884 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



above- men tioued number of 4,000 to 5,000 young fish to the acre re- 

 quires water which is very rich in natural food. If there are too many 

 young fish in the spawning-pond they grow very slowly, as the pond 

 cannot produce the necessary quantity of food. Such fish are scarcely 

 one to two inches long when they are one to two years old ; only the 

 head grows a little, whilst the rest of the body remains small. As soon 

 as young fish feel the want of food for any length of time, the gristle and 

 bone of the skeleton harden, thus bringing its development to a close, 

 not allowing nature fair play, and the fish remains a cripple for the rest 

 of its life, even if it is placed in ponds affording unlimited supply of 

 food. It is therefore better either to place fewer young fish in the ponds 

 or to make the ponds larger ; it will be found to pay. The young fish 

 will grow rapidly; their development will be healthy, and even during 

 the first year they will reach the length of five to six inches. Strong 

 and healthy fish can thus be placed in the growing-ponds, and here, too, 

 they will grow rapidly. If there are too many young fish for the water- 

 area, it is better to place them in some lake, brook, or river. On no 

 account should they be kept in the pond. Beginners in carp-culture 

 usually consider it quite a sacrifice to let so many young fish loose in the 

 open river or lake; they keep them, and later they will bitterly regret 

 their parsimony, or rather their imprudence, by having weak or not 

 fully developed fish. 



The hatching-pond should not be as large as the breeding-pond ; 

 its depth not to exceed 1' or l^' foot. The outer portion, or, as it is 

 termed, the low-water margin, should generally be from 2 to 5 inches in 

 depth, and from 30 to 40 feet in width. Provision should be made that 

 Festuca Jluitans grows there plentifully ; for the fishes give the preference 

 to this plant for the deposition of eggs, as I before observed. But the 

 bottom of these hatching-ponds must be of similar construction to that of . 

 the larger ones ; that is, they must be i)rovided with the above described 

 cavities, or kettles, collectors and collector ditches. The " collectors " 

 must be cleaned from the mud every spring ; they need not be as deep 

 in these ponds as they are in such as are intended for the reception 

 of larger fishes ; a depth of from 4 to 5 inches only being required for 

 fishes of minor size. The hatching-ponds have outlets and reserve- 

 sluices in the dam, at the lower end or on the sides, to guard against over- 

 flows. These ponds must be secured against the intrusion of pike, eels, 

 bass, citfish, tritons, water-snakes, turtles and water-lizards, rats and 

 water-fowls, or any voracious animals, and in the south the alligator. 

 A fine grating will prevent the entrance of the former; against the 

 latter various traps are in use, and other means might be devised. It 

 is of the highest importance that new ponds be assiduously kept clear of 

 the animals mentioned, and of many others not named here. 



In small establishments, embracing only a few acres, it will be found 

 advantageous, in spite of the somewhat greater expense, if the ponds 

 (both natural and artificial), either all or singly, are surrounded by a 



