Part I.] Fish Ponds. 33 



pumped by windmill power and carried into the pond through 

 pipes. 



I have visited this pond a number of times and have given it 

 more than usual attention. It is such a complete success, con- 

 sidering the purpose for which it was constructed, that I desire 

 to give special account of it, believing that the information 

 may be of value to many persons who may be in position to 

 build small ponds for irrigating and fish purposes. In size 

 this pond covers an area less than one-fourth of an acre and is 

 circular in shape. It was built by Mr. Bailey at an expense, 

 allowing fair wages for labor, not to exceed a cost of $25, or 

 about five days' work for a man with a good team, a plow and 

 a scraper. Of course this does not include the cost of a good 

 pump and windmill. After the pond site had been definitely 

 located, the excavation was made by plowing the ground and 

 scraping the dirt until the pond cavity was about seven feet 

 deep at the center and basin-shaped. The embankment walls, 

 rising about four feet in height, are about six feet wide on top. 

 The embankment surrounding the water represents the amount 

 of dirt that was removed in making the excavation for the 

 pond. After the work of digging and shaping the pond cavity 

 had been finished, the ground surface of the pond basin was 

 plowed and harrowed until the soil was thoroughly pulverized. 

 The excavation was then ready for the water, which was al- 

 lowed to run in until a pool formed in the center. Then a har- 

 row was pulled through and around the pool a number of times. 

 When the water had extended its surface two or three feet 

 farther over the ground in the pond basin the harrowing was 

 contmued, half the harrow being in the water and the horses 

 traveling on the dry ground. By the next day, when the water 

 had extended its surface a few feet further, this operation was 

 repeated, and so on until the pond area had filled within eigh- 

 teen inches of the top of the earth embankment. This method 

 of harrowing and puddling produced an excellent waterproof 

 mud bottom that was quite hard and firm and held water from 

 the very first. 



The water for this pond is supplied by a good windm^'ll that 

 works a pump with an eight-inch stroke in a tubular well with 

 three-inch casing and a two-inch point. The water is lifted 

 about 35 feet from a well that is 70 feet deep. The water in 

 the well usually stands within about 32 feet of the surface. 



For five years Mr. Bailey has irrigated a three- or four- 

 acre garden patch from this one pond. The water supply 

 seems to be ample, for during a considerable portion of the 

 time, even during a hot, dry summer like the present one 

 (1910), the pond is full of water and the mill is running only 

 a part of the time. 



Mr. Bailey has started another pond just west of the one 

 already built. This will give him two ponds with nearly half 



