THE CARP AND ITS CULTURE. 883 



1. The biitchiug-poud. 



2. The breeding-pond. 



3. The culture or regular carp-pond. 



The hatcbiug-poud serves more particularly for natural impregnation 

 and hatching, or rather for natural propagation generally, by placing 

 a number of male and female fishes into the pond. Here the females 

 drop the eggs, during the spawning season, upon aquatic plants, where 

 they are impregnated by the male. 



In stocking ponds, three females are calculated to two males, some- 

 times twice that number, per acre. The females bear a great number of 

 eggs, as has been remarked before, but the smaller number only are 

 impregnated, neither do all these come to life. 



The most liberal estimate will not exceed the number of from 800 to 

 1,000 young fishes to one spawner; the aggregate per acre amounting 

 to from 4,000 to 5,000. 



It is scarcely possible to say what is the most desirable number of 

 milters and spawners for stocking ponds, as the views on this subject 

 differ widely in Europe. I believe, however, the above to be correct, 

 and it is accepted as such by all extensive establishments. 



The above-mentioned result will be much more favorable if the old 

 rule, now unfortunately almost forgotten, is observed, to feed the 

 carp which are in the spawning-pond, shortly before and during the 

 season of spawning, so as to prevent their searching for food, which 

 generally leads them to eat their own eggs. After the fish have laid 

 their eggs, they must simply be removed from the ponds, which pre- 

 vents their eating the eggs. This useful rule, formerly much practiced 

 iu Europe, has unfortunately fallen into disuse; in fact, it has almost 

 been forgotten, probably because carp naturally increase very fast.* 

 By removing the spawners, three times as many young fish are kept 

 alive than by leaving them in the spawning-ponds. On no account 

 should too great a quantity of young fish be placed in a pond. The 



* In Germany, this rale is only observed by some small pisciculturists ; in France, 

 on some of the former lordly manors — in the department of the " Seine iuft^rienre" and 

 iu the department of the "Rhdne" — where they likewise had the custom to plant 

 aquatic plants {Utricularia, Phellandrium, &c.) in loosely-plaited baskets, which, when 

 covered with the impregnated eggs, were transferred to other ponds. Duhamel also 

 practiced this in his time. This practice has doubtless led Dr. Lamy, of Rouen, to his 

 artificial spawning-places made of reeds. By an order of the abbot of the Benedictine 

 Convent of Kremsmiinster, in Upper Austria, (founded in 777,) of the year 1529, the 

 fishers of the convent domain were reminded that spawning-carps must be of a certain 

 .nge and size, and must consequently be weighed. After spawning, they had to be 

 removed from the pond. This convent is still in existence, and is the wealthiest con- 

 vent of the Austrian monarchy, owning upwards of 150 large villages and possessing 

 a large and valuable library and observatory and scientific collections. But the order 

 of the good old abbot is no longer observed. Similar orders were, in former centuries, 

 also given by other convents in Austria, as Lambach, in Upper Austria, Wellehrad, 

 iu Moravia, and others. The fishermen's guilds of Nuremberg and Bamberg had, 

 about the year 1600, similar rules, which were placarded in their guildhalls, and which 

 were strictly observed. At present such rules are not known in either place. 



