CHAPTER XIII. 



POT POURI. 



Tn spreading the table for our guests some of the bounties prepared 

 were untouched, overlooked so we gather them up for an after feast, 

 where they will stand out more prominently, because isolated. 



GERMAN CARP 



In this country are few and far between. The only real German carp 

 in America are those that were imported, either by Capt. Robinson about 

 1830, and which escaped into the Hudson river, and so are not available, 

 and the five tiny ones that reach3d alive, the ponds of Mr. Poppe at 

 Sanoma, California, in August, 1872, and the 345 imported by the United 

 States Fish Commission, in 1877. Allowing that all of these are now 

 alive, there are only 350 German carp in America. The millions of other 

 carp in this country, are just as good, and many of them much better 

 than the original stock, but they are not German carp, and to call them 

 so is a misnomer, and an injustice, that has in it no advantage for the 

 culturists. They are the offspring, the progeny of the German carp, 

 raised in American water, on American food from birth and are Ameri- 

 can carp, just as much as a child of German parentage, born in this 

 country is at manhood an American citizen. 



We have no other carp in this country than those mentioned. 



In buying carp then do not be misled by the name given them. De- 

 termine which variety you want, then buy the largest growth, for the age, 

 that you can get. The large growth being evidence that they are uot 

 stunted, and buy of a responsible culturist, who either raises but the one 

 variety, or keeps the varieties strictly separate, in different ponds. You 

 will then have good stock to start with, and can produce the best type of 



the variety selected. 



\ 



HYBRIDIZATION. 



The varieties if grown together will cross, and lose their characteris- 

 tics. If raised for home consumption, this will not be so serious a matter. 

 If raised to sell for stocking purposes, it will be more serious, as beginners 

 should start out with a pure blood of either of the varieties, and by care 

 breed that variety to the highest possible type. 



The crossing of the varieties is to be deprecated, but cannot be com- 

 pared in seriousness with the crossing with other summer spawning fish, 

 which are comparatively worthless as food. These latter crossings 

 deteriorate from the high standard of the carp, and give it an inferior 

 place among food fishes. The wonderful crossings, and hybridization we 



