92 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



Feb. 



puhlishinff could either be ahbreviatecl or 

 omitted, liad we a text-book fi'ivinu' the tacts 

 contained in them. I am now engaged in 

 writing a series of articles on bee culture 

 that we expect to pul)lish in a pamphlet for 

 our ten-cent Industrial Library, and my 

 convictions are that we want a book oii 

 carp culture that will cost just about this 

 sum. Many of us enjoy reading a brief 

 treatise on these new things, say about such 

 a book as ten cents ought to pay for, where 

 we could not possibly tind time to go over 

 an elaborate treatise. Am I not right V 

 The books we advertise on squashes, cab- 

 bages, mango-wurtzels, and oni(ms, are sold 

 in great numbers ; and as one can go 

 through a book in an evening or two, he 

 generally reads it through when he takes it 

 up ; but only the specialist can afford to go 

 through an elaborate treatise. 



CAEP CULTURE, AND THE CONSTKUC- 

 TION OF CAKP-PONDS. 



TTp BOUT 300 feet south of my bouse I have a fine 

 ^Ksfei ^P^''°^ which made a wet swampy phice be- 

 iPl' low it about 100 feet square. Three years 

 ■^^ ago last summer, which was an e.xtreuiely 

 dry season here, myself and hired man plow- 

 ed and scooped, and hauled out with a wagon about 

 two weeks, and made a pond that was nearlj' in a 

 circle, 60 feet in diameter; and when tilled (which 

 was not until New Year's) there was from one to 

 four feet of water in depth. I received and nut in 

 my pond, Dec. 29, 1881, 16 German carp, about three 

 inches in length, sent me by the U. S. Fish Commis- 

 sioner. The last of the next February we found 3 

 that had died and floated out to the edge. They 

 were about the same size as when put in. Wc 

 watched very au.xiously and fre<iuently through the 

 spring and summer months for a glimpse of them; 

 but only one did we get to see, and then only long 

 enough to be sure it was a fish. 



On the 30th of the following August we found 3 

 that had died and floated to the edge, that astonish- 

 ed the neighborhood. Two of them measured 14 

 inches in length, and weighed 2?.i lbs. apiece; the 

 other was 15 inches long and 12 inches in circumfer- 

 ence, and weighed 2U lbs. We spent half a day in 

 hauling them ai-ound and exhibiting them. Several 

 of the neighbors that saw them could not believe 

 they were the same fish put in about 8 months be- 

 fore, and only 3 inches in length. The next day we 

 found three more about the same size. I wrote to 

 the IJ. S. Fish Commissioner, ar.d told him how I had 

 found my flsh, and gave him a description of my 

 pond and the water, also the growth the flsh luid 

 made, and asked for all the information he could 

 give me, and asked if he could furnish more flsh, as 

 I was not willing to give it up that way. 1 received 

 a card from him, stating my order should be renew- 

 ed, but nothing more. 



On the 24th of November, 1882, I received 22, from 

 one to three inches in length, which were immedi- 

 ately turned into the pond, and they did not nuike 

 their appearance again until July, 1883, and were 

 fully 12 inches long. After that time they would 

 come up and get bread on the water whenever the 



weather was pleasant, until late in the fall, but did 

 not raise any small ones that season. 



Last spring, about the middle of April, they made 

 their appearance again. They had not made much 

 growth since the fall before. We had many friends 

 come to see them, and they got fed frequently. On 

 the 27th of July, when our little flsh first made their 

 appearance, the old ones looked as if they would 

 measure from 20 to 24 inches in length, and were 

 about the shape of the white flsh we get from the 

 lakes. Since the small ones made their appearance 

 we have seen the larger ones but a few times. The 

 little ones were from one to three inches in length 

 when first seen. They have been well treated. A 

 great many come to see them, and they always had 

 to have a few slices of bread, which made them 

 show to the best advantage. My wife sometimes 

 said I would need another baker. W^e sometimes 

 fed at three diflerent places at the same time, and 

 there would be a space three or four feet square at 

 each place where they were pushing and crowding 

 each other to get the bread. They would eat bread 

 from my hand when held in the water, and often 

 nibble my fingers. Sometimes I would get ray hand 

 under one and throw it out on the bank. The larg- 

 est size of the small ones is from 10 to 12 inches in 

 length. I have not seen them since Dec. 1. 



Since losing our flsh I have read an account given 

 by a man in Germany, stating that he had known 

 heavy loss from a stroke of lightning; and knowing 

 that we had a heavy storm a few days previous to 

 flnding ours, we have concluded that was what killed 

 our flsh. 



About the first of last November I built another 

 pond just below the first one, which is about 100 ft. 

 wide by 150 long. I laid a flve-inch pipe at the low- 

 est point, and built the embankment over it so that 

 I can let the water out when I wish. I also made a 

 box 2 feet square over the upper end of pipe for a 

 strainer, by setting four posts 2 feet apart and 2 

 feet high, and nailing strips, 1 by 3 inches, J* inch 

 apart, around and over it. I also made what is call- 

 ed a collector, still above the strainer, in the form of 

 an A, and attached them together. The wings were 

 16 ft. long and 15 inches high, 14 feet wide at upper 

 end, and same height as sides, and I put a floor in it. 

 The boards run crosswise under the sides, and pro- 

 ject one foot on each side. I then fllled dirt on 

 them, up to within four or Ave inches of the top of 

 sides, to hold it down. The bottom of the collector 

 was just high enough so the waterwould all run out 

 through the pipe. I intend to let the water out of 

 my flrst pond early in the spring, and put my small 

 fish in my new pond; and if I am successful the 

 coming summer, I shall have a supply of both large 

 and small ones by the end of the season. 



I have a neighbor, 2'i miles from me, who has 

 four ponds. He received fish from Washington 

 when I received my flrst lot. 1 have been there to 

 see him draw the water from one of his ponds twice 

 —the 22d of last March, and the Uth of last Novem- 

 ber. The pond covers about half an acre. Last 

 March there were about 500 flsh in it that would 

 weigh from 2 to 3 lbs. each, and they estimated the 

 small ones at 5000, from 2 to 8 inches in length. The 

 same pond had about half as many in November. 

 He sold a great many for stocking ponds. He also 

 made a place in his cellar, 13 feet long, 10 feet wide, 

 and 20 inches in depth, which he cemented, and has 

 a pipe running from his pump to it, so he can sup- 

 ply them with fresh water whenever needed. He 



