“P.  S.—­Kennebec salmon caught to-day in the Hudson River at Bath near Albany weighing twelve and a half pounds, sold for 40 cents per pound.  The first that have been caught for years.”

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State of Maine, department of fisheries,
Bangor, August 25, 1879. [Extracts.]

Dear professor:  We have had a great run of salmon this year, and consisting largely of fish planted by us in the Penobscot four or five years ago, so far as we could judge; there were a very large number, running from 9 to 12 pounds.  The east and west branches of the Penobscot report a great many fish in the river.  On the Mattawamkeag where we put in 250,000 and upwards, in 1875 and 1876, a great many salmon are reported trying to get over the lower dam at Gordon’s Falls, 13 feet high.  These fish were put in at Bancroft, Eaton and Kingman, on the European and North American Railroad.  The dam at Kingham is 13 feet; at Slewgundy, 14 feet; at Gordon’s Falls, 13 feet and yet a salmon has been hooked on a trout fly at Bancroft and salmon are seen in the river at Kingman, and between the dams at Slewgundy and Gordon’s Falls.  The dealers in our city have retailed this season 50 tons Penobscot salmon, and about 3 tons Saint John salmon; it all sells as Penobscot salmon.  Saint John salmon costs here, duty and all included, about 14 cents per pound.  Our first salmon sells at $1 per pound, and so on down to 12 1/2 cents the last of the season.’

Salmon at Bucksport has sold to dealers here at 8 cents.  Two tons taken at Bucksport and Orland in 24 hours.  Average price at retail here for whole season, 25 cents.

Truly, yours,

E. M. Stillwell.

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State of Maine, department of fisheries,
Bangor, October 4, 1879.

Dear professor:  My delay in replying to your kind letter has been from no want of courtesy, but a desire to send you the required “data” you asked.  Neither myself nor Mr. Atkins have been able to procure them.  The weir fishermen keep no records at all, and it is difficult to obtain from them anything reliable; while the fishermen above tidewater are a bad set of confirmed poachers, whose only occupation is hunting and fishing both in and out of season.  They are always jealous and loth to let us know how good a thing they make of it, for fear of us and fear of competition from their own class.

Four or five years since I put in some 300,000 salmon fry into the Mattawamkeag at Bancroft, Eaton, Kingsmore, and at Mattawamkeag village.  There are three dams between Mattawamkeag and Bancroft—­none less than 12 feet high.  About six weeks since Mr. Nathaniel Sweat, a railroad conductor on the European and North American Railroad, while fishing for trout from a pier above the railroad bridge at Bancroft, hooked a large salmon and lost his line and flies.  Salmon in great numbers have been continually jumping below the first dam, which is called “Gordon’s Falls.”