H.—7a,

1886. NEW ZEALAND.

THE INTRODUCTION OF FISH-OVA (FURTHER CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

No. 1. The Honorary Secretary, Wellington and Wairarapa Acclimatization Society, to the Hon. the Colonial Treasurer. -Sir,— Wellington, 28th May, 1886. Beferrmg to my former letter of 25th March, I have the honour to send you the following additional information respecting case No. 86 of salmon-ova, handed by the Government to the Wellington and Wairarapa Acclimatization Society, out of their shipment by the "Ionic:" Dead ova picked out on unpacking case, 3,150; subsequently, 4,148 ; fry hatched out, 9,050 : total, 16,348. After deducting 607 alevins, dead since hatching, and 130 deformed fish, there should be about 8,323 fry alive at the ponds. The preceding return is approximate, as most of such returns really are. It would do more harm than good to knock the fry about counting them. We intend to liberate a number in the upper waters of the Hutt and Manawatu Bivcrs, reserving a few in one of the races at the Masterton fish-ponds till they are a year old. I have, &c, Alex. J. Eutherpurd, The Hon. Sir Julius Vogel, K.C.M.G., &c. Hon. Secretary.

No. 2. Mr. A. Johnson to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Sir, — Troutdale Farm, Opawa, Christchurch, Bth June, 1886. I beg to convey my thanks for the 1,000 ova kindly allotted me by the Government. As I have had the opportunity of seeing the ova and packing arrangements of most of the shipments that have been imported during the last twenty years, have also had out more than thirteen importations entirely at my own expense and under so many different modes of packing, and have spent a lifetime in. fish-cultural pursuits, probably the following remarks, with a view to greater success in future importations, may be acceptable. Judging from the appearance of the 1,000 eggs, the packing arrangements leave little room for improvement, being nearly equal to a large portion of an American salmon-ova shipment which only showed 1 per cent, of bad eggs. The unusually small size of the eggs would have created doubt whether they were really salmon had they not been forwarded as such from so eminent a fish-culturist as Sir J. Maitland, the eggs being only half the size of those obtained from my three- and four-years-old tame-reared salmon. Another remarkable fact was the large number of deformed fish, being upwards of a hundred out of 700 hatched. These drawbacks, however, only appear applicable to a portion of the boxes, as the Manager of the Dunedin Society informs me " that out of the 20,000 received by them there is a comparatively large percentage of good eggs, and that they were hatching much better and stronger than the lot brought out by Mr. Farr in the ' Kaikoura' last year." From the annual report of the Dunedin Society it appears that instead of 198,000, as claimed to have been brought out by Mr. Farr, 25,505 would be a more correct number, costing £707 of public money ; whilst this " lonic " shipment of 200,000, according to the estimates, cost only £200. I trust, therefore, the Government will see fit to convey their high appreciation to those rendering such good services, which have contributed to the most successful large importation of English sal-mon-ova, and that, too, at a very moderate expense. As I have received from Sir J. Maitland's establishment on previous occasions salmon-trout, Loch Leven trout, and Scotch burn trout, I propose communicating to him some experiences respecting packing, tending to make his present success even greater in future attempts. I consider the most important point on our side to be the treatment of the ova from the opening of the ice-house till it is placed in the hatching-boxes; it is during that time that the greatest mischief has been done, and, although not perceptible at the time, the constitution of the fish is I—H. 7a.