526 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [60] 



far into the poud, as at their approach the fish immediately seek the 

 ditches and the fish-pit, and when the cattle have left the poud, at 

 once return to their feeding grounds to devour the excrements. I have, 

 in my whole experience, never found the watering of cattle to be inju- 

 rious to fish, but, on the contrary, favorable, and I have therefore 

 gladly seen it, if cattle were watered in raising or stock ponds. Injury 

 or danger can arise only if during very hot summers the water be- 

 comes too hot, and the fish consequently grow sick, which, of course, 

 would be made Avorse by the watering of cattle. During very hot 

 weather it should therefore not be permitted, at least in small ponds. 



After the spawning ponds have been selected, there will hardly be 

 any choice of raising ponds. In most cases it will be necessary to use 

 the largest ponds as stock ponds, which of course would leave only the 

 medium-sized ponds for raising ponds. In large establishments, how- 

 'ever, in which there are two classes of raising i)onds, there will be some 

 chance to make a selection, in such a way as to select for tliose of the 

 1st class (which are to receive the young fry upon their arrival from the 

 spawning-ponds), small, shallow ponds with warm water, avoiding es- 

 pecially ponds fed by spring water, leaving the remainder for raising 

 ponds of the 2d class. When the selection is limited it should be the 

 object of the pond culturist to improve his raising ponds as much as pos- 

 sible, which can generally be attained by sowing them systematically. 

 The number of raising ponds should be large enough to supply all the 

 fish needed for stocking the stock ponds. This also applies in cases 

 where the stock ponds arc not touched for two or three years, as on a 

 properly regulated poud farm the same area of stock ponds should be 

 stocked every year. 



3. STOCK PONDS. 



The stock pond is intended to develop the young fish wliich have been 

 raised in the raising ponds, so as to make them marketable in the 

 shortest possible time. Carp become marketable when they have readied 

 a weight of 2^ pounds. Most buyers, however, will prefer a weight of 

 2^ pounds, although a good many carp are sold which weigh only 2 

 l^onnds. To answer their purpose stock ponds should possess all the 

 , requisites of a good carp i)ond, which are in most respects the same as 

 those of a good raising pond. Above everything else they should have 

 an ample su])ply of good fish-food. For stock ponds those large j)onds 

 should be selected which are not needed for raising ponds. As the fish 

 must, as a general rule, remain in them two and sometimes three years, 

 they should be of sufiicient depth to afford comfortable and safe winter- 

 quarters for the fish. 



The experience of old-established i)oud farms has demonstrated tlx' 

 importance of having deep stock ponds ; and in the construction of ne\\ 

 ponds this should not be lost sight of. Uut even if the greatest can 

 is exercised in the selection of the stock and other ponds, it will 

 be impossible to reach absolute perfection and meet every demand, 



