G80 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [22] 



Food. — I feed theru with giit.s aud refuse I'roiu a lloiiriug mill uear by, takeu iroiii 

 the stones after griudiug wheat, rye, aud corn. 



Growth. — I have a large portion of the original number left. They are large, 

 plump lish from 12 to 25 inches long. The youug ones are from a half inch to 5 or f) 

 inches long. 



Eeproductiox. — There are many thousands of young, though I lost a great many 

 from the turtles eatiug them during the iirst two winters. They are all in Ihe in- 

 closed ])ond, as it is useless to try to raise lish in one wkieh turtles and snakes ran 

 enter. 



DlSPOSlTiox OK YOUXG.— I have given away a large number to friends in this sec- 

 tion of our State. 



90. Statement of Smnuel M. Suhers, Macon, Bibb Co., Ga., July 23, 1883. 



DiSPOSiTlox OF CARP RECKIVED. — I received 18 scale carp on the 10th of January, 

 1880, and 22 leather carp in September, 1882. I have kept them in a ])ond 50 feet 

 long and 40 feet broad, with a depth varying from 18 inches to ;"> feet. The Itottom 

 is composed of mud, and six 8])rings rising through it supply the water. 



Plants. — There are no grasses in the ])oiul. The willow and mulberry trees aud 

 Bermuda grass(!s on the banks send their roots into it. 



Enemies. — It contains bream, sun-i)erch, aud greeti frogs. 



Food. — I feed my tish on house-llies aud crackers. 



Gr'owtii and reproduction. — Those that I have caught weighed from 3A to 4^ 

 pounds. I cannot tell how many of the original ones I st ill have. I have never found 

 but 4 of them dead. 'J'here ai(! no young that I have seen. 



Difficulties. — I think the H[)awn has been destroyed by other lish, &c. I do not 

 think they increase in small ponds as rapidly as they woulil in large ones. 



91. Statement of E. Witkowsky, Macon, liibb Co., Gu., Dec. 9, 1880. 



Growth. — I cleaned out the pond in my tan-yard November 11 to ascertain what 

 growth the 4 carp had made which I placed There in May, 1880. I found 3 of these 

 tish and to my astonishment they were by actual measurement 20, 22, and 25 inches 

 in length, respectively. The fourth carp escaped through a cut in tin; bank. These 

 carp were but 2 or 3 inches long when put in the pond and their growtli is remarkable. 



92. Statement of Christopher and liobcr Is, Fairbnrn, Campbell Co., Ga., Jnly^'), 1883. 



Disposition of carp received. — ^\'e received H carp Deeendier Iti, 1879, and (> 

 more November 22, IbSO. W»' put them in a pond covering about i'-'^ of an acre with 

 a de|)th of from 2 to feet, and with a bottom partly mud and partly blue clay. A 

 small continuously tlowing stream of comparatively warm water Hows through it. 



Plants. — It contains ''swamp-grass," a very common grass in all marshy places. 



Enemies. — It contains no other lish, no turtles, and but a few frogs. 



Food. — We feed the carp once a day on bread aud crackers, refuse from our store. 



Reproduction. — Our carp have spaw ned twice. 



Growth. — April 22 last the pond was broken by a lieavy rain aud all the carp 

 turned loose. We picked up in the grass and mud (i of our 8 laigest fish, and about, 

 200 of the smallest. We lost at least 500 that would have weighed a ])ound each at 

 the time, and the same number that would havi; weighed half a pound each. The old 

 ones at present weigh about 10 pounds each. The tish from the last sjiawning now 

 weigh al)out 1 pound each. 



Difficulties. — The only diffictilty we have met with was the breakage^ of the ])ond 

 alluded to above. 



93. Statement of W. C. Heuxll, Af. D., Cmsetu, Chattahoochee Co., Ga., A(ar. 22, 1883. 



Growth. — The carp received just before Christmas are doing well, and they are 

 thiee times as large as when I put them in the pond. 



94. Statement of TFiUiam T. fVinn, Marietta, Cobb Co., Ga., July 24, 1883. 



Disposition of carp received. — I received 2(5 in Novend)er, 1879, and 16 in No- 

 vember, 1880. I have kept them in a lake 110 yards long by 30 yards wide, and from 

 1 foot to 10 feet deep, with a muddy bottom. A cubic inch of water Hows from it. It 

 is fed by springs rising in the bottom. The temj)erature of the water in summer is 

 80*^ FahV. The water is clear: no surface water iiows into it; it never overflows, and 

 can never fill up with mud or sand. It is so permanent that it will stand a thousand 

 years. 



Plants. — It contains swamp wire-grass and water-lilies. 



