Fart III.] Pond Fish Culture. 123 



they are well fed from the first, they may be of edible size 

 when they are two years old. 4. „i ' 



There is no danger, as we have shown before, of overstock- 

 ing a pond with bass, crappie or sunfish. They feed upon each 

 other to such an extent that the pond would perhaps never be 

 overstocked. As food gets scarce the larger fish would eat the 

 smaller ones. In this way the number of fish and the food con- 

 ditions adjust themselves. We find, however, that when a 

 great number of catfish are left in a pond and food is not sup- 

 plied, they will get very poor, and before we know it we may 

 have a large number of what might be called razor-back 



cats in the ponds. 



Easily Fed. 



There is no fish which is so easily fed and will take such a 

 great variety of food as the common bullheads. If a person is 

 interested in feeding them and separating them so that they 

 may be placed in different ponds, according to size and lood 

 conditions, a very considerable number can be produced m 

 comparatively small bodies of water. A hundred or more, de- 

 pending upon the size, can be placed in a small pond, or even 

 an ordinary tank, and they will grow in proportion to the 

 amount of food that is furnished them. If there is plenty ot 

 food large and small specimens can be kept together more or 

 less successfully. However, they should not be given more 

 food than they can eat, as decaying food pollutes the water and 

 invites the growth of white fungus. n t ^1 • 1 t 



If I could have but one kind of fish in a small pond I think 1 

 would choose the Bulhead catfish. However, there is no par- 

 ticular reason for having catfish in a pond by themselves; just 

 as well put in other kinds of fish. As a rule, the other fish, such 

 as goldfish and sunfish, do not eat catfish, and their young will 

 furnish a very considerable amount of food for the cattish. 

 Stock a pond with several kinds of fish and the result will be 

 that you may have more or less of each kind of fish ; but you 

 are sure to have, catfish. 



THE CHANNEL CATFISH. 



We receive hundreds of applications for Channel catfish by 

 persons who have or are building ponds. While the Channel 

 catfish is perhaps the best general-purpose fish we have m the 

 state of Kansas, we regret to say that we have been unable to 

 breed them in ponds. No fish seems to grow better m the 

 ponds than the Channel catfish, but it is necessary to catch the 

 young fish from the streams and place them m the ponds. 



We have given the Channel catfish every opportunity here at 

 the Hatchery, and have kept more or less fine specimens m 

 ponds ever since we have been here. So far as we know, none 

 of them ever spawned, or if they have spawned, no schools ot 



