THE CARP AND ITS CULTURE. 871 



In these warm climates the fish becomes lively at a much earlier season, 

 if it does at all pass the winter in that lethargic state, without taking 

 any food, than it does in the countries of the northern parts of Central 

 Europe. 



The pond-carp of Central Europe generally leaves its winter retreat 

 when the rays of the spring sun have warmed the water thoroughly, 

 while at the same time it begins to seek for food at a somewhat earlier 

 period in rivers and lakes. At the beginning of the month of March 

 the eggs have developed themselves considerably in the body of the 

 fish, and it only needs a few weeks of warm weather to bring about the 

 spawning-season. This commences in the middle of May in such lakes 

 and ponds of Central and Northern France, Southern Germany and Aus- 

 tria as have a warm situation and are sheltered from the cold winds. It 

 continues in some localities throughout June and July, and sometimes, 

 in more elevated situations, until August, as, for instance, in Franconia 

 and Upper Bavaria. The spawn of so late a season, however, is 

 scarcely tit for breeding purposes, as the fish cannot grow much more 

 during the short space of warm weather. It remains very small and 

 suffers greatly from the ensuing winter weather, and is easily dwarfed 

 at that time. The spawning of the individual fish does not take place 

 all at once. Days and weeks may pass before it will have left the last 

 egg to the care of nature. At times, upon the setting in of rainy, cool 

 weather during this period, it will be interrupted, but re-assumed 

 as soon as the temperature grows warmer again. Culturists alto- 

 gether dislike cold weather at this time, as not only the eggs but the 

 young fry also suffer much from it. Wet, cold summers are no more 

 profitable to the culturist of carp than to the agriculturist. In the 

 southern part of Europe the spawning-season commences at an earlier 

 date than in Central Europe. In Sicily, in the neighborhood of Paler- 

 mo, where there are some private ponds, the carp begins to spawn at 

 the commencement of the month of April. This is said to be the case 

 also in the French province of Constantine, Algeria, Africa. 



The abundance of eggs in the carp is very great, and it is this cir- 

 cumstance which will explain its extraordinary increase in the natural 

 waters. A fish, weighing from 4 to 5 pounds, contains, on an average, 

 4^0,000 to 500,000 eggs. Other statements figure still higher. I not 

 only made calculations myself, formerly, repeating them in 1876 on a fe- 

 male mirror-carp, which I obtained from the environs of Gunzenhausen 

 Bavaria, and which, curiously enough, at the end of November, was 

 entirely ripe, but I also obtained statements from culturists on whom I 

 could depend. The calculation I made in the following raanuer. After 

 freeing the eggs from all the fat, and the inclosing membrane, and 

 after having washed them in alcohol, I counted oft" exactly 1,000 of 

 them ; these I weighed, and according to the result I deduced the num- 

 ber of the whole. In the somewhat longer-bodied scale-carp, I gener- 

 ally found comparatively more eggs than in a mirror or leather carp, 

 though all were of equal age and weight. 



