842 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [184] 



where it will have as good an exposure to the sun as possible: earp will not spawn in the 

 shade. By the 5th of May in this latitude (32") the carp will begin to spawn. They 

 may be seen in great numbers, fluttering near the banks in shallow water, and they will 

 be sure to iind the moss and to deposit innumerable eggs upon it : the eggs will adhere 

 to the moss from 3 to 4 days and then drop off. To protect the eggs and the young 

 from the ravages of other iishes I constructed boxes 10 feet long and 5 wide. The gun- 

 nels or side pieces are 1 by 12, with a good water-tight bottom. The ends of these 

 boxes are made of wire-cloth sufficiently line to prevent the escape of the smallest carp 

 and to admit a constant flow of fresh water. The bottoms are covered an inch deep 

 with pure sand. When placed in the water they sink until the water stands from 6 to 

 8 inches deep in them. As soon as I discover the eggs on the moss, I gather up the moss 

 and lay it in these boxes, putting weight enough on to keep it barely under the water. 

 In 8 or 10 days, according to the temperature of the water, the young will be seen. It 

 is best to anchor these boxes in the middle of the pond, where they will be subjected 

 to the action of the wind and waves and have as fair an exposure to sun as possible. 

 After the young are 2 or 3 weeks old they should be protected from the midday sun. 

 It is wonderful how many can be hatched in a box of the size given. As the growth 

 increases they should be divided and kept until they are large enough to take care of 

 themselves, which will be in 2 or 3 months, if there are game fish in the pond. I com- 

 mence feeding when a mouth old bj' sprinkling corn-meal in the boxes, but not enough 

 to leave a residuum. 



Cari) do not spawn in this climate until they are 2 years old, and at 3 they spawn 

 enormously. They begin by the 5th of May and run from 3 to 5 days only. I had 

 only one tiuit was as late as the 25th this year. I did not observe it spawning but one 

 day, though I watched it closely day and ryght. I placed all the spawn of this one in 

 a box by themselves; yesterday I bailed the water out of this box, straining through a 

 wire sieve; it is simply wonderful how many young there are — too many to count. 



Sales. — I am now selling the young, having sold to one man 1,000 at $15 per hun- 

 dred, and have demand for every one that I can hatch. 



Miscellaneous. — I have given the cultivation of the cai-p the closest attention, en- 

 deavoring to find out the most simple way to hatch and protect them, and one that any 

 iiirmer could understand and adopt without retiuiring much time or attention. I have 

 been eminently successful, and there is no reason why others .should not be. My oldest 

 carp are now 3] years old and I expect to exhibit one at the fair in New Orleans that 

 will weigh 30 pounds. 



836. Statement of Henri/ Jones, Cross Boads, Navarro Co., Te.r., Ai(</. 6, 1883. 



Disposition of caep received. — I received 20 carp 2 years .since and put them in 

 a large tank, 15 feet deep, with a muddy bottom, and large enough to float a steamboat. 

 It is supplied by rain water and sometimes overflows. Yesterday with the thermometer 

 at 100° the water temperature was 30°. 



Plants. — It contains grass. 



Enemies. — It contains catfish, perch, frogs, turtles, and any amount of snakes. 



Miscellaneous. — I have not fed them nor taken any care of them. The tank is so 

 large that it is difiicult to see the carp or do anything with them. I have never seen 

 any one of the 20 that we put in 2 years since, and if there are any I do not know it. 

 I have never seen any young and have never caught any. 



837. Statement of W. S. Eohinson, Dresden, XavarroCo., Tex., Aug. 2, 1883. 



Disposition of carp received. — I received 20 carp December 23, 1880, but lost them 

 all on account of the drouth. I received 38 more January 20, 1882. My tank covers 

 one acre, is from 2 to 8 feet deep, and has a muddy bottom. It is supplied entirely with 

 rain water. 



Plants. — It is covered with water-lilies called in Texas young pin or water-acorn. 



Enemies. — Catfish, perch, and bull- frogs have gotten in since I put the carp in 



Food. — I give them scraps from the kitchen but they do not seem to need much food, 

 because there is vegetation in the water and all around it. 



Growth. -I should think those received last would measure about 20 inches in length. 

 Tliey have not spawned that I know of. 



838. Statement of Thomas Jaekson, Bremond, Rohertson Co., Te.v., June 2i, 1882. 



Disposition of carp received. — The 18 carp received on January 15, 1882, and 

 which I placed in my pond, were doing well np to the very heavy rain of May 6. This 



