1 .,..1. cm ; wiiilc the n;i)st perfect specimens of the more liiglih' ciillix'aled \arieties command liiglui 

 pMi.es than are ^iven an}-\viiere for an_\- otlier kinds of fishes. 



Tiie rancliu is tlie most \ainal)le \-ariely, the oranda shishis^asliira closely follows, and the ryukin 

 comes next. The wakin is the cheapest, and the other \arieties ha\e a \alue de])ending on their per- 

 fection and the local demand. The \ahie of goldfish increases so much with their age that it is verv 

 desirable for Ijreeilers to keep their best fish until full maturity is attained; and in the case of the 

 ranchu especially the practice is to retain the cro]) if possible initil the iifih or sixth }-ear. when the 

 length is about seven inches, because such fish bring the highest prices. 



In order to conve}- some idea of the actual and relati\e values of the differeiu \arieties of gold- 

 fish, the foll(j\\ing average wholesale prices per 1,000 fish are taken from the operations of a Toyko 

 breeder a few years ago: Demekin. 1 year old, $10; wakin, 3 years old, $22.50; ryukin, 3 years old, 

 $100; oranda shishigashira, 5 years old, $750; ranchu, 2 years old, $75; ranchu, 5 years old, $2,500. 



A large ])art of the output of many breeding establishments is bought by itinerant vendors, who 

 \isit the ponds daih' and take away the fish in shallow wooden tubs arranged in nests and suspended 

 from a shoulder bar. The vendors do a particularly li\ely trade on holidays and festivals, but they 

 find a steadv demand at all limes as the_\- wend their way along the crowded streets and thrcjugh the 

 parks. One street seller seen at a Tokyo goldfish farm cairied away at one time 500 goldfish of 

 different kinds and sizes. 



Fish awaiting shipment or collected for sale are held in bamboo baskets and li\-e-cars moored in 

 the mud ponds, or are e.\pi)sed to \iew in the cement [jonds. The export trade centers at \'oko- 

 hama, Kobe, and Nagasaki, and the variety figuring most prominently in that trade is the ryukin. 



92 



