200 



Letter — from Sir F. A. Nicholson, k.c.i.e., I.C.S., Honorary 



Director of Fisheries. 

 Z^rt/^iZ-^Madras, the 26th P'ebruary 191 3. 



I have the honour to forward herewith a note on my 

 recent inspection of the Sunkesula fish farm, as its facts 

 may be of interest to Government. 



Sunkesula Fish Farm Inspection Note. 



A note, based on recent inspection by the undersign- 

 ed, on the character and work of the above fish farm, 

 estabhshed by the Piscicultural Expert, Mr. H.C.Wilson, 

 may be interesting, as it is the very first fish-farm estab- 

 hshed in Madras, possibly in India, except the same 

 officer's trout hatchery on the Nilgiris ; the accompany- 

 ing blue print gives a complete plan of the farm. 



2. It was established primarily (see note on Japanese 

 Fisheries, paragraphs 203 — 205 and 211) to experiment 

 in stockino" the 200 miles of the Kurnool-Cuddapah 

 canal (besides occasional large tanks) which arc barren 

 offish except for the first 17 miles, though abounding 

 in fish food. Hence its somewhat out-of-the-way 

 position at the Canal anicut where alone it can get a 

 supply of water — by pumping from the river — all the 

 year round. Its gross area is 20*05 acres, and it contains 

 roughly lof acres of water, divided into 19 ponds, 

 the largest of which is about 4 acres. The farm lies 

 below the flood bank of the river from which water is 

 pumped by a small steam engine running a six-inch 

 Gwynne centrifugal, for about eight hours per day, but 

 not necessarily daily. The water passes into a settling 

 and storage reservoir, whence after depositing much of 

 its mud, it flows to the several ponds ; after having done 

 its work in the ponds it flows by a low level sluice 

 into a small wet dock for the motor boat and then into 

 the canal on which one extremity abuts. The work of 

 laying out the ponds has been done in a very systematic 

 and workmanlike manner ; every pond can be supplied 

 or cut off independently, by means of sluices in the 

 common channels, and there are alternative channels in 

 case of a breakdown and for other reasons. The ponds 

 are excavated and embanked in a substantial manner and 

 the whole farm fenced in. More land is available if it 

 should bethought necessary to extend the area, e g., for 

 growing cholam, etc., as food for the carp. 



