The Farm Fishpond 2009 



States seeking information concerning the propagation of frogs and fishes. 

 For these reasons it is believed that if rcUable infonnation is widely dis- 

 tributed, the fishpond will soon become a common feature of the farm. 



This lesson is written for the double purpose of answering many in- 

 quiries that come to the College and of stimulating a more general in- 

 terest in fann fish culture. It is based on the practices in some of the 

 government hatcheries and on experimentation undertaken in this College. 

 It is wanting in many particulars principally because aquicultural investi- 

 gators have not yet supplied complete and reliable information meeting 

 farm conditions. 



The pond herein described is not one that will put on its owner a great 

 burden of labor, nor is it guaranteed to become a commercial success. 

 It is designed merely to supply a good-sized family or two with enough 

 fresh fish to satisfy their needs, and this with the least possible expendi- 

 ture of labor. A commercial establishment would consist of many such 

 ponds, and in order to make it a financial success, one would have to 

 give it special treatment, which cannot be detailed here. 



TYPES OF PONDS 



There are in general three types of ponds depending on the method 

 of construction: namely, the pond formed by damming a stream, the 

 excavated pond, and the dike pond. 



A pond of the first type is usually formed by throwing an embankment 

 across the bed of a stream in some narrow part of its course. Not- 

 withstanding its general popularity, a pond of this kind is a poor invest- 

 ment for three reasons. First, it can never be brought under complete 

 control, for there is no sure way of preventing the escape of its inhabi- 

 tants, especially the young fish. Second, every freshet brings in quantities 

 of sediment, much of which is deposited on the bottom, and the accumu- 

 lation of only a few years is necessary to materially decrease the depth. 

 And third, the embankment, unless it be a very expensive one, is in danger 

 during every freshet. 



The ponds that are most likely to give profitable returns are either 

 excavated below the surface of the surrounding ground or formed by 

 building earthen embankments, or dikes. A combination of these two 

 types is often desirable. In every case the pond should be situated away 

 from the course of a stream and in such a manner as to preclude the pos- 

 sibility of surface water draining into it during the heavy rains. 



LOCATION 



Since every farm has its own particular conditions, only very general 

 statements concerning the location of the pond are given. In a large 



