GOLDFISH AND THEIR CULTURE IN JAPAN. 395 
wheat). All ponds are so made that they can be drained at any time to pre- 
vent the generation of poisonous gases. Usually twice a year, viz, in March or 
the beginning of April, when the young are about to be removed to another 
pond, and at the end of autumn when the fish are going to be put into a hiber- 
nacle, both these ponds, prior to receiving them, are drained and dredged and 
then exposed to the sun’s rays for four or five days. Any place where the water 
gushes forth in the ponds should be exposed longer. It is usual for these steps 
to be taken twice a year as stated above, but the more this is done the better it 
is for the health of the fish; it would be best to do it even once a month. 
When the fish come up to the surface of the pond to breathe in warm weather 
before sunrise and go down afterwards into the water it shows that they are in 
good health. 
RANCHU. 
The ranchu is chiefly cultivated in a concrete pond, though in small 
numbers. The number of ranchu to be put into a pond after hatching 
is one-half the number of oranda shishigashira, and the amount of fertilizer 
used is also half the amount of that used in the case of the latter variety. 
When put into a mud pond, the method of culture of the ranchu does not differ 
from that for the oranda shishigashira, but when reared in a concrete pond it 
is essential that the fish should be constantly supplied with fresh water. Hence 
the necessity of entirely renewing the water once every day. An amateur 
breeder would be likely to partially change the water to prevent a sudden change 
of temperature in the pond; but nothing is better than entirely replenishing the 
pond with fresh water of the same temperature as before. The fish are fed only 
with the larve of mosquitoes. 
In a concrete pond of the aforesaid size are generally placed roo fish under 1 
year, 30 under 2 years, 10 under 3 years, 4 under 4 years, or again 4 
under 5 years, but if these numbers were reduced better results would be 
obtained. It is good for the fish to be constantly supplied with food. Earthen- 
ware plates are not used for this purpose as in Tokyo, except for the time being 
after the fish are first put into a mud pond. There is one advantage in this 
method of feeding them without earthenware plates: they are naturally made 
to thrust their snouts in quest of food into the bottom of the pond, with the 
result that the bottom remains free from gases. If the number of fish under 1 
year to be put into a rearing pond is reduced below the normal quantity above 
referred to (i. e., 100), they can be made to attain the size of 2 sun 5 bu (7.5 
centimeters) at the end of the year, while keeping to that quantity they attain 
in length only 1 sun 5 bu (4.6 centimeters) in the same length of time, 2 sun 
(6 centimeters) at the end of the second year, 3 sun (9 centimeters) at the end 
of the third year, 4 sun (12 centimeters) at the end of the fourth year, and 5 sun 
at the end of the fifth year. 
