338 THE ART OF STOCKING PONDS. 



He then warns proprietors against overstocking their 

 ponds, for fish bred in great numbers in bad waters, 

 overstocked and ahnost starved, may in process of time 

 degenerate, and both lose a good shape and be less apt 

 to grow up to greatness than others that have been 

 better descended of a cultivated stock ; and, on the other 

 side, it is possible that by coming into good quarters 

 fish may improve and mend. 



This is most important to breeders of carp, and the 

 remedy of course is to net fi-equently, and to sort the 

 fish. 



" I have found a great analogy between the stocking 

 waters with fish and pastures with -cattle, and that the 

 same conduct and discretion belongs to both. Waters 

 may be overstocked, as pastures often are : so both may 

 be understocked. The latter is the less error, for if 

 you overstock you lose the whole summer's feed, if you 

 understock jow lose onl}" the rest of your profit ; what 

 you do feed is much better, and turns to account by 

 more ready sale. So also of beasts, some of the same 

 age and feeding will not thrive so well as others." One 

 thing is quite certain, that the more numerous the fish 

 are the smaller they get. Nobody ever j^et saw a fat 

 charity boy. Charity boys and girls are generally 

 about the same size, and run thin ; the reason is, that 

 they have just enough food to keep them in health, but 

 not enough to make them fat — ^the guardians take good 

 care of that. 



The same rule that applies to charity children applies 

 to fish. When the ponds are drained, a number of 

 small fish that are from six to eight inches long are 

 found, and this is what you a*re to do with them : ''Of 

 these bred fry you may put a hundred into four rods 

 square of water, or near that proportion, these then 



