PISH CULTURE. 255 



to learn from those who have alreadj^ been through the mill. Then, 

 again, capitalists now seem to ho willing to engage in the business, and 

 although, as in farming, a great deal can be done with very little money, 

 yet a great deal more can be done by the use of a little capital. 



Again, those who start in the business now have the results of all 

 their predecessors' failures and successes before them, and if they make 

 the same mistakes they have no one but themselves to blame. As more 

 is now kuown about the business, they start under better auspices and 

 with a better chance to economize in labor, construction, and mainte- 

 nance. All these points are highly encouraging, and would seem to 

 indicate that the next ten years will show no retrogression, but a steady 

 advance in the art. 



A few hints to those making it a business may not be out of place 

 here. In selecting a site for fish-ponds be very sure that the supply of 

 water is unfailing. The strength of a chain is always measured by the 

 strength of its weakest link. If a spring should give twenty inches of 

 water most of the time, but only one inch in a very dry season, then 

 the flow of that spring is only one inch. It has more than once happened 

 that a would-be fish-breeder has found his ponds without water, and 

 his beautiful spring dried up. Then, too, it would be exceedingly con- 

 venient, though not absolutely necessary, to have such a fall that every 

 jiond could be drained, .and the pond should be so situated that a rising 

 and overflow of the stream should not overflow the ponds. This cannot 

 be arranged very well if the ponds are made, as has been often recom- 

 mended, by dams in the stream itself. They should be made at one 

 side of the stream, taking all the water if required, but leaving the 

 bed of the stream itself as a convenient waste-gate in case of overflow. 

 One dam across the stream will turn the water into the ponds, and the 

 flow can be made even. 



The distance of a spring from a market makes but little difterence in 

 these days of railroads and refrigerator-cars. But the amount of water 

 and shape of land make much difterence. It is also well to own the 

 spring itself, if possible, in order to prevent disputes with other owners, 

 and to have the water always pure. 



Ponds for fattening purposes are now generally made small — say 

 about twelve feet wide by twenty four feet long, either in the shape of 

 a square or of an oval. It is a matter of fact that trout will find more 

 natural food in a large pond than in a small pond. A large pond has 

 also several other advantages over a small pond. For instance, it is 

 more economical to build one large i^ond than two small ones, and it is 

 less trouble to take care of one race-way and one set of screens than of 

 two. But the fatal detect in large ponds is that the fish cannot be 

 equally fed. The larger and more voracious will follow the feeder as he 

 moves around the pond, and drive away the smaller and weaker fish. 

 But in a small pond the food can be thrown all over the surface at once, 

 and all the lish have an equal chance. 



The materials of which ponds should be constructed vary with the 

 nature of the soil. In heavy clay ground embankments alone are neces- 

 sary. But in fact so much trouble has been caused by muskrats per- 

 forating embankments and liberating the water, that 'we are tempted 

 to say that embankments alone should never be used. In most soil 

 either stone or wood should be used in coustructiou. If stone is used 

 it should by all means be cemented and the bottom of the pond finished 

 in grout, or large flat stones, with the interstices filled with cement. In 

 order to clean out the lime, water should be run through the pond some 

 weelis before putting in fish. The cement and stone will crack and in 



