892 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



of fishes cauuot be disposed of at ouce, they are tiausferred to the so- 

 called market- ponds, from which they are sold by degrees to fish-dealers. 

 These market-ponds are quite small, capable of holding from 2,000 to 

 o.OOO pounds of fish only, and are supplied with running water. 



Those who never saw the fishing out of a carp pond can scarcely im- 

 agine the beautiful sight of so many thousand fine fishes, fat and well 

 led, raising their high, broad backs and thick, pufi'j lijis above the water, 

 their heads side by side, all being nearly of the same size, weighing from 

 four to five pounds, their bodies closely pressing against each other, 

 looking like an immense herd of sheep, imprisoned in one large net upon 

 a circumference of 3,000 to 4,000 feet. Closer and closer the circle is 

 drawn around them, until its extent measures only about two acres, when 

 tbey are caught by thousands, weighed in lots of 100 pounds, and then 

 they are placed into the market-ponds. The pikes, wliicli have reached 

 an almost equal weight, are put into pike-ponds. It requires often two 

 or three days to weigh the fishes, ponds of 1,000 or 2,000 acres area con- 

 taining on an average 200 tons of carp and 20 tons of pike ; tench aud 

 other fishes not included. 



I assisted once at the fishing-out of one of these ponds, which took place 

 in the neighborhood of the town of Guben Pleitz, province of Branden- 

 burg, Germany. The pond was the property of acompeteut culturist and 

 valued friend, Mr. Thomas Berger, of Georgenhof, near Cottbus-Peitz. 

 The ponds in which this gentleman carries on carp-culture exceed the ex- 

 tent of 0,000 Prussian acres. The pond which was fished out at the time 

 1 speak of was but a small one, not more than 200 acres in size, yet to my 

 surprise I found that the greater number of the fishes were fine speci- 

 mens of about 3 pounds weight, though they were but in their second 

 year, having weighed no more than 1^ pounds five short months before, 

 (the tisiiing-out took place at the beginning of October,) and they had 

 attained to this great weight in a comparatively very limited space of 

 time. Several establishments of this kind are located in that district, 

 and they commonly belong to some large princely domain, (crown prop- 

 erty ) They are, like all large fisheries, admirably managed, and the 

 results are most satisfactory. 



6. — MIXED CARP-CULTURE. 



We have so far spoken of carp-culture, according to the different age 

 of these fish, in special ponds (hatching, breeding, and carp ponds), 

 termed "class culture" in Central Europe. We must now speak of 

 another method, pursued in so-called " mixed ponds," in which there are 

 fish of all ages, from 1 year to 8 to 10 years. 



Not much can be said regarding this method, as there are no hatching- 

 aud breeding-ponds, but only one pond, which, however, must combine 

 all the characteristics of the class-ponds. It must therefore have shal- 

 low places, overgrown with grass or aquatic plants {Festuca Jiuitans and 

 Fliellandrium), for the spawners and the young fish, and also places, 8 to 



