[63] CARP-CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES. 721 



300. Statement of Wiiliam N. Todd, Walkcj-ville, Frederick Co., Md., Oct. 2, I8i5'i. 



Disposition of carp received.— December 22, 1880, 1 received 20 carp for myself 

 and 20 for my step-son, M. C. Neidig. We put them all iu lii.s poud, wliich is lu6 feet 

 by 300 feet, i'rom 3 to 4 feet deep, and has a muddy bottom. It is fed by spriuy water 

 the springs being i of a mile distant. The outlet is into the Mouocacy River. ' 



Plants. — It contains calamus, wild celery, and other plants. 



Enemies. — There are no enemies but frogs. 



Food. — When they Avero young wo fed them on boiled corn-meal. 



Growth. — One caught a year ago weighed 3^ jiounds. 



Stream stocked. — A tributary, Israel Creek, is a tine stream, from 20 to GO feet 

 wide and 5 or 6 feet deep, containing only nmllet and sun-fish. I put 17 carp into this 

 creek to stock it. 



Difficulties. — Three that I put in a spring I fed, but they did not grow larger 

 than sun-fish, and died when a year and a half old. 



Miscellaneous. — We do not get to the pond very often, and have never caught 

 but 1. They must bo very large by this time, but they may have got out in the 

 Monocacy River. 



301. Statement of John S. Dallam, Bel Air, Harford Co., Md.,Aztg. 1883. 



Disposition of carp received.— I received 130 carp 3 years ago (May 7, 1880), 

 and 20 leather carp last March. The poud in which I keep them covers nearly 1 acre, 

 and is from 2 to 6 feet deep, and its bottom is composed of alluvial mud. It has a fine 

 spring in it, and there is a continual llow of 2 or 3 square inches of water, souietimes 

 increased by rains to 2 or 3 square feet. 



Plants. — It has such plants and grasses as usually grow about springs or along 

 small branches in this part of the country. We have tried to get wild rice to plant 

 in our pond, but have not been able to procure it. I wrote to several seedsmen who 

 advertise it, but they reported that they were just out. 



Enemies. — There are water-terrapins, frogs, eels, and some small fish in the pond. 



Food. — I give no food except occasionally when I cast into the pond a few pieces 

 of bread to see the carp come up and fight for it. 



Growth. — I caught some of my carp October 11, 1880, and found them to average 

 2 or more pounds and to measure ovei*15 inches in length. One of them weighed 2^- 

 pounds. I do not know how^ many of the old ones are left now. The largest which 

 I have taken out weighed 4^ pounds, and the longest one I have seen measured 21 

 inches. Tht- young ones weigh from 1 ounce to 2^ pounds. 



Reproduction. — I do not know how many j'oung have been produced, but I know 

 I liavc 6 different sizes, and perlia])S more. 



Difficulties. — I have had no difliculty except to protect the surface water from 

 overfiowing the pond and washing out the young fish. We have now a wire sieve 6 

 feet square for the surface water to pass through, and it answers very well. 



How TO CATCH CARP. — We catcli the fish by baiting a hook with a piece of bread 

 about i inch .square and dropping it to the bottom of the pond. The fish swallow tlie 

 bread and hook. We use no other bait. We have not caught any since last fall, ex- 

 cept a few for amusement. None of the old ones have been taken out this season. 



302. Statement of Alexander M. Tulford, Bel Air, Harford Co., Md.,Juhj 23, 1883. 



Disposition of carp received. — I received about 100, probably iu 1880. I placed 

 them in a pond 2 acres in extent, a small part of wliich is 7 feet deep. A strong spring 

 branch flows through it. The water is warm in the pond. 



Plants. — It contains bushes and grass, but no plants naturally adapted to the 

 water. 



Enemies. — There are in it a few small fish and frogs, such as are generally found 

 in this section ; thej' are not of much account. 



Growth. — Four months after the carp were put in the pond I found 2 of them to be 

 each fully 8 inches long and large in proportion. Having ar, that time never seen a 

 carp of any size, I could scarcely believe that they were carp that had grown so fast. 



Streams stocked. — I placed those which were left in the branch; and Jiyrum's 

 Run, to which it leads, should be well stocked by this time from those lost i>y my 

 pond, though I have made no inquiry about the matter. 



Difficulties. — The 2 which I measured then were all that I had left, as during 

 a heavy rain, in consequence of the wires at the outflow opening being obstructed 

 with trash, the water washed under the water-gate and all the rest got out. Some 

 of them were saved and eaten by the farm hands before I knew anything of Ihe cir- 

 cumstance. I have never fixed up my poud, knowing its liability to the same trouble. 



Miscellaneous.— I know of a pond near here where the cai-j) have done well 



H. Mis. 68 — ^6 



