Part I.] Fish Ponds. 11 



face water at no great expense ; and that too in a section of the 

 state where the soil is very rich and productive and where the 

 influence of permanent sheets of water would be an advantage 

 to the country in various ways. If such an amount of water 

 could be stored in ponds and reservoirs it would undoubtedly, 

 in connection with the cultivation of the soil, do a great deal to 

 modify and regulate both flood and temperature conditions. 

 The evaporation from these bodies of water would surely exert 

 a more or less beneficial influence on temperature and atmos- 

 pheric conditions in general. 



ADVANTAGES OF A FARM POND. 



These small lakes and ponds would be of value in a number 

 of ways to the farmer who, in a new country, is not only an 

 agriculturist but frequently an horticulturist and stock raiser 

 as well. Groves of trees, both forest and fruit-bearing, might 

 be planted around them. These would serve various purposes, 

 and while serving as windbreaks and for shade would grow 

 into trees that would furnish wood, posts and even lumber. 

 Groves of trees around bodies of water always attract flocks 

 of song and insect-eating birds. Many of these birds would 

 remain through the summer, not only enlivening the spot with 

 their songs and bright plumage, but also rearing their young 

 and waging a perpetual war on the injurious insects of the 

 neighborhood. 



Again, these ponds could be made to supply the stock of the 

 farm with water, and in many places where the water supply 

 is sufficient could be used to irrigate gardens, berry patches 

 and even orchards.* The shady groves about the ponds, where 

 song birds live and where the wild flowers bloom, might be 

 made a source of much pleasure for family and neighborhood 

 picnics. If the pond or lake were an acre or more in size 

 there might be an ice house near the shore where a supply of 

 ice suflficient to last through the summer season could be put 

 up at small expense. A boat could be kept on the water, and 

 a small building might be constructed in a grove near the shore 

 where the boat and such articles as fishing tackle, bathing 

 suits, skates, etc., could be housed for protection and safe-keep- 

 ing. Such an arrangement would add much to the interest, 

 enjoyment and value of everyday life on the farm and help 

 very materially to solve a problem that we are all trying to 

 work out. 



ARTIFICIAL PONDS. 



The Location of a Pond. 



The location of the pond will- depend principally upon two 

 things: the lay of the ground in a suitable locality, and the 

 possibility of supplying it with water. As no two pieces of 

 ground are alike, the location and water supply of any pond 



* See the account of the Sam Bailey pond, on page 33. 



