120 PRACTICAL CARP CULTURE. 



long and put them in my lake, for a trial; the lake is about 60 by 

 100 rods long. It is a natural basin without an outlet and in the deep- 

 est place is from 7 to 8 feet. Last year folks used to ask me about my 

 carp; I told them that I thought they were all dead ; but three weeks ago 

 some one asked me if I would let them try a seine in it. I told them yes, 

 for I wanted to know whether I had any carp left. The trial was 

 made, the first haul we had nothing; the second haul we got a fe^ carp 

 and some suckers; the third haul we had 10 big washtubs full, of all sizes; 

 the largest weighed over 10 pounds. Among this lot there were some 50 

 pounds of suckers. All the fish were of a fine quality. 



C. G. BESTLE. 



CARP SEEKING THEIR OLD HOME. 



POTOMAC, ILL., May 31, 1888. 



On the 12th day of May, 1886, we had a heavy rain storm. So 

 much water fell at the time that the overflow of one of my carp 

 ponds, or lakes, was inadequate to carry off the water, and as a conse- 

 quence the levee burst. At the time there was in it 120 spawners twelve 

 to twenty-four inches long and 6, 000 young fish. The levee was repaired in 

 the next few days, but I found at the next drawing that I had lost 60 of 

 the large fish and a thousand or two of the small ones. Now the strange 

 part of the story is that these large fish are now coming back for admit- 

 tance, after an absence of more than two years. A few days ago while 

 drawing this same pond I discovered three large carp (one spawner and 

 two milters) in the ditch below the pond. They were returned to their 

 old quarters. To-day we found the fourth one trying to make an entrance 

 from the creek. Now the query in my mind is: are these fish trying from 

 knowledge to gain an entrance to the pond they left so long ago? As 

 there have been no carp planted in the streams near here, I feel sure they 

 are the same fish that left me two years ago. Since their escape there has 

 been several carp taken from the streams with hook and line. 



JOHN GOODWIN E, JR. 



SOME GENERAL PHASES OF CARP CULTURE. 



A FINE TABLE FISH. 



CHAGRIN FALLS, O., March 24, 1885. 



Carp culture has come to stay, and the more it is investigated the bet- 

 ter it shows up. The vicinity of Chagrin Falls enjoys the notoriety of 

 having more carp ponds than any other part of the United- States of like 

 area. There are within twelve miles of this place over 100 ponds, and I 

 think the number will be doubled the coming summer. The first pond 

 was constructed hereby W. E. Walters three years ago and stocked by him 

 in connection* with the Chagrin Falls Fish Club, The result has proved 

 so satisfactory that everybody is going into it. He has fish three yea rs old 

 which weigh ten pounds each, and in his pon^, which covers only about 



