318 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



first, were oiily partly cleared of trees and bushes, so that the carp 

 could have plenty of shade and feeding- ground. 



Now comes the most interesting part of my experiments. In the lat- 

 ter part of February or the first of March of this present year, I con- 

 structed another pond some distance from the others, they being very 

 near my house. It covered more space than any of the others, but 

 was very shallow, not over G inches deep m the deepest part. I trans- 

 ferred six carp from one of the above ponds to this new pond, and in 

 addition put in one hundred and sixty bream. At that time the carp 

 were not over 4 inches long. To-day, after finding that the spring had 

 failed and the pond was fast drying up, I let off the water and trans- 

 ferred the fish to a new pond just finished. I was surprised at the large 

 growth of the carp as well as the slow growth of the bream. The largest 

 of the six carp, now one year and three or four months old, measured 17 

 inches in length and weighed full 2^ pounds. The bream were only a 

 little larger than when put in. These carp in six months had grown 

 from 4 inches in length to 17, and had not been fed once. I forgot to 

 mention that the fish in the small deep pond had been fed while those 

 in the pond below, where the fish grew to more than twice the size, had 

 not been fed. In this pond that I drained to-day I find plenty of young 

 bream, but what puzzles me is that I find any quantity of small fish 

 about three times their size. 



I would think these were young carp if it were not for the follow- 

 ing reasons : First, the carp that would have spawned them are only 

 a little over one year old. Second, the mouth resembles the carp in 

 shape, but does not have the thick lips of a carp; on the contrary, the 

 lip is very thin. I have never seen anything like them here, and it may 

 be that they are carp. These large carp taken from this pond, as you 

 will see from reading above, are only a fraction smaller than my carp 

 when they spawned last year, though they were two years old. I have 

 secured several specimens and placed them in a large basin of water to 

 await further developments. 



My conclusions briefly are as follows: First, that in southern waters 

 it makes no difference whether the water is clear or muddy. Second, 

 that it matters not whether the bottom is muddy or not. Third, that 

 if they are not crowded, or, in other words, have plenty of feeding- 

 ground, it is not necessary to feed them. Fourth, that they do not, in 

 my judgment, "kettle" in the winter in this latitude. Fifth, that they 

 will certainly spawn in two years if properly cared for. Sixth, that 

 they are not full of bones, and do not taste of mud, as some would have 

 us think, but, on the contrary, are very free from small bones, and are 

 a most excellent table fish, to which several who have dined with me 

 will testify. 



Macon, Bibb County, Georgia, August 26, 1882. 



