Dublin University Magazine, a Literary and Political Journal

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1863 edition. Excerpt: ...added. The milt of the male fish is then added, much in the same way, and the whole is well mixed together preparatory to the ova being placed in the breeding boxes. These having been previously filled with nice clean gravel, are ready for the reception of the eggs, which are partially covered with little pebbles, nothing then remains but to let the water flow over the boxes, and wait patiently during the winter to welcome the little fishes in the returning spring time. The chief value of the protected breeding ponds is to prevent the eggs from being destroyed by water fowl or vermin, and to save the young fish from their enemies. Fish-breeding on a small scale has been exhibited in the windows of a newspaper-office in London, just to show how simple it is; and even at Perth the simplicity of the whole process is quite apparent at a single glance; but the operations carried on there are mere child's play compared to what ought to be and has been achieved in fish-culture--Commachio to wit At the expense of a few thousand pounds, millions of salmon could be reared every year, and could be protected till they reached the smolt stage, and were ready to proceed to the sea. A series of ponds might be attached to some of our best salmon-streams, where the gravid fish might be relieved of their ova by hand pressure, and in the course of the winter the eggs could be nursed into life, so that early in the spring the ponds would teem with myriads ot parr, and in the autumn the river itself would yield a plentiful harvest of grilse; while, in another year, the grilse would be salmon, each pair of which would go on sowing the seed of future supplies. It would "pay" to engage a great river for a salmon manufactory, and by keeping it for this...