201 



3- The farm has an oil-launch and a number of live- 

 cars for transporting the fish to various sections of the 

 canal ; the launch engine has given trouble but the 

 reasons have been discovered and it is now likely to do 

 well. But it is not quite powerful enough to tow a 

 string of live-cars against the full current, which runs at 

 about three miles per hour, and a new engine may be 

 necessary ; the old one can readily be utilised elsewhere. 

 A house boat is desirable, as the Piscicultural Expert 

 has to depend on borrowing from the Public Works 

 Department and boats are often not available, and not 

 comfortable. 



There is a general superintendent on Rs. 50 (the 

 incumbent is a pensioned Subadar Major), a writer- 

 maistry, an engine driver and assistant, six fishermen, 

 and <L watchman ; the Piscicultural Expert constantly 

 visits the farm. 



4. An integral and necessary part of the farm, though 

 five or six miles distant, is the large Edurur swamp, an 

 area of several hundred acres ; this is a large sheet of 

 shallow water fed partly from the canal into which it 

 opens, partly by the drainage from the surrounding 

 country. It is mostly covered by reeds and grass, but 

 there is a large area of open water in the middle ; the 

 vegetation of course provides enormous amounts of fish 

 food, besides protection for the young fish. The swamp 

 holds water for about eleven months in the year, drying 

 up soon after the canal is closed. In this swamp vast 

 numbers of young fish are placed to grow, means being, 

 of course, devised to remove the fish before the water 

 entirely disappears ; for full utilisation this swamp Vv-ill- 

 be fiu'ther developed, e.g., by excavating a small area 

 in the deep bed to which all fish will resort as the shal- 

 lower parts dry up and in which they may readily be netted 

 for removal to the farm proper during the short dry season. 



5. The farm has at present three objects, two main 

 and the third subsidiary, viz., (i) carp growing for 

 stocking the canal and other waters ; (2) murrel grow- 

 ing for the market ; (3) the growing of larvicides for the 

 destruction of mosquito larvae. 



6. Cai'p g7'oiving. — This in principle is a very simple 

 matter though it requires very careful work in practice. 

 A number of mature fish (spawners) have been obtained 

 and placed in several of the ponds ; here they spawn in 



