Part III.] 



Pond Fish Culture. 



139 



the bottom. If the wire does not encircle too much "moss" it 

 can be pulled bj^ human beings. However, if the area en- 

 circled by the wire is very large it will be found that about the 

 only way to manage it is to hitch a horse to the wire. In this 

 way very good results can sometimes be obtained in a short 

 time. The "moss," after it has been pulled near the shore, can 

 be left, or, if desirable, can be thrown on the banks with a 

 pitchfork. It sometimes happens that a good many fish are 

 caught in the "moss." These should be shaken out of the wet 

 mass of plants and returned to the water. The conditions as 

 you find them will frequently suggest the best methods of man- 

 aging them. 



Stocking a Pond ivith Plants. 



Nearly all natural ponds that are fed by springs or streams 

 are stocked with some kinds of aquatic plants. Artificial 

 ponds that are supplied with water from drainage slopes and 



The plant commonly known as Chara "moss" drawn more in detail. 



Habit sketch of Chara fragilis and its fruiting branches, magnified. 1. The general 

 appearance of Chara. 2. A segment from 1, with fruiting branches, magnified. 3. A 

 branch from 2, showing at a a sac containing an egg cell, and at b a sac containing sperm 

 cells. After the egg has been fertilized by the sperm the fertilized egg remains dormant 

 for a time, and then it gertBinates and grows into a mature plant. (After Kerner. ) 



