66 



THE AQL^ARIUM, OCTOBER, 1893. 



the hands to and from each other, allow- 

 ing the fingers of one hand to pass into 

 the spaces between those of the other. 

 The teeth upon these bones are shed 

 every spring, their places being sup- 

 plied with new ones. The color of the 

 body of the fish is generally of a dark 

 olive brown on the back and sides, 

 though it will vary according to cir- 

 cumstances ; the abdomen may be 

 either yellowish white or orange tinted. 

 The entire body is covered with scales 

 of a uniform size, of course propor- 

 tioned to the size of the individual. 

 The dorsal fin is situated on the mid- 

 dle of the back, extending nearly to the 

 tail and consists of three sjiines, the 

 third one of which is serrated, and has 

 from fifteen to eighteen soft rays. 



The carp attains a length of from 

 three to four feet and weighs then be- 

 tween thirty and forty pounds. There 

 are individual cases on record in which 

 the weight has reached nearly one hun- 

 dred pounds, but this is the exception. 

 The carp has become a very important 

 fish, because of its habits readily adapt- 

 ing it to pond culture. 



The common carp was known to the 

 ancients, as both Aristotle and Pliny 

 have noticed them, though it appears 

 the ancients did not value the fish near 

 as much as do the people in modern 

 times. 



In central Europe, where it is difficult 

 to obtain sea-fish, those coming from 

 fresh water are, of necessity, greatly in 

 demand and are prized accordingly. 

 In view of this, carp culture has be- 

 come an interest of national import- 

 ance, especially so in Germany and 

 Austria. The growth of the fish, its 

 habits, etc., together with various 

 methods of fattening it, have been 

 closely and practically studied, with 

 the most gratifying success in the coun- 



tries just mentioned. As is well known 

 the fish declines in size, when removed 

 from the warmer regions of the tem- 

 perate zones, yet notwithstanding this 

 fact, the Germans and Austrians have 

 cultivated it with the most marked 

 success. 



Nearly every farmer has his carp-pond 

 and devotes as much attention to the 

 breeding and raising of the carp as is 

 usually done with cattle, sheep, etc., 

 the world over. So profitable is it, 

 that an acre of water will yield as high 

 a rent as an acre of the richest soil. 

 The cultivation of the carp in Europe 

 has grown to immense proportions, in 

 evidence of which a few of the larger 

 establishments may be mentioned. 

 The carp-ponds belonging to the manor 

 of Wittengau, in Bohemia, of which 

 the Princess of Schwarzenberg is the 

 proprietress, number two hundred and 

 fifty (250), and cover an area of 22,000 

 acres. The annual yield of fish is one- 

 half million of pounds. These ponds 

 are known to be the largest on the 

 globe, and the cultivation of the carp 

 in them has been carried on for many 

 centuries. Similar establishments are 

 found on the manor Konigswartha, in 

 Upper Lusatia, with 205 ponds, extend- 

 ing over an area of 9,000 acres ; the 

 manor Peitz-Cottbus (Brandenburgh), 

 with 72 ponds, covering 5,600 acres; 

 the celebrated ponds of manor Trachen- 

 berg (Silesia), which are the third 

 largest in Germany. To these must 

 be added thousands of ponds, scattered 

 all over the country, before an ade- 

 quate idea can be had of the extent 

 to which the industry is prosecuted. 

 The custom of keeping the fish in arti- 

 ficial ponds has furnished opportunities 

 for close observation, notably so in re- 

 spect to age. It is not at all unusual 

 for specimens to live to "a good old 



