mark or monument set up by the
Board of County Commissioners, by virtue of Section 10 of this act,
or who shall violate the rules and regulations prescribed by the said
board of the governance and control of the fishery on the public
grounds, or who shall work on any oyster ground at night shall
be guilty of a misdemeanor. But nothing in the provision of
this or any act shall be construed as autnorizing interference with the
capture of migratory fishes or free navigation or the right to use on
any private ground any method or implement for the taking, growing
or cultivation of shellfish.

Sec. 12. Entry takers shall make return to the Secretary of State of
all franchises granted under this act in the same manner as provided
in Section 2,776 of the Code, and the provisions of Sections 2,777 and
2.778 of the Code are hereby extended so as to cover the grants or
franchises in grounds for raising or cultivating shellfish as authorized
by this act, and all applications, grants, warrants and assignments of
franchises in or to oyster grounds, shall be in manner and form as ap-
proved by the Attorney General of the State.

Sec. 13. All grants of grounds under previous acts for the purpose
of cultivating shellfish in the territory within the provisions of this
act are hereby confirmed and made good in the grantees, their heirs
and assigns, provided the holders of said grounds shall, within one
year, file with the Secretary of State certified copies of their licenses
and surveys, and that the said surveys be found correct by the en-
gineer of the commissioners of shellfisheries, and in case such surveys
are said to be incorrect, the grounds shall be resurveyed by said
engineer as soon as practicable, and in designating lots any person
who has made in good faith an actual effort to raise or cultivate shell-
fish on the area for which application is made, shall have the prior
right to a grant or franchise in said grounds; but nothing contained
in the act shall be construed to validate any entry heretofore made of
a natural bed.

Sec 14. The Commissioners of Shellfisheries shall keep books of re-
cord, in which shall be recorded a full description of all ground’
granted under the provisions of this act, and shall keep a map or maps
upon which shall be shown the position and limits of all public and
private grounds.

SEC. 15. Any person who shall. steal or feloniously take, catch or
capture, or carry away any shellfish from the bed or ground of another,
shall be guilty of larceny and punished accordingly.

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 59

Sec. 16. All acts or parts of acts in conflict with the preceding sec-
tions are hereby repealed.

SEc. 17. This act shall take,effect on and after the day after its rati-
fication.

Ratified this, the 28th day of February, a.D., 1887.

SALMON IN THE HUDSON.

Mr. Maruer said that most of the members were aware that
he had been hatching and planting salmon in the Hudson on ac-
count of the U.S. Fish Commission; that these fish had reap-
peared on the third and fourth years after planting. The first
deposit was made inthe spring of 1882, and many had been taken
last year, also some this season which had been recorded in the
pages of Forest and Stream and other papers.

The following letter bearing upon this subject, had just been
received from Hon. Franklin M. Danaher of Albany, a gentle-
man well known as taking great interest in the protection of
game, aud who is the counsellor for the Eastern New York Fish
and Game Protective Association.

Judge Danaher writes as follows:

Mr. Frep. Matuer, Cold Spring Harbor, N. Y.

My pear sir: A friend of mine, now in my office, tells me
that he saw three small salmon (the largest estimated at six
pounds) taken in a net yesterday above the dam at Troy, and
near the lock which does not exceed one hundred feet abpve the
dam. They evidently had come in this lock which had just
been emptied. The fish were returned to the water. The in-
formation is reliable and I thought it would please you to know
it. If they were true salmon? What do you think of it?
He knows of others taken last week just below the dam.

Yours, F. M. DANAHER.

60 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

MIGRATION OF LAKE SUPERIOR FISH.
BY W. D. TOMLIN.

Tuer whitefish of Lake Superior waters is prized for its edible
qualities, and the increasing scarceness is causing much concern
among those whose tastes incline toward this really fine fish for
table use; already the supply is being drawn largely from Can-
adian waters and from Lake Winipeg; year by year men en-
gaged in fishing have seen their feeding grounds almost deserted
and the numbers still deminishing, until at last to find a large
whitefish in their nets is indeed a curiosity. The present season’s
fishing finds scarce any body of fish north of Ontonagan, Mich-
igan.

The fishermen of Wisconsin and Minnesota are thus deprived
of any chance of obtaining this fish, by the gradual desertion of
the old spawning grounds. I have said gradual because the dis-
appearance has been fluctuating; some years the catches were
prolific, then growing scarcer.

In the memory of men living in Duluth to-day, whitefish could
be seen in Sucker Bay, twenty years ago, so thickly crowding
one another that the water seemed alive with them. A thousand
barrels of whitefish could have been put up from this single
spawning or feeding ground.

Captain Vose Palmer, an old fisherman who owns property
on this Bay, states that twenty-five years ago, it was enough to
send an enthusiast wild to see the immense. quantities of fish
come in on the swells until the waters were apparently a com-
pact mass of fish.

Captain R. H. Palmer, a brother of Vose Palmer, who has
fished Superior waters nearly thirty years, says that beginning
at Sucker Bay or Stony Point, and following the north shore
line eastward up to Thunder Bay, near the mouth of the many
rivers and streams that come tumbling into Lake Superior, you
could find the feeding grounds of the whitefish, and in the bays
near to them millions of young whitefish could be seen in their
season.

Captain Alex. McDougall, a lake captain, whose earlier years

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 61

were spent in fishing, has cruised in almost every bay, creek,
river or stream in this end of Lake Superior, and has carefully
noted the habits of the whitefish, and knew both their spawning
grounds, and feeding grounds, and has seen the young fry of
whitefish by the million along the shores both of Minnesota and
Wisconsin. Captain McDougall has endeavored for years to call,
attention to the alarmiug decrease of whitefish and to find some
remedy for the same.

With the demand for whitefish, and the opening up of towns
in the great Northwest, larger areas of nets were spread, more
men were employed in the business, steam tugs were employed
to carry the fish to the trains that delivered the fish to the towns
on the prairies of the West and beyond the Mississippi; then
came the first notice of any spasmodic migration or variation of
the schools of fish on their feeding grounds. It became so notice-
able as the years rolled by that the most observant and intelli-
gent fishermen counted the years. There came an immense glut
of fish, markets were overstocked, the nets in the water were
filled, and before the men could dispose of the first catch and
get to their nets, the fish were dead and thus useless. That sea-
son much fish was destroyed, not by any carelessness, but by
such immense schools coming into the nets that the men could
not take care of them.

The year following the season’s catch was a diminution of the
usual catch; the next season was still smaller; the fourth season
was almost a failure; these singular periods vary, sometimes
coming every fourth or fifth year, and until the men ceased ex-
pecting catches of whitefish they almost knew about the propor-
tion of whitefish they might expect. These facts are confirmed
by Captain Martyn Wheeler and Captain Ed. S. Smith, both en-
gaged in fishing for some years, as well as fishermen of other
nationalities who have been fishing these waters for more than
twenty years.

The fishermen were at one time prodigal of the fishing wealth
of this inland sea; it was each for himself, and undoubtedly grew
careless both of the manner of netting and the disposing of offal
when cleaning the fish for the market. When the facts began
to present themselves in fierce array, “that there was a possibility

62 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

of over-fishing Lake Superior,” then the fishermen began to en-
large the size of the mesh of their nets, and to discontinue the
use of the pound nets; and using only seine nets for their work,
the size of meshes was increased from 3¥%in. to gin. Still find-
ing their catches diminishing they inquired for causes; at this
point the U. S. Fish Commission by some means had circulated
along the chain of the Great Lakes the information that all offal
dumped intu the lake near to spawning grounds was injurious
to spawn, and that both trout and whitefish would seek other
grounds to spawn if fish offal was dumped into the lake.

One after another all the old grounds had been deserted until
fishermen who went to Sucker Bay, twenty miles from Duluth,
now have to go one hundred miles away, and then only get an
occasional whitefish; while the fishing grounds proper lay in the
body of the great lake, too far for fishermen at the eastern end
of Lake Superior to reach them. It looked as if the fishermen
had “killed the goose that laid the golden egg,” not by any
greed or gross carelessness, but by ignorance and inadvertence.

Many of them believe firmly that the coming of the schools of
whitefish and lake tront are spasmodic, though they cannot as-
sign causes for this. They think that after a season of unusual
northeasterly gales succeeding spawning time the spawn is de-
stroyed by a too violent agitation of the waters. And as Lake
Superior eastern storms are often long continued and of destruc-
tive force, the next season’s supply of young fry is very small
in numbers. Another cause may be the careless dumping of
fish offal on the feeding grounds, this causing the whitefish to
seek new grounds until this substance is destroyed, and thus in
three or four years the fish again return to the feeding grounds.

The fishermen of Lake Superior have learned that the white-
fish is a very timid fish; that continued netting for two or three
seasons will drive them to seek new grounds; and that once
driven away it takes years for the schools to come to the same
grounds again. The sentiment is increasing that the utmost care
must be taken not to drive away the young fry that have been
planted by the Minnesota Fish Commission, and are finding their

way to feeding grounds that were fished ten years ago.
Duluth, Minn.

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 63

The subject of the time and place of the next annual meeting
then came up for discussion. Mr. Spensley moved that the
meeting be held in Detroit on the third Tuesday in May, 1888.

Dr. Cary moved to amend by substituting Washington for
Detroit. A general discussion followed, in which the compara-
tive merits of Washington, New York and other cities were
discussed.

Mr. May thought that as Washington was the headquarters of
the United States Fish Commission and the National Museum,
where all articles and implements used in fish-culture could be
seen, that it was the most interesting place in the country to
hold the meeting; that there would be a better attendance,
especially if Congress was in session, and that more valuable
papers and discussions would come to the meeting there than at
any other place.

Mr. Mather agreed with Mr. May, and said that as an original
member, if not the founder of the Society, and speaking as one
who had never missed a meeting since the first one in 1872, he
could say that he had met with the Society at Albany, New York
and Chicago; that it was his opinion that there were only two
places that a good successful meeting could be held, —these
were, as Mr. May has said, Washington, if Congress is in session
at-the time, and the second place was New York City; but as
Michigan was strongly represented in the present meeting, and
if in the judgment of the members the next meeting should be
held at Detroit, he would pledge himself to attend it if possible,
and do all in his power to make it a success.

Mr. Whittaker assured the members that he and his colleagues
of the Michigan Fish Commission, would do everything in their
power to make the meeting a success, and he felt assured that the
Society would be well attended. The question was called on the
amendment of Dr. Cary to meet in Washington, and was lost.
The question on the original motion was then put and carried. It
was resolved that the next meeting should be held in Detroit
on the third Tuesday in May, 1888. Messrs. Whittaker, Mather
and Bissell were appointed a committee to invite persons and
papers for the next meeting.

64 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

SSS ____

A telegram from Treasurer Blackford was received, saying
that he had been delayed by a press of business, but that his re-
port had been forwarded by mail. On motion it was decided to
accept his report, and the meeting adjourned.

The tollowing is the report of the Treasurer for the last year.

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SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 67

MEMBER'S

OF THE

AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

HONORARY MEMBERS.

H. R. H., the Crown Prince of Germany.

Behr, E. von, Schmoldow, Germany; President of the Deut-
schen Fischerei Verein.

Borne, Max von dem, Berneuchen, Germany.

Huxley, Prof. Thomas H., London.; President of the Royal
Society.

Jones, John D., 51 Wall Street, New York.

CORRESPONDING MEMBERS.

Apostolides, Prof. Nicoly Chr., Athens, Greece.

Buch, Dr. S. A., Christiana, Norway; Government Inspector
of Fisheries.

Birkbeck, Edward, Esq., M. P., London England.

Benecke, Prof. B., K6nigsberg, Germany; Commissioner of
Fisheries.

Brady, Thomas F., Esq., Dublin Castle, Dublin, Ireland; Inspec-

Chambers, Oldham, W. Esq., Secretary of the National Fish
Culture Association, South Kensington, London.
tor of Fisheries for Ireland.

68

AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

Day, Dr. Francis, F. L. S., Kenilworth House, Cheltenham,
England; late Inspector Géneral of Fisheries for India.

Feddersen, Arthur, Viborg, Denmark.

Giglioli, Prof. H. H., Florence, Italy.

Hubrecht, Prof. A. A. W., Utrecht, Holland, Member of the
Dutch Fisheries Commission, and Director of the Neth-
erlands Zoological Station.

K. Ito, Esq., Hokkaido Cho., Sapporo, Japan, member of the
Fisheries Department of Hokkaido, and President of the
Fisheries Society of Northern Japan.

Juel, Capt. N., R. N., Bergen, Norway; President of the Society
for the Development of Norwegian Fisheries.

Landmark, S., Bergen, Norway; Inspector of Norwegian Fresh-
water Fisheries.

Lauderdale, the Earl of, Stirling, Scotland.

Lundberg, Dr. Rudolf, Stockholm, Sweden; Inspector of Fish-
Enles:

Marston, R. B., Esq., London, England; Editor of the F7shzng
Gazette.

Macleay, William, Sydney, N. S. W.; President of the Fish-
eries Commission of New South Wales.

Sars, Prof. G. O., Christiana, Norway ; Government-Inspector
of Fisheries.

Solsky, Baron N. de, St. Petersburg, Russia; Director of the
Imperial Agricultural Museum.

Sola, Don Francisco, Garcia, Madrid, Spain; Secretary of the
Spanish Fisheries Society.

Wattel, M. Raveret, Paris, France; Secretary of the Société
d’Acclimation.

Young, Archibald, Esq., Edinburgh, Scotland; H. M. Inspector
of Salmon Fisheries.

Walpole, Hon. Spencer, Governor of the Isle of Man.

DECEASED MEMBERS.

Baird, Hon. Spencer F. McGovern, H. D.
Carman, G. Parker, W.)R:
Chappel, George. Redding, B. B.
Develin, John E. Redding, George H.
Garlick, Dr, Theodatus. Rice) Prof. Hi yy
Lawrence, Alfred N. Smith, Greene.

Shultz, Theodore.

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 69

MEMBERS.

Persons elected at last meeting and who did not pay their dues do not appear in this list.

Adams, Dr. S. C., Peoria, Illinois.

Agnew, John T., 284 Front Street, New York.
Anderson, A. A., Bloomsbury, N. J.

Annin, James, Jr., Caledonia, N. Y. -

Atkins, Charles G., Bucksport, Maine.
Atwater, Prof. W. O., Middletown, Conn.

Bailey, W. E., U. S. Fish Commission.

Banks, Charles, 453 Fifth Avenue, New York.
Barrett, Charles, Grafton, Vermont.

Bartlett, S. P., Quincy, Illinois.

Bean, Dr. Tarleton H., National Museum, Washington, D. C.
Belmont, Perry, 19 Nassau Street, New York.
Benjamin, Pulaski, Fulton Market, New York.
Berkard, James, Union Club, New York.

Bickmore, Prof. A. S., American Museum. New York.
Bissell, J. H., Detroit, Michigan.

Blackford, E. G., Fulton Market, New York.

Booth. A., Chicago, Illinois.

Bottemane, C. J., Bergen-op-Zoom, Holland.

Brown, J. E., U. S. Fish Commission.

Brown, S. C., National Museum, Washington, D. C.
Bryan, Edward H., Smithsonian Institution.

Bryson, Col. M. A., 903 Sixth Avenne, New York.
Butler, W. A., Jr. Detroit, Michigan.

Butler, Frank A., 291 Broadway, New York.

Butler, W. H., 291 Broadway, New York.

Carey, Dr. H. H., Atlanta, Ga.

Cheney, A. Nelson, Glen Falls, N. Y.

Clapp, A. T., Sunbury, Pa.

Clark, Frank N., Northville, Mich.

Clark, A. Howard, National Museum, Washington, D.C.
Comstock, Oscar, Fulton Market, New York.
Conklin, William A., Central Park, New York.
Conselyea, Andrew, Springfield, Long Island, N. Y.
Cox, W. V., National Museum, Washington, D. C.
Crook, Abel, 99 Nassau Street, New York.

Crosby, Henry F., 18 Cliff Street, New York.

Dewey, J. N., Toledo, Ohio.

7°

AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

Dieckerman, Goorge H., New Hampton, N. H.
Donaldson, Hon. Thomas, Philadelphia, Pa.
Dunning, Philo, Madison, Wis.

Earll, R. E., National Museum, Washington, D., C.
Ellis, J. F., U. S. Fish Commission.

Endicott, Francis, 57 Beekman Street, New York.
Evarts, Charles B., Windsor, Vt.

Fairbank, N. K., Chicago, Ill.

Ferguson, T. B., U. S. Fish Commission.
Foord, John, Brooklyn, N. Y.

French, Asa B., South Baintree, Mass.

Garrett,. W. E., P, O. Box 3006, New York.
Gilbert, W. L,, Plymouth, Mass.
Goode, G. Brown, National Museum, Washington, D. C.

Habershaw, Frederick, 113 Maiden Lane, New York.
Haley, Albert, Fulton Market, New York.

Haley, Caleb, Fulton Market, New York.

Hall, G. W., Union Club, New York.

Harris, Gwynn, Washington, D.C.

Harris, W. C., 252 Broadway, New York.

Hayes, A. A., Washington, D. C.

Henshall, Dr. J. A., Cynthiana, Keutucky.

Hessel, Rudolf, U. S. Fish Commission, Washington, D. C.
Hicks, John D., Roslyn, Long Island, N. Y.

Hill, M. B., Clayton, N. Y.

Hinchman, C. C., Detroit, Michigan.

Holmes, Dr. E. S., Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Hudson, Dr. William M., Hartford, Conn.
Humphries, Dr. E. W., Salisbury, Md.

Hutchinson, E. S., Washington, D. C.*

Isaacs, Montefiore, 42 Broad Street, New York.

Jessup, F. J., 88 Cortlandt Street, New York.
Johnston, S. M., Battery Wharf, Boston, Mass.

Kauffman, S. H., Washington, D.C,
Kelly, P., 346 Sixth Avenue, New York.
Kellogg, A. J., Detroit, Michigan.

Kingsbury, Dr. C. A., 1119 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa.

A)

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 71

i 7 ee ee

Lamphear, George, Fulton Market, New York.
Lawrence, G. N., 45 East 21st Street, New York.
Lawrence, F. C., Union Club, New York.
Ledyard, L. W., Cazenovia, New York.

Lee, Thomas, U. S. Fish Commission.

Loring, John A., 5 Tremont’ Street, Boston.
Lowrey, J. A., Union Club, New York.
Lydecker, Major G. I., U. S. Engineers.

Lyman, Hon. Theodore, Brookline, Mass.

Mallory, Charles, foot Burling Slip, New York.

Mansfield, Lieut. H. B., U.S. Navy, Washington, D. C.

Mather, Fred, Cold Spring Harbor, N. Y.

Marks, Walter D., Paris, Mich.

May, W. L., Fremont, Nebraska.

McDonald, Col. M., Fish Commissioner of the United States,
Washington, D. C.

McGown, Hon. H. P., 76 Nassau Street, New York.

Middleton, W., Fulton Market, New York.

Milbank, S. W., Union Club, New York.

Miller, S. B., Fulton Market, New York.

Miller, Ernest, Fulton Market, New York.

Moore, George H. H., U. S. Fish Commission.

Murphy, W. W. J., U. S. Fish Commission.

Nevin, James, Madison, Wis.
O’Connor, J. P., U. S. Fish Commission.

Page, George S., 49 Wall Street, New York.

Page, W. F., U.S. Fish Commission.

Parker, Dr. J. C., Grand Rapids, Mich.

Parker, Peter, Jr., U. S. Fish Commission.

Pease, Charles, East Rockford, Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

Pietmyer, Lieut., U. S. Fish Commissioner, commanding Steamer
Fish-Hawk.

Pike, Hon. R. G., Middletown, Conn.

Post, W., Knickerbocker Club, New York.

Ray, Hon. Ossian, M. C,, New Hampshire.
Redmond, R., 113 Franklin Street, Eew York.
Reinecke, Theodore, Box 1651, New York.
Reynal, J., 84 White Street, New York.
Ricardo, George, Hackensack, N. J.

AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY.

Riley, Prof. C. V., Agricultural Dept., Washington, D. C.
Robeson, Hon. Geo. M., Camden, N. J.

Rogers, H. M., Fulton Market, New York.

Roosevelt, Hon. Robert B., 17 Nassau Street, New York.
Ryer, F. R., New York City,

Schaffer, George H., foot Perry Street, New York.
Schieffelin, W. H., 170 William Street, New York.
Schuyler, H. P., Troy, New York.

Sherman, Gen. R- U., New Hartford, Oneida Co., N. Y.
Simmons, Newton, U. S. Fish Commission.

Smiley, C. W., Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D, C.
Spensley, Calvert, Mineral Point, Wis.

Spofford, Henry W., Smithsonian Institution.

Steers, Henry, ro East 38th Street. New York.

Stone, Livingston, Charlestown, N. H.

Stone, Summer R., 46 Exchange Place, New York.
Swan, B. L., Jr., 5 West 2oth Street, New York
Sweeny, Dr. R. O. St. Paul, Minn.

Thompson, H. H., Bedford Bank, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Townsend, Isaac, Union Club, New York.

Van Brunt, C., 121 Chambers Street, New York.
Ward, George E., 43 South Street, New York.
Weeks, Seth, Corry, Erie Co., Penn.

West, Benjamin, Fulton Street, New York.
Whitaker, Herschel, Detroit, Mich,

Whitney, Samuel, Katonah, New York.

Wilbur, E. R., 39-40 Park Row, New York.
Wilcox, Joseph, Media, Penn.

Wilcox, W. A., 176 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, Mass.
Willets, J. C., Skeaneatles, N. Y., or 1 Grace Court, Brooklyn.
Wilmot, Samuel, Newcastle, Ontario.

Wilson, J. P., U. S. Fish Commission.

Wood, Benjamin, 25 Park Row, New York.
Woodruff, G. D., Sherman, Conn.

Woods, Israel, Fulton Market, New York.

Worth, S. G., Raleigh, N. C.

i) f
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