G74 REPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AM* FISHERIES. [!()] 



71. Slateinmt of Hon. E. L. Martin, Seaford, Sn.s.sex Co., Del, Dec. 28, 1882. 



DisPOSiTiox OF CARP RECEIVED.— About three Years ago I received 250 scale carp, 

 200 of whicb I placed iu a mill-poud, ai'd the remaining 50 in a pond near my barn, 

 and which receives the drainage from my ])remi8es. 



GR(nvTH AND REPKODicTiox. — About the first of May of the eecoud year, early 

 one morning, I was agreeably surprised to Hud my pond alive with fish nearly as 

 large as shad. They were iu the act of spawning, which was repeated two or three 

 times at intervals of ai week or ten days. About ten days there-ifter I found thou- 

 sands of little Jish, barely discernible to tin- naked eye. In the fall, after a long con- 

 tinued drought, my pond nearly dried up, and 1 was comjielled to (;on(ine the water 

 to narrower linuts and l)y so doing was enabled to get hold of my lish and count and 

 weigh them. I had :V.i of the original plant left, the heaviest one weighing^ pounds 

 and 10 ounces. 1 have no means of knowing how many I have iu my ]iond now, l)ut 

 I have them weighing at least .'> pounds. 



Disposition of youxg. — 1 took from the pond at different tiuu's and i)laced in 

 other streams about 15,000 young inies during the season, some of which had attained 

 a length of 4 or 5 inches. 



Edii5I,e qualities. — Last spring some of our lish(\rmen caught one in a shad seine, 

 which weighed '.^ pounds, being then only two years old. My brother. Dr. Martin, 

 bought the lish, which remained alive out of the water 5 or 6 hours, had it boiled and 

 dressed similar to boiled rock, and a number of our epicures in fish who partook of it 

 pronounced it very little, if any, inferior to the rock. 



Difficulties.— 1 left about 5,000 or (i.OOO young ones in the pond, which was a 

 great mistake, as there was not suflicieut fooil to sustain so many. The result was, 

 it retarded the growth of the larger ones, and also the young ones, and nearly de- 

 stroyed all the young spawn the succeeding year. About two years ago I placed some 

 leather carp in a small pond on a meadow, intending them for distribution in the 

 spring. But before I got to distribute them a heavy gust-tide overflowed the meadow 

 and the most of the fish escaped to the river. 



MlsCELLAXEOiJS. — From my experience, I am satisfied we have all the conditions 

 necessary for successful carp culture in our ponds and streams on this peninsula, and 

 it requires only a very little intelligent care to make it a prolitable business. 



DISTRICT OF lOLUIflBIA. 



72. Statement of End. Hessel, United States Carp Ponds, JVashinr/ton, D. C.,Sept.25, 1883. 



ExEMiES. — During the pa.^t few,days a great many snakes have appeared at the 

 pouds, manv of whi<h have been killed, as fojlov.s: August 4, KJ; August 5, ;?2 ; Au- 

 gust 6, .52; August 7, :?2 ; August «, '.id; August 9, 14; August 10, 15; August 11, 21. 

 This makes 221 snakes killed in one week. 



In the smaller snakes I found from to 15 young carj), and iu the larger ones some- 

 times over 25, besides undigested skeletons of" lish. The> contained no frogs nor tad- 

 poles. Wo can, therefore, see that one medium-sized snake devouis 4(1 young carp 

 per day, for they digest very quickly. That would make, for 225 snakes, U,000 carp 

 per day, and (5:?,(K)0 per week. That number is correct, sir; and it shows that snakes 

 are more injurious than cranes, herons, and otlier birds. 



I kill them by shooting, oftentimes seeing only a sujall i)art of the head in the water, 

 or hiding beneath water ]>!ants. I have had opportunity to see how they catch the 

 young fish, and how they devour them. An ohl wall constitutes their best hiding 

 place. I oft<'n shoot them sitting in the cracks of the old wall, the head looking out- 

 side, watidiiiig the poor little fishes. — .iuf/nst 12, 188;?. 



August 15 and Iti, I did iu)t kill any snakes, by reason of the low temjierature and 

 rain. On the following davs I killed 72; August 17, .52; August 18, 7; August 10,8; 

 August 20, 5.— J«r/».s/ 20, 1883. 



The snakes, so nnuun-ous in the ])ouds for some time past, have almost Avholly dis- 

 appeared. During the ])ast five days I shot only 3, though watching closely for thcni. 

 Since July 1 we have killed over 000. mostly by shooting. — Augnxl 20, 1883. 



During the past week I killed about 150 snakes in t he west i>ond. To-day I killed 

 10. All had young carp in their stomachs. 



In July, 1883, I shot a nuirsh hen with 38 young carp iu the stomach, and a night 

 heron containing the heads of 7.^ young ('.'ir]). 



73). Statement of Elliott .foncn, Jrstnal Grounds, U'asliinf/ton, J). C., Xoremher 10,1^80. 



(Irowtii of carp. — Our pond at the Arsenal was draineil between the 23d and 

 25th of last month, and I give th(> respective, weights of the 15 original scale carp 

 that were taken out: 3^, 3^ 2\{, 2\^„ 2i!!, 2{|^, 2\'^, 2-^^, 2i, 2^, 2^, 2i, 2^6, 2rV, and 2 

 ]touuds. This gives a total weight of 381 J pounds, and an average weight of 2 pounds 

 and 0^ ounces. 



