[173] 



CARP-CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES. 831 



them playing and feeding among the rank grass in shallow water. Their size amazed 

 me, and at first glimpse of their hacks I thought some one had put large catfish in my 

 pond; but closer observation convinced me that these were my little carp, nowgroAvu to 

 enormous fellows from 8 to 10 ruches long and as thick as my two hands'. I now have 

 carp in my pond all the way up to 7 and 8 pounds. 



Repeoduction. — The pond is crowded with young carp to such an extent that the old 

 caip have no chance to take the bait, as the young instantly consume it whenever placed 

 in the pond. The carp have multiplied and grown enormously. 



Disposition of young. — I have supplied a few of my neighbors with young. 



Edible qualities. — Each year I have had on my table one or two of the original 

 eirp, and consider them superior to any of our native fish. Their llesh is e.Kcellent, and 

 the Jattest I ever saw. 



How TO CATCH CARP. — Last year I caught carp with worms, mush, and cotton hall, 

 same as we use on a trot-line to catch bufililo-fish. 



Miscellaneous. — I am of opinion that carp .spawn twiceaj'ear, May and September. 

 I intend to enlarge my pond this summer. 



783. Statement of 31. T. Peebles, Eose Hill, near Johtison City, Washington Co., Tenn., Xov. 



24, 1883. 



Disposition of carp received. — I received 17 live scale carp December 22, 18S2, 

 but they presented evidence of bad treatment on the way. The next day I placed them 

 in my pond, which has an admirable bed of mud on the bottom and appears well adapted 

 to the life and growth of carp. Mj' diary, kept with the most exact care, shows that 13 

 ofthel7had died before . January 10, 1883. Careful and repeated ohservatious from 

 that time to the 1st of June, 1883, failed to discover the least trace of the 4 remaining. 

 Consequentl}^, on the 3d of April, 1883, I obtained from a gentleman in Nashville 28 

 carp, ranging in length from 6 to 10 inches, but the entire lot perished on the way. 

 From June 20 to August 20 the temperature of the water stood at 82° to 85° F. It did 

 not fall below 65° until the middle of October. 



Enemies. — I did not make sufficient provision for their spawning, and did not protect 

 them from their natural enemies. The pond was full of frogs and tadpoles, which de- 

 stroyed the spawn and young fish. 



Growth. — On the 3Uth of June, 1883, a little more than 6 months from their receipt, 

 I drained the pond and found 4 fine fish from 8 to 10 inches long. Up to this time 

 they had not been fed at all; but from this time on I fed them regularly every evening 

 vmtil the 12th of September, when I again drained the pond and found that the 4 fish 

 had greatly increased in size. 



Reproduction. — The 28 dead carp which I received from the Nashville gentleman 

 were from 6 to 10 inches in length, and had undoubtedly been hatched in IMay or June, 

 1882. They were 10 or 11 months old at this date. I cut them open and examined 

 them microscopically. Seventeen of them were females and 11 males. It was perfectly 

 manifest that the best of the 17 would have .spawned within six weeks. 



In the latter part of June I noticed that my sj^awning and hatching pond of shallow 

 water was very muddy early in the morning. This continued for two or three mornings. 

 I suspected that the 4 remaining fish were there and had commenced spawning, and the 

 draining of the pond June 30 proved their presence. On draining the pond the second 

 time, September 12, I found, in addition to the 4 fish, a "little kettle" of beautiful 

 young carp, ranging in length from li to 2| inches. There were, however, but 20, the 

 i'rogs and tadpoles having uudoabtodly destroyed spawn, and perhaps some young. Here 

 is at least one instance of scale carp spawning in Tennessee at the age of one year. Be- 

 sides, the young carp were larger and better fish on September 12 than tlus original 17 

 received from the Fish Commiission December 22, 1882. If size is a fair index to age, 

 these 4 had undoubtedly spawned before they w-ere 1 year old. In order to investigate 

 more fully, I prepared a small pond 6 by 18 feet in size, with a depth of 14 inches, and 

 placed 12 of the 20 small fry in it. The water is ab.solutely imder control ; it is 14 inches 

 deep in the center, and tapers back to an inch in depth. Here I can observe them every 

 day and at any hour. I j)ropose to demonstrate, therefore, that three generations of scale 

 carp can be produced inside of 24 calendar months. The young fish, only 2 inches in 

 length September 12, are now, November 24, from 4 to 5 inches in length. 



784. Statement of J. S. Warren, Joneshoro', Washinrjton Co., Tnin., -Tunt 14, 1884. 



Growth. — There are many ponds in this vicinity in which carp, jilaced a year ago 

 last November or December, are now from 22 to 24 inches in length, so I am informed. 

 I have seen no carp, though 2 ponds are less than a mile from me. I have hunted 

 several times in one of the ponds but could not see the fish, which were rendered shy by 

 unruly visitors. 



