Part I.] Fish Ponds. 13 



will be propositions that will have to be considered in their 

 relation to surrounding conditions. It is always the part of 

 wisdom to profit by the experience of others, so if you con- 

 template building a pond, it would be advisable to examine 

 those of your neighborhood that have been built where water 

 conditions and location are somewhat similar to those in the 

 locality where the new pond is to be constructed. 



How a Pond May Be Made. 



A pond such as it is possible to construct on a farm or ranch 

 at the least possible expense is usually built by throwing up an 

 earth embankment or dike across a draw or sloping piece of 

 ground, thus forming a basin where it is possible to hold a 

 few or many acres of water. Of course such ponds are de- 

 pendent entirely upon the rain and snow fall of the country 

 for their water supply, and the amount collected depends upon 

 the rainfall and the area of the natural drainage slopes that 

 shed their waters into these pond basins. This is the method 

 usually employed in the central and western portions of the 

 state for the construction of ponds where it is desired to col- 

 lect surface water for pond purposes. Using this method, 

 ponds that vary in size from one-fourth of an acre to that of 

 five, ten, twenty-five or even several hundred acres in area 

 may be constructed, depending on the lay of the country and 

 the extent and nature of the watershed above the dam. 



Sometimes ponds are formed by constructing dikes or dams 

 across small streams or across draws where it is possible to 

 hold the water that flows from springs ; again it is sometimes 

 possible to throw up embankments that will enclose low pieces 

 of ground where water can be carried from near-by streams 

 or other bodies of water through ditches or water pipes. The 

 sole supply of some very good small ponds in the state is from 

 water pumped by windmills.* A windmill with nothing to do 

 except to run a pump that throws a two-, three- or four-inch 

 stream of water will, under ordinary circumstances, furnish 

 a quarter, half or even an acre pond with water. 



The average depth of water in the many artificial ponds that 

 I have visited ranges not far from three feet, with a maximum 

 depth varying from six to sixteen feet. 



To Build a Dike or Dam. 



As a rule the most economical way to build a dike or dam 

 for pond construction purposes is by the use of earth. The 

 dirt that it is necessary to remove in shaping parts of the pond 

 can in most cases be used to advantage in constructing the 

 dam. The proper building of the earth embankment is all- 

 important, as on its proper construction the existence of the 

 water supply of the pond largely depends. The lay of the land, 



* See Sam Bailey pond, on page 34. 



