334 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



If the water is warm, the summer long, and there be plenty of food, 

 either natural or artificial, the growth of the carp will be surprisingly 

 rapid. There are well authenticated reports of it reaching 3 pounds 

 m one year and (» pounds in two years. If no artificial food is furnished, 

 and there is also a scarcity of natural food, or if the climate be cold, the 

 growth will be much less rapid. Indeed, when the water becomes quite 

 cold it will partially bury itself in mud and lie in a dormant state 

 through the entire winter and until spring fairly sets in. In the south- 

 ern part of Texas it is probable that the carp will not be forced to hi- 

 bernate at all except in case of an unusually severe winter. In the 

 northern parts of Maine and Minnesota it may be expected to hibernate 

 nearly half the year. As it cannot grow during its hibernation it is 

 easy to see why so much more rapid growth is obtained in Texas than 

 in Vermont. There is little danger, however, of it freezing to death, for 

 carp have survived in tubs of water over which a thick him of ice has 

 accumulated. 



Carp usually spawn in cool latitudes the third year, in temperate lat- 

 itudes the second year, and there are well authenticated instances of 

 its having spawned in Southern Texas at the age of one year. These 

 cases, however, are where carp are supplied with an abundance of food, 

 well cared for, and protected from their numerous enemies. 



The enemies of carp are legion, and in many cases exterminate the fish. 

 Not only do all kinds of carniverous fish prey upon its young, but nearly 

 all kinds of fish will eat its eggs. Frogs, snakes, and turtles will eat 

 both eggs and young in numerous quantities. A snake was recently 

 killed at the carp ponds in Washington in which was found over U5 

 young carp and numerous undigested skeletous of the same fish. One 

 medium size snake, if furnished the proper facilities, can be depended 

 upon to eat 40 carp per day, one thousand per month, or five thousand 

 each summer. Divide your number of 'young carp by this figure and 

 you can find out how many snakes it will require to exterminate your 

 young. Various birds, such as kingfishers, bitterns cranes, herons, 

 and fish-hawks understand catching carp much better than the average 

 farmer. About the 17th of July last a marsh hen was shot at the 

 Washington carp ponds whose stomach contained 38 young carp, and 

 a night heron whose stomach contained the heads of 78 young carp. 

 In many eases where the carp have been left to the mercies of these 

 enemies they have succumbed. The only proper method is to furnish 

 protection to the carp until they reach such an age as to be well able to 

 cope wifh these enemies. It is therefore best to separate the spawning 

 carp from all other animals, and carefully protect the eggs of the young 

 for as long a lime as convenient. 



In regard to the food qualities of carp, it ranks somewhat above the 

 ordinary native lish, such as buffalo, mullet, suckers, mud-fish, croakers, 

 mill roach, perch, sunfish, &c, but it is hardly equal to the high priced 

 delicate class of fish which includes the bass, trout, and shad. And 



