Part IL 



POND FISH: DESIRABLE KINDS, HABITS 

 AND FOOD VALUES. 



STOCKING THE POND WITH FISH. 



AFTER the water has been turned into the pond basin and 

 all expectations about having a pond or lake have actually 

 been realized, there comes an "anxious time" about get- 

 ting the pond stocked with fish. One of the very first 

 questions that naturally comes up is, What kind of fish should 

 it be stocked with? This question naturally involves the dis- 

 cussion of a number of subjects more or less related to each 

 other. Some of these will be considered in this, the second part 

 of the Bulletin, and others at various places in the third part, 

 which will deal mainly with the subject of "Pond Fish Culture." 



KIND OF FISH DEPENDS LARGELY UPON THE WATER 

 CONDITIONS. 



Before some of these questions that naturally come up for 

 consideration can be answered at all satisfactorily it will be 

 necessary to know a number of things about the conditions and 

 environment of the ponds to be considered ; the size of the pond 

 or lake, and the nature of the surrounding grounds; the size 

 and depth of the deepest places ; the amount and depth of the 

 shallow water that can be used for feeding grounds; and the 

 amount and nature of the food supply that the pond is capable 

 of producing. These are things that must be taken into con- 

 sideration. The minimum and maximum amount of water and 

 its temperature at different seasons of the year, especially dur- 

 ing the 'hot summer season, are also important things to know. 



TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS OF THE WATER. 



The temperature can be taken at 7 A. M. and at 7 P. M. on the 

 surface and on the bottom, in places of average depth and at 

 the deepest places in the pond. By placing a thermometer in 

 an open bottle or fruit jar, lowering it to the bottom of the 

 pond and leaving it for an hour or two, then quickly pulling 

 it up and reading the thermometer, the temperature of the 

 water in the bottom of the pond can be easily ascertained. A 

 fish pole can be planted in the pond and the string that is tied 

 to the thermometer bottle can be fastened to it thus making 

 it possible to raise the thermometer and read it at pleasure. If 



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