BULLETIN OF THK UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 127 



145.— RAISINQ CARP I7V A SUPPOSED ALKALINE WATER. 



By E. S. STOVER. 



[From a letter to Prof. S. F. Baird.] 



In accordance with your request of August 21, 1884, 1 send you sam- 

 ples of young carp iu alcohol, and 1 gallon of the alkali water in which 

 they were raised. The carp were spawned in the latter part of May and 

 the first part of June; not alLat the same time, as some of the fish were 

 kept in very cold water until late in spring. I lost four of my largest 

 (two and one-half years old) at the fair by taking them from the warm 

 pond water and putting them in a cold-water tank for exhibition. All 

 in the pond are doing well; not one has died. 



Albuquerque, N. Mex., October 21, 1884. 



The water referred to reached Washington, October 28, 1884, and 

 was referred to Dr. J. H. Kidder, chemist of the Fish Commission, for 

 examination. 



MEMORANDUM BY DR. J, H. KIDDER. 



Five bottles (about 1 gallon) of water from E. S. Stover, Albu- 

 querque, If. Mex., from his carp ponds, said to be "alkali water," in 

 which carp were found to thrive. (Accession No. 15114.) 



Pale yellowish green ; offensive odor (sulphureted hydrogen); black 

 flocculi ; a considerable dark precipitate. Contents appear to have 

 decomposed by standing. Reaction neutral. Sulphureted hydrogen 

 is free and not combined with ammonia. 



Total solids (of decanted liquid) at 130° C.=84 grains to a gallon. 

 Blackens and loses 8.5 grains to a gallon on ignition. Contains 29.4 

 grains of chloride of sodium to a gallon. No iron, much lime (as car- 

 bonate and sulphate), small quantity of soda or potassa (as carbonate 

 or sulphate), traces of magnesia and silica. 



SUMMARY. 



Total solids at 130° C. = 84 grains to the (imperial) gallon . 



Of which, sodium chloride = 29. 4 



Loss on ignition = 8.5 



Not estimated (mostly lime and salts) = 46. 1 



84.0 



The residue is slimy, containing much organic matter, and presenting 

 under the microscope only various forms of bacteria (micrococcus and 

 bacilli) and of the lower fungi. 



The specimen Las probably changed in composition by putrefactiou, 

 and a further quantitative examination would be of doubtful utility. 



