38 PRACTICAL CARP CULTURE. 



only, and too shallow to successfully winter the young fry, that, owing 

 to care and artificial feeding are in great numbers, the stock pond not 

 being ready for them until spring, a place to winter them in is neces- 

 sary. The winter pond is used for this sole purpose. It should be clear 

 of mud, and from 8 to 10 feet deep, and plentifully supplied with running 

 water, if possible. The hatching pond is drawn and the young placed in 

 the winter pond in November, and as they do not eat during the winter, 

 no feeding is necessary. Such a pond plentifully supplied with water 

 may be stocked at the proportion of about 50,000 fry to the acre. 



THE MARKET POND. 



The market pond should be drawn in the fall and the carp converted 

 into money. They will loose from 2 to 5 per centum of weight during the 

 winter. In many places in the United States they have been held over 

 until the lenten season and then sold at advance prices, which more than 

 made up for the loss in weight. Where the carp cannot all be disposed of 

 at once, the sale pond will be found an invaluable annex. 



THE STOCK POND. 



The stock pond should be drawn in the spring, the spawners selected 

 for the spawning pond and the remainder placed in the market pond. 



THE HATCHING POND. 



The hatching pond, or if the young were transfered to a winter pond 

 in the fall, then the winter pond is drawn as soon after the stock pond 

 has been emptied and filled again as possible. The hatching pond is then 

 again filled and the spawners placed in it. 



MIXED CARP CULTURE. 



A method of systematic carp culture in a series of proportioned 

 ponds as detailed in the preceeding pages would be entirely to extensive 

 and costly a luxury for beginners as most farmers must be, and who 

 utilize some waste spot to raise carp for a home luxury, any profit 

 arising from the sale of fish, for any purpose, being only incidental. In 

 these instances a single pond must answer all the purposes, and must 

 therefore have the requirements of all of the other ponds. If a natural 

 pond is used for this purpose it should be drained first, and the inhabi- 

 tants of it destroyed. The bottom should then be arranged as described 

 in Chapter IV. Ditches, collectors, drains, etc., that the water of the 

 pond may at all times be under control, and its level maintained. In 

 such ponds the water is frequently too deep for successful spawning and 

 hatching. It will then be necessary to construct a hatching place. To 

 do this, select some flat spot at, or near the edge of the pond of such 

 dimensions as the opportunity affords, say 30 feet wide by 80 feet long. 

 Excavate it so that when filled from the pond the water will run from 

 nothing at the margin te 18 inches deep in the center. Make a cut then 

 in the bank from 6 to 10 feet wide, and deep enough so that in the draw- 

 ing off of the pond the hatching annex will be completely emptied. This 

 annex should be thickly planted with water vegetation ; manna grass, 



