THE TROUT OVA.

North Otago Times, Volume XI, Issue 349, 25 September 1868, Page 3

THE TROUT OVA.

The following abridged account of the Southland experiment, taken lrom the " Times," will show that that Province has been equally successful with Otago sn the introduction of trout ova : — The Southland consignment wero brought by the brig Piairie to the New River, and thence by boat to the Makerewa. On oponing the boxes, those presont were delighted to find that out of the one thousand of ova contained therein only some thirty or forty eggs were apparently unsound, all the rest having as houlthy and fresh an appearance as when they left their native gravel beds. By eight o'clock on Thursday morning the work of depositing the ova in the breeding boxes was satisfactorily accomplished, and as the construction of the ponds is said to be most perfect, aud tho temperature and quality of tho water exactly what is required for hatching, we may feafely and confidently leave further results to tho ordinary operations of nature. The means taken to preserve the ova during the vo3 r age were very simple, and, fortunately, very successful. The eggs, a thousand in number, were carefully packed in moss in three shallow boxes, each of them about a foot in length by sis inches in breadth, theso were again packed in a case, and a quantity of snow daily spread upon the fop of this, melting and running down over it kept all cool. To prevent concussion, the case was slung by Indiarubber straps in a cool and convenient part of the ship. In addition to the trout ova, Mr Howard was also supplied with a galvanized iron tank containing a couple of dozen of perch and two tench. Unfortunately, about half of the perch were killed during a sevore storm which the Prairie experienced off tho Solander Island, the others have, however, arrived in fine health, and will bo placed in tho ponds until sorno more suitable locality is fixed upon for their use. A numbor of aquatic plants, a vuriety of seeds, and a quantity of frog spawn, has also been brought over — tho latter is intenped to produce suitable foot for tho young trout.