FISH PONDS ON FARMS. 29 
Where many fish are to be removed from a pond a seine should be 
employed. To use it to the greatest advantage about one-third of 
the water should be drawn off; this will cause the adult fish to 
congregate in the deeper waters, where they may be more readily 
secured. The water should be drawn off slowly in order to give the 
small fish a chance to follow it down. 
Before drawing the pond the vegetation should be removed from 
the lower portion of the pond where the seine is to be hauled. It 
may either be cut or raked out with a long-handled garden rake from 
the bank. Wading in the pond is to be avoided, as it makes the 
water roily and leaves deep holes in the bottom, in which the young 
fish are apt to be caught. 
In lowering the water, vegetation of a rank and dense growth is 
very apt to settle down and smother the young fish. It should be 
moved as soon as observed, but cat’s-tail and other plants having 
stems of sufficient strength to support them in an upright position 
need not be removed, unless this is necessary in order to haul the 
seine. 
In many instances it might not be necessary to draw off the water 
if the vegetation were removed from a portion of the pond and the 
fish fed regularly in the cleared space, for, with care, a seine could 
be passed around them and a large number secured. 
It is inadvisable to draw a pond during the warm summer months 
unless one has the supply of water available to refill it at once. 
Better results are attained by drawing off the water in the cool fall 
months, but even then one should be sure of being able to refill the 
pond before freezing weather. For this reason it is believed that 
seining with a large net in the clearing where the fish have been 
accustomed to feed would give the best results. 
When the proper amount of water has been drawn off the seine 
should be laid out from a boat and hauled toward the bank at the 
deeper end of the pond. In case the deepest place is near the middle 
of the pond, it will be necessary to work the seine around the fish 
and haul it toward the nearest bank. 
Should more fish be removed from the pond than is desired for 
immediate use, the surplus can be placed in a floating live box 
anchored near the outlet or where the water is deep. This box may 
be made of wooden slats placed far enough apart to permit a free 
circulation of water and yet retain the fish. The slats should be 
nailed to a small frame of 2 by 2 inch material, forming a box 16 
feet long, 4 feet wide, and 3 feet deep, and provided with a hinged 
cover. 
If preferred, a small inclosure in the pond fenced with galvanized 
wire might be provided for holding surplus fish, removing them when 
required with a large hand dip net or a small seine. The advantage 
of the inclosure over the live box is that it will not crowd the fish, 
and they are thus held under more natural conditions. 
