[139] CARP-CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES. 797 



625. Statement of John Lee,. Big Prairie, Wayne Co., Ohio, 31ar. 21, 1884. 



Disposition of carp EECEiVED.-^The 15 scale carp received on November 15, 1880, 

 I put in a pond covering j-aore, with a depth varying from 1 to 5 feet, and a mucky 

 bottom. A 3-inch tile-drain conducts the surplus water from the pond Its tempera- 

 ture is 60°. 



Enemies and food, — Frogs and turtles, but no other fish than carp inhabit the pond. 

 Almost daily I give the carp bread. 



Geowth and eepeoduction. — The 6 old carp remaining average about 18 inches in 

 length. There are many young in the pond, and they are about 3 inches long. 



Disposition of young. — I have given away 100 fry. 



626. Statement of J. H. Rumbaugh, Detmquat, Wyandot Co., Ohio, Dec. 12, 1883. 



Disposition of caep eeceived. — About the 10th of May, 1881, I received 26 carp. 

 I received some since, but lost them. My pond is 25 by 50 feet, with a dept of from 

 I5 to 3 feet. The bottom is mucky. The pond is supplied with water from a spring 

 rising up in one corner of it. Generally the water overflows, except in hot, dry weather, 

 when it evaporates as rapidly as it comes into the pond. 



Plants. — The pond contains white and yellow water-lilies. The banks of the pond 

 are covered with red-top grass and white clover. 



Enemies. — With the exception of some black bass that got into the pond during high 

 water in June, 1882, the pond contains nothing but frogs. 



Food. — I give the carp dry bread, sweet green corn (which I cut oil" of the cob), and 

 thick, sour milk. The milk is fed to them by pouring it into a trough placed 6 inches 

 below the surface of the water. The small carp will eat out of the trough like pigs. I 

 have not fed to them a quantity suflficient to keep one hen alive. I have seen carp jump 

 a foot or more out of the water after a sprig of red-top grass, and strip seed off of it. 



Geowth. — One of the oi-iginal carp on the 7th of October weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces. 

 There are l)ut 4 of them left. 



Repeoduction. — About 200 young carp were produced the first season (1881 ). None 

 were produced the second season (1882). In another pond I put 9 old and 40 young carp, 

 which produced 300 young carp. Eighteen of the carp of 1882 on the 1st of October 

 weighed 73 pounds. The 1883 fish measure about 2 inches in length. With the young 

 carp I have stocked two other ponds, one larger and one smaller than the pond in which 

 I cultivated them. 



Edible qualities. — I have eaten carp fried . Unless it be the black bass, I pronounce 

 the carp the best fish I ever ate. Those 1 ate were rather bony, but I suppose were I to 

 eat a large one I could not raise that objection. The carp I ate averaged Ik pounds in 

 weight. 



OREOON. 



627. Statement of M. C. George, M. C. , Portland, Multnomah Co., Oreg., Oct. 16, 1882. 



Growth. — A few weeks ago I had for our dinner a carp which you sent in the spring 

 to Captain Kerns. It weighed over 2 pounds, and many of them are much larger than 

 that one. 



628. Statement of David A. Wilson, Tygh Valley, Wasco Co., Oreg., Oct. 2, 1882. 



Growth and Reproduction.— I put the two pairs of carp, 7 inches long, received 

 last fall into a pond about 100 feet square and 3 feet deep ; here they have increased m size 

 until they measure 15 inches in length and weigh 3 pounds each. They have raised several 

 hundred young, those first hatched being about 6 inches long. 



PEI^NSYL-VANIA. 



629. Statement of C. E. Goldsborough, Huntersiown, Adams Co., Pa., Sept. 1, 1884. 



Growth.— Of the 18 carp received on April 18, 1882, but one survived, owing to the 

 pond not being ready. Last spring this one carp was found to have grown trom B incnes 

 to the length of over 2 feet. fr. Tnn<» 



Difficulties.— I received another supply of carp on November 18, 188-i, but up ^o June 

 26, 1884, when an unprecedented flood allowed my old carp and what other carp mere 

 were in the pond to escape into Connewago Creek, I saw nothing ot them. 



