fil2 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [14G] 



tlie baskets, which are made of willow branches with the bark on, have 

 no sharp points on the inside; sueh i)oints must always be on the out- 

 side, because the carp may be injured thereby. The carts or wagons 

 should have a removable board at the end, and no sharp points or edges 

 on the insid(^ Arrived at the tanks, the back board of the cart is re- 

 removed and the lish are rapidly emptied into a large tub placed im- 

 mediately under the back of the cart. Close to the tub is placed an 

 immense table with high edges, on which 300 to 400 pounds of fish can 

 lind room. This table is perforated so that the water can flow oil" 

 The fish are taken from the tub with a large dipper of nuislin or other 

 thin material and laid on the table, wliere, if necessary, pure water is 

 poured over tliem. The fish are counted, putting the same number iu 

 each basket, so that only the number of baskets need be remembered."* 

 The only advantage of this method seems to me to be the transi)ortation 

 of the fish in wagons instead of in kegs, but this will be an advan- 

 tage only so long as the distance to be traversed is not very great. Al- 

 though i will not altogether condemn this method, 1 cannot speak in 

 favor of it. From the description of the well-regulated fisheries on the 

 Wittingau pond farm, which I shall give in another chapter, the waste 

 «)f time connected with this method will become api)arent to every 

 reader. It therefore follows that the most suitable and expeditious 

 method of fishing the stock ponds is this: The fish ai-e removed from 

 the seine (or direct from the pond) with i)nise-nets and placed in the 

 fish-baskets, which lie close to the tubs placed aloug the sides of the 

 fish-pits; here they are washed, then sorted and put in the different 

 tubs, weighe<l, and transferred to a lined tub. From this they are 

 counted into cloths, which extend to the kegs, and are held by a num 

 ber of persons. As soon as they are in the kegs they are carried to 

 their final destination. To avoid mistakes, it may be well to attach to 

 i. he tubs labels indicating the kind of fish contained in them. If a pond 

 farm is carried on systematically it is absolutely necessary, with a view to 

 book the results, to sort, count, and weigh the carp and other fish. As 

 regards the carp, it is essential to their sale that they should be counted ; 

 and even if this was not the case, the counting will be necessary to 

 ascertain how many of the fish originally placed in the pond have been 

 lost, and to find the average weight per fish and per humlred. The 

 noting down of these figures is needed in judging of the quality of a 

 l)ond. In weighing fish intended for sale it will be best to use scales 

 with two arms. 



SiMioUng pond Jisherics.— The &i)iiv,'nm^ pondfisheries should be man- 

 aged with particular care. The water must not be let oft" too rapidly, 

 because otherwise the fry is retained in the small holes which form 

 in the umd of the pond, and do not reach the fish-pit, wliich not only 

 retards the fisheries, but is also apt to injure the little fish. The same 

 care should be exercised in picking up the young fish ; and the ma- 



"Deli IIS, Teichwirihschaft, p. 90. 



