2036 The Cornell Reading Courses 



but until more is known about their relations to the desirable pond 

 organisms, it is unwise to advise their introduction. 



Among the lower plants many are exceedingly important as forage. 

 The smallest animals constituting the food of young fishes subsist largely 

 on microscopic algae, as do hosts of herbivorous aquatic insects. The 

 filamentous forms, including Spirogyra and others commonly called 

 " frog's spawn," are eaten by goldfish, golden shiners, snails, and certain 

 insects. Enough of these lower plants will be introduced with the other 

 aquatic plants to answer the purpose. The greatest trouble has been 

 experienced in controlling these algse in the pond; however, it has been 

 the writer's experience that when goldfish are present, this difficulty 

 is eliminated. 



Water plants collected by the reader may be sent to the Department 

 of Botany, College of Agriculture, Ithaca, New York, for indentification. 

 Such plants should be packed so that they will not become dry in the 

 mail. 



Procedure in stocking the pond 



Late April or earl}^ May is a good time to commence stocking the pond. 

 The aquatic plants should be the first organisms to be put into the pond. 

 It will be well to collect specimens of as many plants as are available at this 

 time in order to test the desirability of each in a particular pond. In 

 setting out the plants, specimens of each kind should be placed in clumps 

 by themselves, and the clumps distributed at intervals of twenty feet or so 

 along the pond shelf. By following this method any species that may 

 become undesirable can be the more easily removed. In collecting water 

 cress and water lilies care must be taken to secure an abundance of roots 

 or underground stems; all other plants may merely be pulled up without 

 roots. A most effective way to plant the latter is to tie a stone to the 

 plant stem and toss the whole into the pond at the proper place. Roots 

 or holdfasts will grow out in a very short time securing each plant to 

 the bottom. 



The forage animals should be collected next. As has been stated, 

 until more is known about the propagation of aquatic insects, it will 

 be impossible to give definite and reliable directions for their introduction. 

 Certain desirable forms will naturally be attracted to the pond for egg 

 laying, and for the present this natural method of propagation is the 

 only one to be depended on. Fresh-water shrimps, water sow bugs, 

 snails, and small clams should be collected, for too many of these cannot 

 be introduced into the pond. The first two forms should be placed along 

 the margin of the pond in the water cress. It makes little difference 

 where the others are put, but it is probably best to distribute them in the 

 other vegetation, keeping together those of the same kind, 



