[91] 



CARP'CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES. 749 



Reproduction.— There are from 1,000 to 2,000 young scale carp from U to 2 inches 

 long m the pond. I have been very successful with the carp in this pond Though 

 the mirror carp deposited thousands of eggs on the grass, weeds, &c. which I tied in 

 the center of the reservoir, none of those have hatched. ' 



417. Statement of Amos Marhey, Warrensburg, Johnson Co., Mo., Aug. 25 1883. 



Disposition of carp received.— In December, 1880, I received 20 carp. I kept 

 them in a pond which covers an acre, has a muddy bottom, and is 8 feet deep when 

 full. It is lilled from the rain only. 



Plants and eN^emies.— It contains flags. There are no other fish in it now. 



Food. — I did not feed them at all. 



Growth.— In June, 1882, I drained my pond to get the wild fish out, and as the pond 

 did not get full again, last winter all the carp died. They then weighed from 3 to 4 

 pounds. If I had not drained my pond I would have had plenty of water, so that the 

 fish could have wintered through. I made a big pond last spring, which covers 4 

 acres of ground, and is full of water from 1 foot to 5 feet deep. 



418. Statement of Selden P. WlUiams, Warrenslurg, Johnson Co., Mo., July 23, 1883. 



Disposition of carp received.— I received 20 carp in November, 1880. I put 

 them in a pond covering about i of an acre, with a depth of from 3 to 5 feet, and a 

 muddy bottom. The pond is supplied by rain running off of a timothy and clover 

 meadow. 



Plants. — It contains no water plants, but is bordered with timothy. 



Enemies. — There are very few frogs or turtles in it. Three little catfish were put 

 in the same fall that the carp were, by the children, who did not know what the result 

 would be. These, I think, prevented what would have been a good increase last year 

 (1882). 



Food. — I feed them with wheat, wheat-bran, shorts, and meal ; also seeds of various 

 kinds, especially sunflower seed. 



Growth. — The fish were very siuali when I I'eceived them — about 3 to 3i inches 

 long. In the spring of 1882 they Aveighed 4 pounds, and in the fall of that ye.ar they 

 were perfectly healthy. They were very lively aud sportive and some of the prettiest 

 fish I ever saw. ' 



Reproduction. — They produced some young, but I cannot tell how many. 



Difficulties. — The winter of 1882 closed in with a good body of water in the pond. 

 The ice formed G inches thick, after which there was a heavy tall of snow, followed 

 by a long cold spell. Then came a sudden thaw and heavy rain, flooding the pond 

 and raising and breaking up the ice. There came next a light freeze, and again a 

 thaw, after which all the original carp floated to the top dead, together with some 

 small carp and catfish. This cleaned the pond ont aud left it without fish. I am 

 satisfied that their death was caused by the flooding with comparatively warm water, 

 breaking up the ice and throwing them out of their bed. 



Others getting carp at the same time as myself lost theirs, except one whose pond 

 was fed by a spring as well as rain. I shall in future prevent the flooding of the 

 pond in winter. I have applied for more carp. 



419. Statement of 0. P. Johnson, Paris Springs, Lawrence Co., Mo., May 6, 1882. 



Grow'TH. — The carp received in December, 1881, have made a splendid growth, the 

 largest by actual weight being 4^ ounces and measuring about 7 inches in length. 



420. Statement of A. S. Pay, La Plata, Macon Co., Mo., Aug. 2, 1883. 



Disposition of carp received. — On the 16th of October, 1881, I received 25 carii, 

 aud have had none since. I put them in a pond made expressly for them, covering 

 1 acre, aud receiving the drainage from about 4 acres of meadow land. It is from 

 3 to 7 feet deep, and was dug iu clay soil, but has a miuldy bottom. The tempera- 

 ture of its water is no\t from 74° to 76°. 



Plants. — Water grass, wild rice, and flags grow in the pond. 



Enemies.— It contains no fish. The turtles I keep shutout. There are bull-frogs 

 iu it, and some water lizards, which I cannot keep out. 



Food. — I give the carp baker's bread, oats, and corn-crackers every day. 



Growth. — They were from 2 to 3 inches in length when I got them, in 1881, and 

 last March, when the ice broke up, they were found to be from 12 to 17 inches long. 



Difficulties. — They all froze to death last winter. The water was 7 feet deep un- 

 der the ice all winter, and I have no idea what caused them to freeze. I will try 

 some 7uore this fallfrom the State hatchery. My neighbors got some carp at the same 

 time that I did, aud all but one of them lost all they had. He lost 6, but the bal- 

 ance of his -ixe doing finely. 



