728 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [70] 



324. Statement of Admiral D. Ammen, Bfltsville, Prince George's Co., Md., Nov. 15, lb'63. 



Disposition op carp received.— Ou July 12, 1880, I received 53 carp. Four of 

 the carp averaged 2 pounds in -weight, 15 measured 4 inches lu length, and 34 measured 

 1 inch in length. The carp are kept iu 3 ponds. The surfivcc of the first ])ond 

 covers 10,500 square feet, the second 2,500 square feet, and the third 12,000 square feet. 

 A 5-inch pipe supplies the ponds with water, the average llow of which is probably 

 that of a 4-in,ch pipe at the rate of 3 miles per hour. The water is taken from a st nam 

 and has the temperature of the atmosphere. The ponds vary in depth from 6 iiiv-hes 

 to 4^ feet, and have soft, muddy bottoms. 



Plants. — Japanese water-lilies grow in the pond. 



Enemies. — The ponds contain eels, suckers, small turtles, bull-frogs, and probably 

 minks and otters. The bull-frogs are not numerous. Snapping-turtles are ocoasion- 

 ally seen. Eight large and many small eels have been killed. No doubt many eels 

 remain in that part of the upper pond which is covered with only G inches of water. 

 As the pond ha« not overllown, the suntish and sucker spawn, fouud iu tlu' ponds, 

 must have entered throuo;h a trap wire-cloth, oue-sixteeuth-inch screen. M,uskrats 

 bore holes iu the banks of the ponds. These holes are jirobably oeciipied by minks. 

 Within two miles of my ponds there is a stream, known as " Beaver Dnni," having an 

 extensive border swamp, a resort of otters, which ])robably breed there. Three of mv 

 breeding carp have been destroyed, by minks or otters. From the size of the tish that 

 have been destroyed, it is not improbable that otters have come up tlu^ stream to my 

 ponds. Eels get into the ponds either through the wire screen or through the dis- 

 charge pipes of the surplus water. 



Food. — The first year I fed the carp on bread, corn-meal, and mush. 



Gkowth. — In the upjier pond only 2 carp were found where 10 were put 2 years 

 ago. Of the 4 which weighed 2 pounds I have 3. I have 10 or more of the 4-iiieh 

 carp. On November 10, 1883, the largest carp weighed 6 pounds and 5 others aver- 

 aged 4^ pounds. 



Reproduction. — The young are in the pond by the thousand. lam unable to 

 state the exact number, as I could not draw off all the water from the u]>i)i'r poml. 

 About DO carp averaged 1+ pounds, while 30 others averaged i jiouud. Tlu^ >()iing 

 siiawiied in July, 1880, and approximate in size all of the original lot, except the 4 

 two-pound carp. 



Disposition of young. — To the Christian Brothers, living near me. I gave ;U yoiiug 

 carp, weighing from J to 1^ pounds, and to a gentleman in Virginia I gave 12. 



Edible qualities. — AVe have eaten leather car]) boiled and liied. The larger earj) 

 I consider a fair table dish. Small ones are inditierent. 



325. Statement of J. E. Bailey, Centreville, Queen Artne Co., Md., July 25, 1883. 



Disposition of carp received. — In December, 1881,1 received 40 leather carp. 

 My iiond is about i of an acre, with a bed of black sandy loam. It is fed by several 

 springs, the water of which is of a medium temp.erature, but the situation of the 

 pond is warm. The carp were in a sickly condition when received, and did not live. 



Growth. — I have a friend, Mr. R. Holiday, whose fish are doing finely and are mak- 

 ing rapid growth. 



326. Statetnent of J. M. Collins, Centreville, Queen Anne Co., Aid., Sept. 20, 1883. 



Disposition of carp recei'V'ed.— Soon after I placed in my pond the fish which I 

 received the dam broke, and they were all lost, I intend to try again if I can get 

 the dam to stand. 



327. Statement of Samuel T. Earle, Centreville, Queen Anne Co.,Md., July 24, 1883. 



Disposition of carp received. — I received 20 common scale carp in 1879, and 20 

 more in November, Ib'SO. Last November I got from a neighbor 15 leather carp and 

 85 scale carp. I now have some in a mill pond and 2 other i)ouds. • 



The first lot were put into a couple of mill ponds with muddy bottoms, each about 

 half a mile long and about 200 yards wide, one above the other. Both dams broke 

 last September, but carp w^ere afterward seen in the race of the lowei- mill, and the 

 millers tell me that the lower yiond is now full of them. The mill pond is 4 miles 

 from me, and I have never seen the carp in it myself. 



The 20 received iu 1880 I put in a large covered spring, with a small embankment 

 in front, say 4 by 10 feet of water, so that they could come out and return at 

 pleasure, intending to remove them to a pond this following summer. The water ^yas 

 very cold but did not freeze when the thenioineter marked zero. They were all alive 

 the next spring, and I fed them up to June, when I could see but 3 or 4, which had 



