[^•^] rOND CULTURE, cy^ 



G. GENERAL RULES AS TO THE STOCKIN(; OF POXDs. 

 What kinds of fish arc to be raised, and consequently Mitli wl.it 

 kinds of lish the ponds are to be stocked, depends on the followini.- • ' 



1. On the cliaracter of the ponds, L e., the nature of the soil of each 

 pond, on the quality of its water, and its supply of food ; as the dilfcr 

 ent nature of the various kinds of fish will cause a ditlereuce in the 

 conditions necessary for success. Thus carp and tench want a muddy 

 bottom and stagnant, warm water ; while pike and perch want deep and 

 running- water, or water which at any rate is not stagnant; and trout 

 need a stony bottom, with clear, cold, running water, with some places 

 where the Avater is not in constant motion. 



2. If ponds are to be stocked with several kinds of fish, the food neces- 

 sary for each kind should be found in the pond, i. c, fish of prey should 

 either in a natural or artificial way, be supplied with the necessary food- 



, fish; care should also be taken to place only those kinds of tisl/in one 

 I and the same pond which are able to agree with each other; thus fish 

 ; of prey with prickly fins will not agree with other fish ; and if they are 

 J to be kept in carp ponds, their number should be reduced as much as 

 ' possible. 



j 3. It should be ascertained what kinds of fish are most sought after 

 ; m the neighborhood, and will therefore have a ready and profitable 

 sale. 



I All the above considerations should be carefully weighed, for to dis- 

 [ regard them may cause serious losses. 



I Among all the difierent kinds of German fish the carp has for cen- 

 I tunes occuj.ied the first rank as a pond fish, and still holds its own. For 

 I reasons given in previous chapters, the carp certainly deserves this 

 J prominent place; and it is therefore the fish to which pond culture 

 principally relates, the keej.ing of other fish bcM-ng a mere secondary 

 consideration. It is true that under special circumstances, particularly 

 I If the necessary food can easily be procured, trout-culture will pay bet- 

 j ter than carp.culture ; and as matters stand at the present time in Ger- 

 Imany, greater attention should probably be given to the raisin o- and 

 ,1 keeping of finer kinds of fish. The great progress made in artificial 

 fish-culture, and the remarkable successes achieved on this new field of 

 mdnstry, will render this easier than it would have been in former times 

 Ij It IS nevertheless hardly probable that trout-culture will ever be ear- 

 ned on to such an extent as carp-culture. 



In the following we shall occupy ourselves principally with the carp 

 and those fish whose culture has for centuries gone hand in hand with 

 ^ that of the carp. The number offish to be placed in a pond will de- 

 |Peiid: 1, on its size and the quantity of its water supply; 2, on the 

 I Character of its water, and the quantity of food contained in it; 3, on 

 I the size and weight of the carp to be placed in it; and 4, on the length 

 ijot time during which the ponds are to remain stocked with fish. 



