THE GEEMAN OAEP IN THE UNITED STATES. 535 



become well established/' This is a matter of considerable importance, 

 for whatever ma^^ be our opinion of the carp as a food fish we cer- 

 tainh' do not want it any poorer than it is. For this reason it would 

 seem that efforts should be made to prevent the introduction of the 

 crucian carp in our waters, and to restrict, so far as possible, the 

 spread of gold-fish, tench, and other fishes with which the carp may 

 hybridize with a resulting- deterioration of the food value of the race. 



SIZE, GROWTH, AND AGE.^ 



There appears to be but little definite information as to how long 

 cai'p may live, and what size they ui?lj attain. It is said that thev 

 m&]f live to be 100 or even 150 j^ears old, and may come to weigh 80 

 to 90 pounds, but these statements are generallj" based upon insuffi- 

 cient evidence. That the fish do commonh' reach a weight of SO to 40 

 pounds, however, seems quite certain, and Hessel (1881, p. 874) says: 

 "It is a well-known fact that two larg-o carps, weighing from 42 to 55 

 pounds, were taken several j-ears ago on one of the grand duke of 

 Oldenburg's domains in Northern Germany," and also claims to have 

 had in his possession some scales 2i inches in diameter, which came 

 from a Danube carp that weighed G7 pounds. 



The largest carp I have myself seen from the Great Lakes would 

 not weigh much over 20 pounds. That the fish do attain a much larger 

 size i.>, however, certain. Mr. W. Cleaver, upon whose information 

 1 can reh', tells me that in the spring of 1903 he received from San- 

 dusky Bay a female carp Avhich weighed 30 pounds after spawning. 

 According to the ratio between the weight of the ova and the entire 

 weight of the fish found in another case, before spawning this fish 

 vrould have weighed, in all probability, fully 37 pounds. From the 

 fishermen, both at Lake St. Clair and at Lake Erie, I often heard of 

 I'arp weighing 30 and 40 pounds, but these were only estimates and 

 not based on actual figures. That there are at present to be found in 

 these waters carp weighing more than 40 pounds 1 doubt. 



As has alread}" been stated, the rate of growth of carp (as is true of 

 most fishes) depends in a great measure upon the temperature of the 

 water in which the fish lives and the abundance of suitable food. Under 

 ordinary conditions in open waters of temperate regions they will 

 reach a weight of 3 to 3i pounds in three years (Hessel, 1881, p. 873), 



oGoode (1888, p. 418) s-ays the tench has become Avell acclima'tized in the Potomac. Dr. H. M. 

 Smith, however, informs the writer that tlie tench is not numerous in the Potomac, but the gold-fish 

 is abundant and has become one of the regular market fishes at Washington. It has lost the brilliant 

 coloration it had when it escaped from the Government ponds, and now has the dull brown color of 

 the primitive type; the fisli is not recognized in the market, and is sold under the name of "sand 

 perch." 



b It is maintained that the age of carp may be told vrith considerable accuracy by means of the 

 successive lines of growth upon the scales, similarly to the way that the age of a tree is determined 

 by counting tlie annular rings. Persons interested in this subject will find a full discussion of it by 

 Dr.Emil Walter in the book on carp-culture by Knauthe (1901), chapter iii, pp. 88-122, "Die Alters- 

 bestimmung des Karpfens nach dcr Schuppe." 



