544 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [78] 



ponds 6 spawuers, 4 milters, 1 " driver" per hectare ; in medium spawn- 

 ing ponds, 9 spawners, 6 milters, 2 "drivers" per hectare; in good 

 spawning ponds, 12 spawners, 8 milters, 3 "drivers" per hectare. 



To avoid any trouble from lack of young fry, it will be well to have 

 several spawning ponds, so that if the spawning should prove a failure 

 in one pond the other ponds can make up for the loss. In cold, windy 

 summers fish do not spawn much, and many female fish do not spawn 

 at all ; and at best the spawn, after liaving been deposited, is only 

 hatched in part ; or fish of prey, especially pike, enter the pond, which 

 even happens sometimes in sky jjonds ; or other enemies of the spawn 

 Hnd the young fry are more numerous in one year, or in one particular 

 pond, thus making the quantity of sj^awn uncertain. 



Delius says : "One milter and 2 spawners — at most double that num- 

 ber — are generally considered sufficient per 25 ares, from which 300 to 

 1,500 young tisu may be looked for, according to the way in which the 

 fish spawn and the degree to which the pond is protected against ene- 

 mies. This method I must consider as wrong, for it is most decidedly 

 one of the causes of a small production of spawn. It is feared that by 

 placing too many spawning fish in one pond the production of young 

 fish would be so great as to cause lack of food, and keep the fish small 

 and weak. This fear is well founded ; but this should never prevent 

 any one from jilacing ten times as many spawning fish in one pond, as 

 the young fish can easily and at a trifling expense be fed artificially. 

 If it should be found that there are, nevertheless, too many young fish, 

 they may easily be caught near the entrance grate or in their feeding- 

 place and placed in other ponds, or used as food for pike. This, of 

 course, implies that a careful examination as to the quantity of yonng 

 tiy should be made after the spawning season. For this purpose some 

 bran should be scattered along the edge of the pond, and by visiting 

 the place about noon one will soon get an idea as to the quantity of 

 young fry in the ])0ud. About that time the little fish leave the deep 

 water and seek the shallow pla(;es near the edges of the pond, for the 

 purpose of playing and seeking food. Bran, meat chopped very fine, 

 or boiled potatoes crushed into small jiieces, may serve astbod. Jf the 

 mimber of young fish is very great they endeavor to escape from their 

 pond, and generally go towards the place where the water flows into it. 

 If there is a slight depression in the bottom in front of the entrance 

 grate the young fish will there gather in large numbers about midday 

 and jump up against the grate. If it is possible to fence off this de- 

 pression by some boards and dip the water from it, a great many little 

 fish can easily be caught. I have in this way dipi)ed 24,000 young fish 

 from a pond having an area of 16 acres, in a few days."* 



In another place Delius says : " The first condition of successful carp 

 fisheries is the certain production of young fish, either by propagation 

 or by buying them, if possible, when still young fry, so as to make sure 



* Delius, Teichmrthecha/t, p. 59. 



