BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 333 



54.— THE GERMAN CARP AND ITS INTRODUCTION IN THE UNITED 



STATES. 



By CHAS. W. SMILEY. 



[A paper read before the American Association for the Advancement of Scieuce, at the 



Minneapolis meeting, 1883.] 



1. Systematic position, varieties, and economic relations. — 

 The German carp belongs to the family Cyprinida?, and genus Cyprinus. 

 Of the Cyprinus carpio there are three varieties: the scaled, which is 

 the most edible; the leather, which is the most prolific; and the mirror, 

 which is intermediate between the other two . The common gold fish, 

 Cyprinus auratus Linnoeus, is an allied species, with which the German 

 carp very readily hybridizes. 



The present purpose is not to speak of carp from a biological stand- 

 point, but from an economic one, especially as there is little that is new 

 with reference to its biology and much that is new when economically 

 considered. 



2. History of its introduction. — The carp was originally from 

 Central Asia, whence it was introduced into Europe a few centuries ago: 

 into England in 1504, and into Austria in 1227. It is alleged that Capt. 

 Henry Robinson brought carp from Holland to the United States about 

 1830 and put them into his ponds atNewburg, N. Y., from whence they 

 escaped into the Hudson.* As nothing practical came of this, the real 

 introduction of carp into the United States dates from May 20, 1877, at 

 which date Mr. Rud. Hessel arrived from Bremen with 345 carp of dif- 

 ferent varieties for the United States Fish Commission.t These were 

 propagated under the direction of Prof. S. F. Baird. The distribution 

 of their young commenced in the fall of 1879, and has continued to the 

 present time in increasing quantities annually. The number distribu- 

 ted in 1879 was 0,203 to 273 applicants in 24 different States of the 

 Union. In 1880, 31,443 were distributed to 1 ,374 different applicants in 

 34 different States and Territories. During the past season 113,005 have 

 been distributed in lots of from 15 to 20 to each applicant. 



3. Natural history. — The carp prefers a pond containing warm 

 water and muddy bottom, but neither of these are absolutely essential. 

 It feeds upon such worms and lower forms of animal life as are within 

 its reach, but never upon other fishes. It will, however, eat its own 

 eggs if forced to by hunger. It is very fond of vegetable food, such as 

 lettuce, cabbage, leaves of various water plants, seeds, grain, meal, 

 bread, crackers, corn-bread, &c. Most anything you would give to 

 chickens you can give to carp to eat. 



*See Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission, 1882, page 25. 

 t Report of United States Fish Commissioner for 1877, page 43. 



