WELLINGTON ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 7947, 2 December 1886, Page 5

WELLINGTON ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

THK MASTERTON BREEDING PONDS. We occasionally hear of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society—from itself—but it is rare indeed to hear any one else speak of it. It is a toleratedinstitation that barely excites languid interest, except in the breasts of the very few ardent sportsmen who directly find through its aid that occupation they love the best. For the rest it is enough that they know there is a Society that has taken upon itself to introduce birds, beasts, and fishes, but how that Society succeeds, how it manages to get through a very arduous, self-imposed task, is a matter of indifference to the great majority of the people of the district. But for the few earnest men who push the business” and force contributions, the Society would die of sheer inanition. And that would bo something very much to be regretted, for the efforts of acclimatisation ia"this, and other districts, have been produotivo of more good than is generally understood, Anything affecting and adding to the food supply of a people cannot be other than important, and acclimatisation has already very materially affected our food supply, and that for the better. For instance, some of our readers may be surprised to hear that a haunch of venison, well cooked, constituted one of the pieces de resistance at the table d’hote dinner of a Wellington district hotel within the last fortnight. And then again, a visitor to an up-country town was heard to remark, the other day, how he had breakfasted off a six pound trout, which his friend had caught early that morning in a neighboring stream—went out, in fact, expressly to catch something for breakfast, and, continued the visitor, “a beauty it was, firm and tasty.” Moreover, how many of us have sat down, of late years, to a good jack hare, or a brace of pheasants, and found them to be ignite as toothsome as their contemporary denizens of the lands from which their progenitors came. And while the efforts of acclimatisation in New Zealand have been fairly recognised by the powers that be, liberal grants in aid having been made from time to time, the Wellington Society is to be excepted, for in this district the movement has been partially self-supporting and dependent upon voluntary contributions- But it is high time that this were altered by the Government making some provision in aid of an institution that has taken a firm hold of the district, is doing much good, and will not bo easily dislodged. . OF its good work, and persistency in welldoing, free evidence can be obtained at the Society’s breeding ponds at Masterton. These ponds are remarkable in more ways than one. Their origin is a source of constant disputation between authorities, ” Where does the water oome from?” is the problem to be solved, lu a slight rise close to the main street of the town is situated a series of springs of beautifully clear, pure, and cold water. The fish reserve comprises about thirteen acres of this rise, the proparty of Mr Renall, who lets it to the Society at a nominal rental, and takes a very lively interest in its proceedings besides. Within that thirteen acres there are quite a number of springs, and, as Mr Renall observed one day to our representative, sweepin" bis arm to indicate an are of about a couple of miles, “There are fifty springs within that distance ; must be the drainage from the upper waters of tho River Waingawa, which, flowing over a hard stratum through which water cannot penetrate, finds a way through the looser superincumbent shingle, and bursts forth here and elsewhere.” “I know,” continued the Wairarapa veteran, “ there is such a hard stratum, for X dug into it onoe in the old days near my mill, and precious hard it was. There is one feature about it, too, that is peculiar. After having been disturbed and partly pulverised it will cake into a kind of cement, if water is mixed with it.” This fact is certainly suggestive of hydraulic lima stone. Something may yet be made of the hard stratum of the Masterton district. But to return to the breeding ponds. Our representative visited them the other morning, and spent a very pleasant hour there, in company with Mr Rutherford, the Society’s indefatigable Secretary, Mr Ayson, the Curator, and a variety of very lively, interesting and beautiful fishes. The work that has been done in transforming a desolate hillside into a place where the fish of another hemisphere are made to give their increase for the benefit of some of the people of this one, is truly surprising. Quito a number of ponds of different areas have been excavated, ditches to convey the water out, a largo hatching house, full of breeding troughs, has been built, and the quantity of timber used, first and last, about it is just bewildering to attempt to estimate. We are not going to inflict on our readers a desorip. tion of the process of hatching. That was dona in these columns years ago, when acclimatisation was initiated in this Colony. Sufficient if we say that the ova are placed in boxes, in the bottom of which is laid gravel that has been subieoted to the boiling process to absolutely free it from every kind of organic imparity. Through the boxes flows water, pure, and of an even temperature, for it is a peculiarity of those Masterton springs to maintain an even temperature of about 52 degrees the year round. After the fry, resulting from the hatching process, are sufficiently developed, they are removed to the ponds set apart for their reapective'speoies ; and of these there are four in the Society’s grounds—the common brown trout, the Loch Leven trout, the Atlantic salmon, and the char, or American brook trout. Excepting the salmon, those may be observed in nearly every stage of existence, from the fry to the fully formed spawning fish. On the occasion wo refer to, the ponds wore visited about feeding time, for the fish have to be fed, and are fed regularly upon finely chopped sheep’s plucks, supplied gratuitously by a generous batcher of Masterton, Mr Perry. Mr Ayson designates the larger-sized fish as his “pets,” and well he may, for they ate as tamo as a flock of poultry, and oome as readily to be fed. He had no difficulty in enticing them to the edge of the ponds, and then lifted out specimens for examination with his landing net and the fish rather seemed to enjoy their air-bath when in the net, and frisked away, not a bit the worse when returned to the water. The most numerous of the various species of trout were, of course, the brown, and the largest, too. There are big fellows in tho pond twelve to fifteen pounds weight, fat and thriving, and with splendid appetites. The Loch Leven trout are also numerous, but in a lesser degree. They are, however, incomparably the handsomer fish and the more valuable as food ; beautifulcroaturos streaked and spotted in amber and crimson, and firm to tho touoh. Lika the brown trout they are free spawnera, and a quantity of their fry has been distributed in the Hutt River. Next season Mr Ayson expects -to send several thousands away. Of the Atlantic salmon only a few remain in the boxes, and they are retained by way of experiment, to ascertain if it is possible to develop salmon ; from the parr stage in fresh water. About a dozen of these parr were swimming about, but, according to the curator, were not thriving. A good many hundred parr were placed in the Hutt' River. But the pride of the breeding ponds is undoubtedly the char. A more lovely fish, in its mature state, can scarcely be imagined. Long and shapely, and yet plump, it is a perfect rainbow of colors in spots and streaks, is ah edible of rare delicacy, and affords capital sport to the angler. It is superior in flavor to either of the other trout, and much excels t‘ at of the brown variety. The brown, we know, is apt to run coarse, and it is the hope of tho Directors of the Society to bq able to stack every suitable stream in the district with Loch Leven and the American brook troat, or; char. It these two species crowded the ' brown out the Colony would bo the gainer by it.. It may be remarked that the mature fish in the ponds. are retained simply for their spawn. The stripping process takes place in the winter, and as the fish instinctively make their way into the narrow spurning boxes provided, they are then easily taken. The sneoess of the fishing part of the acclimatisation work in this district is an. doubledly duo to Mr William Beetham, who has been, and still is, indefatigable in its prosecution. His great liberality and personal supervision have mainly conducted it so far. We woold urge open all visitors to Mas-

terfcon who have an hour to spare to pay a visit to the brea-ling ponds, where they are sure to be ' courteously received by the curator.