Dyche. — Possibilities of an Acre Pond 69 



for their age. They were cannibals and we placed them 

 in this pond because we had no other convenient place for 

 them. We usually distribute such fish as soon as pos- 

 sible after getting hold of them, in the larger creeks and 

 rivers. 



In the spring of 1911 about 1500 two-year-old crappie 

 were added to the stock of this pond. These were a fine 

 lot of fish and many of them had spawn in them. How- 

 ever, they were the same size and age as the yearling 

 crappie that had been left in the pond in 1910. At this 

 time 2,000 bullhead catfish, one and two years of age 

 were added to the stock; also 192 channel catfish that 

 would weigh from one to two pounds each. The channel 

 catfish were placed in the pond by mistake, due to a 

 misunderstanding of orders. About one-half of them 

 were caught at the feeding station and removed during 

 the summer and fall of 1912.* During the spring of 

 1912 about a thousand more one and two-year-old fish, 

 a miscellaneous lot, were placed in this pond. They 

 were mostly small fish that we had no particular place 

 or use for. They were thrown into Pond No. 4, as it 

 was called, with the idea that they might, for the most 

 part, serve as food for the other fish. Altogether about 

 16,000 fish were placed in the pond; however, many of 

 them were only considered as food fish for the others. 



FOOD FOR THE FISH PRODUCED IN THE POND. 



Around the shores of this pond during the spring and 

 summer of the year 1912 and 1913 there were thou- 

 sands and thousands of young fish to be seen, frequently 

 appearing in clouds or bunches several feet long. Among 

 these young fish we noticed bass, blue gills, sunfish, carp, 

 goldfish, shad and bullheads. It was very apparent 

 that many of the fish in the pond had spawned and that 

 great numbers of the eggs had hatched. This crop of 



*They did not breed in the pond, at least no young fish were found. 

 We considered it a misfortune to have them in with the other fish 

 which they continually fed upon. 



