I men can J-'islicrii's Sociclv. 



81 



waters. This is now only a hit of ancient history, seldom re- 

 vived. 1 need only say that the ])ress c^enerally thronsj^hout the 

 state niaile a vii^-orous "kick" ai^ainst it, and Ici^islation with a 

 view to limiting- the distril)Ution was attempted; \ct, while at 

 first 1 may have had doubts as to the utility of the idant, I stoijd mv 

 ground, perforce, and defended the attacks against it. I'ublic 

 prejudice was largely augmented hy the non-success of the manv 

 who attempted pond cuUure of carp, under conditions which 

 would have made any different results impussible. The idea 

 seemed to prevail that anything would do for carp, and starting 

 with this premise, there were at one time six hundred carp ponds 

 in the state, which consisted chietly of holes in the ground filled 

 with surface water, devoted not to the carp alone, but free to 

 everything else on the farm — horses, cows, hogs, chickens, ducks 

 and geese; and while even then some carp lived and grew, it may 

 be imagined they were hardly fair samples of their kind, and 

 added to these disadvantages, they were taken out for use re- 

 gardless of conditions, at spawning time, and, when cooked, were, 

 naturallw pronounced unfit for food. A few, j)ractical enough 

 to give them an even chance with other farm products by supply- 

 ing conditions favorable to the best results, did well with them, 

 and were well satisfied with their reward, but the experience of 

 the many was made the criterion of success, and carp culture on 

 the farm was voted a practical failure. The piMids made for them 

 gradually broke down and the carp were carried through the 

 creeks to the rivers and lakes, and here began their career of 

 use and benefit. 



l*"or a great man\- vcars previous, on both the Illinois and 

 Mississippi rivers, it had been the i^-actice of fishermen and farm- 

 ers, in the spring- of the year, when the buffalo fish "rolled," to 

 take them by shooting, spearing or with pitchforks, and packed 

 in sugar hog-sheads, they were ship])ed by river to St. Louis 

 and other markets. Those that remained good were sold, the 

 soft and tainted thrown away; the net results were, perliaps, 

 from one-half to one and one-half cents per pound to the shipper. 



