CONSTRUCTION OF TROUT PONDS. 55 



caution cannot be exercised in this respect. A good 

 watch dog in the vicinity of the pond will prove a 

 valuable protector. 



Trout ponds should be made too small rather than 

 too large; the fish will be found to thrive much bet- 

 ter in small than in large ponds. The water supply 

 may be cool enough on entering the pond to sustain 

 the trout during the entire year, but by spreading it 

 over a large space, it presents too much surface to 

 the sun and consequently becomes very warm. Al- 

 though in such cases the trout will, through the in- 

 stinct of self-preservation, gather in the vicinity of the 

 inlet and springs, if there are any in the ponds, and 

 save themselves, as far as possible, the result will be 

 the loss of many. When it becomes desirable to 

 construct a pond in a place where there are springs, 

 or to dam up the water and make a pond in a springy 

 place, it is a good plan to cover the springs with 

 several loads of gravel, for the fish to spawn on. The 

 borders of such a pond should be made very shallow, 

 so that the little fish may run up in the shallow 

 water and escape the large fish, or have the pond so 

 arranged that after the fish have spawned, the large 

 ones may be removed. By so doing, the eggs will 

 hatch out and the young fish will grow without 

 danger. When the next season of spawning comes, 

 the little fish may be removed into another pond 

 and the old ones let in to spawn again. Such a pond 

 is specially adapted for persons who cannot devote a 

 great deal of time to it, and who desire to manage it 

 with as little care as possible. In this way a good 

 many fish can be raised without much trouble. The 

 gravel must be sifted and all the fine parts rejected; 



