﻿42 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Carp 
  Poxds, 
  Wasiiingtox, 
  D. 
  C. 
  (Rudolph 
  Hkssel, 
  Supkrintkndent). 
  

  

  Following 
  is 
  a 
  summary 
  of 
  the 
  kinds 
  aucl 
  number 
  of 
  fish 
  furnished 
  by 
  

   tins 
  station 
  for 
  distribution 
  during 
  the 
  year: 
  Carp, 
  91,105; 
  goldfish, 
  

   2,1.'I7; 
  black 
  bass 
  (large-mouth), 
  5,95t>; 
  black 
  bass 
  (small-mouth), 
  1,208; 
  

   tench, 
  50,303; 
  golden 
  tench, 
  41; 
  golden 
  ide, 
  87; 
  shad, 
  1,000,000. 
  

  

  The 
  carp 
  furnished 
  were 
  of 
  three 
  varieties, 
  leather, 
  scale, 
  and 
  blue. 
  

   The 
  Commissioner 
  having 
  decided 
  to 
  discontinue 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  this 
  

   fish, 
  arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1896 
  to 
  hatch 
  and 
  

   rear 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  them 
  for 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  young 
  bass, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  esti- 
  

   mated 
  that 
  about 
  000,000 
  were 
  used 
  for 
  this 
  purpose 
  during 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  

   May 
  and 
  June, 
  the 
  j)onds 
  west 
  of 
  Seventeenth 
  street 
  producing 
  300,000 
  

   and 
  the 
  tanks 
  300,000. 
  They 
  were 
  fed 
  to 
  the 
  bass 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  had 
  

   attained 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  from 
  one-fourth 
  to 
  1 
  inch. 
  

  

  The 
  distribution 
  of 
  tench 
  and 
  goldfish 
  having 
  been 
  discontinued, 
  

   efforts 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  rear 
  only 
  a 
  sufficient 
  number 
  for 
  stocking 
  the 
  ponds 
  

   and 
  fountains 
  in 
  the 
  public 
  parks 
  of 
  Washington. 
  

  

  Rock 
  bass. 
  — 
  The 
  39 
  brood 
  fish 
  from 
  Wytheville, 
  which 
  had 
  failed 
  to 
  

   spawn 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1895, 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  new 
  pond 
  between 
  

   the 
  Monument 
  and 
  west 
  pond 
  early 
  in 
  April, 
  1890. 
  They 
  spawned 
  in 
  

   May, 
  and 
  while 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  exact 
  number 
  of 
  young 
  fish 
  

   on 
  hand 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  it 
  is 
  estimated 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  

   thousand 
  in 
  the 
  pond, 
  varying 
  in 
  length 
  from 
  one-half 
  to 
  three-fourths 
  

   inches. 
  

  

  Large-mouthed 
  hlacl- 
  bass. 
  — 
  The 
  north 
  pond, 
  having 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  4 
  J 
  

   acres, 
  was 
  devoted 
  to 
  the 
  rearing 
  of 
  this 
  species. 
  When 
  drav\'n 
  down 
  

   in 
  November, 
  1895, 
  it- 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  contain 
  6,000 
  fish 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  6 
  inches 
  

   long. 
  These 
  were 
  transferred 
  to 
  Central 
  Station 
  for 
  distribution 
  to 
  

   applicants 
  in 
  the 
  East, 
  and 
  the 
  i)ond 
  was 
  laid 
  bare 
  for 
  the 
  winter 
  and 
  

   an 
  effort 
  made 
  to 
  remove 
  the 
  poisonous 
  grasses 
  and 
  insects 
  by 
  scraping 
  

   the 
  bottom. 
  Early 
  in 
  April, 
  1896, 
  23 
  spawners 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  main 
  

   body 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  pond 
  and 
  17 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  portion 
  i)artitioned 
  off 
  at 
  its 
  

   southAvestern 
  end. 
  Ponds 
  5 
  and 
  6 
  were 
  were 
  also 
  stocked 
  with 
  12 
  

   spawners 
  each 
  at 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  On 
  April 
  25 
  the 
  bass 
  were 
  

   observed 
  i)reparing 
  nests, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  26th 
  a 
  few 
  were 
  completed. 
  These 
  

   continued 
  to 
  increase 
  in 
  numbers, 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  eggs 
  were 
  discovered 
  on 
  

   the 
  28 
  th. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  simplify 
  the 
  handling 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  fish 
  24 
  artificial 
  nests 
  

   were 
  constructed 
  and 
  i^laced 
  in 
  the 
  ponds. 
  They 
  were 
  circular 
  in 
  fi)rm, 
  

   2 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter 
  and 
  3 
  inches 
  deep, 
  made 
  of 
  cement, 
  and 
  covered 
  

   while 
  fresh 
  with 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  fine 
  gravel. 
  Although 
  they 
  resembled 
  the 
  

   natural 
  nests, 
  very 
  closely 
  and 
  were 
  pla<'ed 
  in 
  favorable 
  locations, 
  no 
  

   results 
  were 
  obtained 
  from 
  them. 
  The 
  experiment 
  will 
  be 
  tried 
  again 
  

   next 
  year, 
  however, 
  as 
  the 
  failure 
  is 
  thought 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  ponds 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  season. 
  As 
  the 
  bass 
  

   spawn 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon 
  or 
  very 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  the 
  process 
  

   was 
  observed 
  only 
  once. 
  

  

  