Second Grade Certificates. Issued by County Boards of Examiners and made valid by the State Board of Education for any county in the State from July 19, 1885, to December 31, 1892. REPORT. CARSON CITY, Nevada, December 31, 1892. To His Excellency, R. K. Colcord, Governor of Nevada: SIR: I have the honor to herewith transmit my second biennial report of the transaction of the Nevada Fish Commission for the years 1891 and 1892, it being the eighth biennial report of the workings of the Nevada Fish Commission, provided for under the provisions of an Act of the Legislature entitled "An Act to provide for the preservation of fish in the waters of this State," approved. March 5, 1877. The beneficial results accruing under the workings of this popular measure have been so great and varied, the practical knowledge derived from these fifteen years of fish hatching, fish planting, erecting fish ladders and ways and protection otherwise furnished, enables me to report, not only actual work of the Commission, but to set forth the manner of handling fish and suggestions relative to their care, which if carried out will insure a bountiful supply for the future. The interest taken throughout the State is rapidly growing, persons heretofore indifferent and paying no regard to this source of food supply, careless as to waste of fish, unmindful of protection to water courses in their respective neighborhoods, have within the past few years more fully realized the value and importance of this work and are now ready and zealous to assist in the stocking of streams, to vigilantly guard the same and in every way to aid the Commission. That portion of the present fish law enacted at the last session of the Legislature was violently assailed during its pendency, and even after the measure had reached your hands. The source of this opposition came from the large exporters of fish and fishermen under their control who take at all seasons, and not from our inhabitants who are anxious for the future preservation of fish, and who recognize the liberal and willing appropriations by the State to thoroughly stock our waters with desirable game and food fishes. This rest and protection for the few months required by law, while temporarily interfering with shipments into a neighboring State, has no doubt resulted in the advancement of the purposes for which the Commission was organized. For this object the bill was framed. Among its original provisions proper and not expensive screens were required to be maintained on irrigating ditches. This clause was defeated, while the necessity and wisdom of its incorporation into our fish laws can be seen at any time by visiting fields and meadows during the irrigating season where the irrigating ditches are not provided with proper head gates and screens. This does not apply to all persons owning and controlling irrigating ditches and waterways, as very many of our citizens have voluntarily placed suitable screens, the care of which they report as inexpensive and of but little trouble. FISH IN GENERAL. In previous reports, in order that each species of fish handled might be separately understood, identical mention has been made of their adaptability to our waters and success attending their introduction. In every case the increase and growth, whether of hatched or transplanted fish has been satisfactory and our waters are now fairly supplied by desirable varieties. The extraordinary good results of all varieties of trout hatching and transplanting in this State, having assumed a theme for general comment whenever the question of fish culture is discussed, and desirous that every person in the State may become familiar with the modus operandi of this interesting and fast growing subject, I will describe my preparations, plan and means from the initiative of tak ing ova until the fry is liberated. First-During the months of August and September (these being the proper months in this latitude as governed by the spawning habits of the trout Salmo fontinalis with our prevailing temperature of water) I caused the hatching house to be thoroughly cleaned, the water reserve tank flushed, the hatching troughs and egg trays cleaned and repainted and everything placed in readiness to receive the ova. In describing the interior of the hatching house, together with the furniture and appliances necessary to the convenient, safe and easy handling of eggs, I have my hatching troughs say fourteen feet long, fourteen inches wide and ten inches deep, constructed of twoinch plank, planed on both sides, the end boards of same thickness and solidly built in the structure. These troughs may be coated with a compound of coal tar and asphaltum, applied at nearly as possible to a boiling heat, leaving a hard smooth glaze, impervious to water, or thoroughly painted with several coats of asphaltum varnish; then place them on platforms say four feet high with room sufficient to pass lengthwise between each trough for working purposes. In hatching the species of trout above named I find the declivity of the trough should be one-eighth inch to the foot, thus producing the required current. During the hatching, the water in these troughs should cover the eggs about four inches, hence a horizontal |