CULTURE OF THE CARP. 551 



spawn, spawn but rarely, if there are no young carp in the same pond. 

 But even if the mother carp, notwithstanding all the care taken, should 

 not spawn, the pond would thus still yield some profit. 



We cannot give here, in full, all the different regulations to be ob- 

 served in transplanting fish ; they are, on the whole, the same as those 

 used in shipping any live fish. The main thing to mention is, that in 

 emptying a pond for young fish, it should be done slowly, so as to allow 

 the fish sufficient time to collect in the ditches at the bottom of the 

 pond. While the process of emptying is going on, every other opening 

 should be closed in order to prevent the carp escaping. 



The ponds for grown Jish may cover an area of about sixty acres. 

 Carp two and three years old are kept in these ponds, and even some- 

 times those only one year old, provided the pond can be preserved free 

 of pike. If, however, fish one year old are not placed in these ponds, no 

 fear need be entertained of pike, especially if a grating has been placed 

 at the openings where the water flows in and out, since this permits the 

 passage of small pike only. Great care must be taken not to allow the 

 fish to slip out. When it rains hard and the flow of water is consider- 

 ably increased, the young carp will immediately swim against the cur- 

 rent even into narrow and shallow ditches ; there it becomes an easy 

 prey to various animals, or else, remaining there after the water has 

 flowed off, dies on the dry ground. 



Carp ponds are used exclusively for rearing carp that are more than 

 two years old. Two-year-old carp, after having been kept for two full 

 years in these ponds, ought to be fit for sale ; and three-year-old carp 

 ought likewise to be ready for sale after having been kept there for one 

 year, or, at any rate during one whole summer. The growth of the fish 

 will be dependent on the nature of the soil and the character of the wa- 

 ter. The water will be most suitable if it flows from all the neighbor- 

 ing farms. The bottom of a carp pond should be as even as possible, 

 and not rise in any place above the surface of the water, as such small 

 islands easily become the abodes of the enemies of the fish. 



Small pike, perch, and tench may also be kept in these ponds. The 

 pike will find ample food in the perch, which increase very rapidly, and 

 the tench generally keep themselves so well concealed in the mud that 

 they escape the pike. The pike, perch, and tench alone will, as a gen- 

 eral rule, repay all the expenses of constructing the reservoir. Carp- 

 ponds are emptied in October. 



Winter ponds are used for preventing the fish from perishing in very 

 severe winters, when the other shallow ponds easily freeze to such a 

 depth and for such a length of time as to cause the death of the carp. 

 It is best that these ponds be so arranged that the fish may be sup- 

 plied with good fresh water during the entire winter. The other ponds 

 can easily be so arranged as to preserve fish in them over winter ; but 

 although in this way the difficult labor of emptying the ponds in the 

 spring and autumn is avoided, it will always be best to have separate 



