BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FTSH COMMISSION. 213 



than to turn them into guano. After their transition into froghood, 

 they are no longer satisfied with a vegetable diet. Bui as they draw 

 their supply of food from all departments of animated nature, it ought 

 not to be difficult to supply their wants. At times their special food is 

 abundant and easily obtained. Potato-beetles enter largely into their 

 bill of fare, as do also caterpillars and curculios. All these are abundant 

 at times, and an ample supply is usually attainable for a considerable 

 portion of the summer. Brown mud-fish, too, is a favorite, which can 

 often be obtained in large quantities in the ditches. True, they do not 

 hesitate, occasionally, to make a meal on a feliow frog, but in the greal 

 multitude that could be readily raised, these would scarcely be missed. 

 If they should require their food to be alive when they take it, there 

 might be some difficulty in supplying their wants. But if they feed on 

 the eggs of the carp, as they are said to do, I can see no reason why an 

 artificial food could not be provided for them. Ground dried blood, or 

 ground fish-scraps, mixed with boiled potatoes, might be put in such 

 shape that they would feed upon it. The experiment could easily be 

 tried by any one wishing to test it. An inclosure of a few square yards 

 of water with a small space of dry land, having a base of boards rising 

 2 or 3 inches above the water, and surmounted by a fence of ^-inch 

 mesh of galvanized wire 2 feet high, would make a very respectable 

 froggery. If one did not care to raise them for market, a supply for 

 home use would be no mean addition to one's larder. 

 Bordentown, N. J., December 26, 1884. 



Marketing carp. — Carp will probably make their appearance in the 

 markets of our large Eastern cities next autumn in considerable quan- 

 tities. The very large number distributed by the Fish Commission, being 

 the hatch of 1881, spawned sparingly in the latitude of the Middle States 

 in 1883. Next autumn these fish will be three summers old, the age at 

 which they may be more advantageously marketed, where raised for 

 profit. In some instances these will doubtless bring fancy prices. Ac- 

 cording to a newspaper report, a few sold last summer in Fulton Mar- 

 ket, New York, at 30 cents per pound— fish said to have been caught 

 in the Potomac Kiver, having got there from the national carp ponds 

 at Washington, D. C, during a heavy freshet. But whatever prices 

 they may bring when they first make their appearance in market, they 

 will ultimately settle down to a price which will be determined by their 

 quality as food. Hence it is an important matter for those who are en- 

 gaged in their culture that their edible qualities should be such thai 

 they will make a favorable impression on the public. As these quali- 

 ties are to a considerable extent under the control of the culturist. I 

 propose offering a few suggestions in regard to the best mode of pre- 

 paring them for market. 



(1) Always kill your fish as soon as taken from the water. This is 

 much more important and has much greater influence on their edible 

 qualities than is generally supposed. Having always found the pike 



