COMMON CARP. 183 



" The first thing which must be attended to, in 

 case a gentleman chooses to have carp-ponds, is to 

 select the ground where they are to be made : for 

 upon the soil, water, and situation of a pond the 

 success in the management greatly depends. The 

 best kind of ponds ought to be situated in a well- 

 manured, fertile plain, surrounded by the finest 

 pastures and corn-fields of a rich black mould, 

 having either mild or soft springs on the spot, or a 

 rivulet that runs through the plain. The water 

 ought to be mild and soft ; by no means too cold, 

 or impregnated with acid, calcareous, or selenitic, 

 or other mineral particles. The exposure must be 

 sheltered against the cold, blasting, easterly, or 

 northern winds, by a ridge of hills, situated at some 

 distance from the pond, enjoying fully the benign 

 influence of the sun, far from any thick, shady wood, 

 that might intercept the beams of the sun or where 

 the leaves of trees might cause a putrefaction, or 

 impregnate the water with astringent particles. 

 Such ponds as are surrounded by poor, cold and 

 stiff soils, are open to the -east and north winds, 

 have a wood on one or two sides, and hard or cold 

 water, or such as issues from mines, moors, or 

 mosses, are inferior in goodness. Ponds in a poor, 

 dry, or sandy soil, surrounded by pines or firs, with 

 the just-mentioned inconveniences, are considered 

 as the worst of all. The ground towards the pond 

 ought to have a gentle slope ; for deep vallies are 

 subject to great floods, and will then endanger the 

 dikes in a wet rainy season ; and often the expecta- 

 tions of many years are carried away. The soil 



