ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CI, Issue 11887, 10 May 1899, Page 3

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Tire thirty-fifth annual meeting of the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society was held last evening at the Secretary’s office. Mr A. Garrick, the President, was in the chair.

The annual report congratulated the Society bn its financial position, and stated that progress was being made in stocking the various streams and rivers with fish. During the year Virginian quail had been introduced, into Canterbury, the Society having purchased part of the shipment imported' by the Wellington Society Tfcrevenue from fishing licenses .had increase from £437 2s 6d to £455, but there,-ha. been a falling off in the receipts front gamt licenses. There • had been a considerable increase in the amount received • from the sales of fish and ga arte, but-the subscriptions ■had fallen off slightly and were practically confined to the -member’s of the Council. Messrs! R. H. Rhodes and it. D. Buchanan, who had guaranteed the cost of four head of red deer, had paid to the Society the amount, £IOB 12s, during the year. The fishing season had been extended by the Government, against the wish of the Society, to April 30. This extension, as had been repeatedly pointed out to the Government, would- be'the means of destroying a large percentage of fish, which, might be seen daily , making up the Canterbury rivers to spawning beds. Two life members of Too Society, Sir George Grey and WV Smart, had died during the year. The, Garden Committee’s report stated that there had been a considerable' increase in the receipts • from sales of both fish and hirdsL and there were orders for a considerable quantity of .each for delivery during the coming season. As a result of the flooded, state of the rivers during the spawning season, they had only succeeded in getting'about 37,000 eva from wild fish, and had had to depend on the-stock fish in the gardens fori the supply of ova. The results of the hatching season had been the disposal, by sale and otherwise, 'of 45,446 eva, mostly eyed; They had disposed of 13,550 fry by ■ sale, and distributed 13,838, making a total of 27,388, while there had been turned into the ponds and races in the gardens about 80,000 fry to grow to yearlings.- A summary of the fish disposed of during the season showed the following figures : —Sold—Rainbows, 13,650 fry, 990 'yearlings, ' 11,126 ova ; Brown Trent, 134yearlings and upwards; American Brook, 24 yearlings and upwards; goldfish, 12 yearlings ' and upwards. Distributed— Avon—22oo Rainbows; 12,676 Browa Trout, one year upwards. West Coast, Society—69 American Brook yearlings, 146 Loch Leven yearlings, 134 Scotch Bum yearlings, 222 Brown. Trout yearlings, 70 Rainbow yearlings, 3066 American Brook fry, 1046. Loch Leven fry, 11,500 Brown Trout ova. Victoria Lake—2soo American Brook fry, 3500 Brown Trout fry. Ashley —ISOO Brown Trout yearlings. Sehvyn—--800 Rainbow yearlings. Southbridge—3so .Raipbaw yearlings. Waimakarirh-4000 Brown Trout, yearlings' and upwards.' Gust—soo Brown Trout yearlings. Mr H. Brown, for Ashley,. Okuku, etc.—3Bo Lcch Leven yearlings, 120 Scotch Bum yearlings, - 1600 Brown Trout- yearlings. The balance-sheet showed that the receipts, including a balance Drought forward- of £lB7 11s 7d, had been £977 12s 9d. The expenditure had been £624 Is 6d, leaving a balance at the bank, of £333 7s 7d, and cash in . hand £2O 3s Bd. On the motion of the Chairman, the reports and balance-sheet were adopted. The following were elected members of the Council;—Messrs A. Garrick, L.. EClark, L. A. Cockayne, R. D. Harman, W. Izard, T. Maude, H. N. Nalder, G. B. Ritchie, A. Scott, A. Tyree, F. .W. Thompson, ,J. B. Fisher, H. C. Satchell, J. H. Stringer, F., W. Hunt, and C. H.. Croxton, the Hon J. T. Peacock, Drs Moorhouse and R. W- Anderson and Major Richards. Sir John Hall and Messrs J. N. Hamer, H. Brown and H. D. Buchanan were elected supernumerary members. ■ A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Dr Moorhouse for his services on the Garden Committee.

Dr Moorhouse said that the responsibility was becoming more than he cared to undertake alone. He had recently had a long conversation with Mr L. F. Aysou, the Wellington Society’s curator, and had learned a good deal that would be valuable. He would like the Society to express its appreciation of the work done by Mr Herbert Brown, of Ashley, who had received some 20,000 ova and had hatched out a very good percentage. He'was now feeding the fry in races, and when they were large enough, would turn them into public rivers. A vote of thanks was ( passed, to Mr Brown, and the meeting terminated.