2oo8 The Cornell Reading Courses 



Farm fish culture has been almost wholly neglected in America even 

 though a large part of the country possesses exceptional advantages for 

 it. Some interest was created years ago when the carp was introduced 

 from Europe and rather generally distributed among farmers. Much 

 of this interest died out, however, as it became known that the carp was 

 not very well liked by Americans. The ponds were allowed to deteriorate, 

 and, in the majority of cases, the stock carp were permitted to escape into 

 public waters. Little effort has been made to interest people in prop- 

 agating the better grade of native fishes, which are already in high 

 esteem. This inactivity may perhaps be pardoned on the ground that 

 until a few years ago one could go to the near-by stream or lake confident 

 of obtaining enough fish or frogs for a meal. 



An entirely different state of affairs prevails in certain parts of Europe; 

 for example, in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Belgiiim, commercial 

 fish culture is probably developed to its highest state. Farmers find it 

 profitable to engage in fish culture, and, in the aggregate, immense areas 

 of water are used for this purpose. Aquicultural experiment stations 

 and schools, either connected with agricultural colleges or run exclusively 

 in the interest of fish culture, teach the farmers economic methods of 

 raising carp and other fishes. Carp is highly esteemed in Europe, and in 

 the countries mentioned has a market value comparable to that of the 

 better food fishes of America. Necessity no doubt has been the primary 

 cause of the development of this industry. The supply of fish in the 

 public waters of these countries was exhausted long ago, and, since 

 sufficient meat could not be raised on land to fully supply the increasing 

 demand, it became necessary to transform waste lands into water areas 

 and to stock them with fish. 



This bit of history is gradually repeating itself in this country. The 

 largest fish-producing streams have been transformed into sewers; others 

 have been dried up ; and still others have been stripped of their inhabitants 

 by too ardent harvesting. In order to justify the advance in the price 

 of beef, dealers say that the supply is decreasing while the demand is 

 becoming greater with the increase of the population. If this is true, 

 either means must be devised for producing more beef, or other kinds of 

 meat must be produced and utilized. There is much doubt as to whether 

 the former will generally be possible in the State of New York, but the 

 latter can be done by fish and frog culture. There are few farms that 

 have not a stream, a spring, an artesian well, or a bit of swamp that could 

 be developed into a profitable source of food supply. 



During the past four years, the New York State College of Agriculture 

 at Cornell University has been giving instruction in the propagation of 

 useful aquatic ariimals to a steadily increasing number of students. Letters 

 are continually coming in from persons in different parts of this and other 



