[55] POND CULTURE. 521 



small ponds by themselves, so tliat the i»i(»i)er care and snperxisioii run 

 be exercised. It woukl, of course, be possibly to carry on carp-culture 

 in a large pond in such a manner as to let the carp spawn there and grow 

 up there until they become marketable. In this case the full-grown 

 lish would be caught every year, but their number would not be very 

 large, nor could they always be obtained at the right time. This method, 

 therefore, is only excusable when a person possesses only one pond. In 

 that case it would hardly be proper to speak of regular systematic; 

 pond culture, and it would be advisal^le to contine himself to the keep- 

 ing of tish. In cases where only one pond cau be cultivated all tlmt 

 will be obtained will be the leavings of the pike. By keeping the young 

 fry in ponds especially adapted to' their needs (spawning ponds) the 

 greatest possible quantity of young fry may be looked for with absolute 

 certainty, and when these young fish have grown sufliciently to be trans- 

 ferred to larger ponds there is reasonable hope that they will thrive, 

 because they have become strong enough to avoid dangers, and are 

 moreover not exposed to as many dangers as the young fry. 



Young fry of one summer cannot immediately be placed in the large 

 main or stock ponds, as these, in order to answer their full purpose, 

 have to be stocked with other fish besides carp, especially with fish of 

 prey, e. </., pike; and even if this was not done intentionally, it would 

 be exceedingly difBcnlt to keep such ponds entirely clear of lish of prey. 

 It is, therefore, necessary to have other ponds, in which the young fry 

 can be raised and grow strong enough to be transferred to the stock 

 ponds; and these ponds are the ramng ponds. But since, as a general 

 rule, the young fry have, during the second summer, not yet become 

 strong enough to escape the dangers which threaten them in the stock 

 ponds, another raising pond, Xo. 2, will be needed. If it is impossible 

 to have this second pond, nothing remains but to place the young fry of 

 two summers at once in the stock ponds, and let them remain there 

 three, or at least two, years, which, as will be shown later, is not 

 advantageous. 



After the third year has been completed— I always count in the 

 spawning year— the young fry have grown large and strong enough to 

 share a pond with other fish, and they can, therefore, be transferred to 

 the stock ponch. In the stock pond the fish are allowed to remain one or 

 two years, i. e., until they have reached a weight of at least 2 pounds 

 apiece, and have thus become marketable. 



As only in very rare cases the spawning and raising ponds are of 

 sufficient depth and of a character to permit the wintering of the fry 

 and young fish, a fourth pond will be needed, which is of sufficient 

 depth and has the requisite supply of water to prevent the fish from 

 freezing during winter. In this pond the fry and young fish can be put 

 in autumn, so that they can pass the winter with absolute safety. Such 

 ponds are called icinter ponds. 



These are the most necessary ponds for carrying on systematic fish- 



