PRACTICAL, CARP CULTURE. 121 



one-fourth of an acre, he has thousands of them from that weight down. 

 They are so tame that they eat from the hand, and fairly crowd each other 

 out of the water in their efforts to obtain the food. 



As an evidence of the growth of carp I quote the following from the 

 Chagrin Falls Exponent of September 4, 1884: 



"The carp in Mr. J. M. Bullock's pond in Russel, now measure from 

 six to ten inches long, the largest weighing fully one pound. This is a 

 good growth for fish which were hatched in May of this year, and there is 

 no possible doubt of the correctness of this report, for the pond was filled 

 this year for the first time, and no fish over an inch long was put in it, be- 

 sides the fish may be seen any day by those doubting the story, which, we 

 confess sounds a little fishy." 



I have eaten carp and consider them fully equal to black bass or white 

 fish, if grown in water not too stagnant, and being a life-long angler, I 

 consider myself a fair j udge. In quality they equal anything we have ever 

 eaten, excepting only brook trout. The texture is fine and firm, and there 

 are no bones, excepting the backbone and the usual attachments, as in the 

 case of a black bass or white fish. The flavor resembles that of a rock 

 bass or perch more than any other fish with which we are acquainted. 

 The slightest muddy taste was not discovered, although the pond in 

 which they were grown had a muddy bottom. The late Dr. Theodatus 

 (Torlick, of Bedford, "father of American fish culture," was of the same 

 opinion, after giving the matter a fair test, and he was surely competent 

 to, judge. 



Carp culture has much to recommend it. The lending of variety to 

 the farm-table ; the rendering of the farm more attractive to the young, 

 and thereby keeping our boys on the farms, instead of sending them into 

 the cities, or into the Overcrowded professions ; and above all the adding, 

 with little expense, to the farm profits, are among the strong arguments in 

 its favor. 



There are few farms which do not afford some suitable place for a carp 

 pond, and be it of only a few rods area it will supply the table with excel- 

 lent fish, and pay many times its cost. I can show you within five miles 

 of Chagrin Falls half a dozen ponds that you could not buy for a thousand 

 dollars apiece, if the owner could not have another. 



J. J. STRANAHAN. 



ONK WAY OF COOKING THEM. 



OWASCO, N. Y., October 1C, 1887. x 



I live near Owasco lake where we have trout, pickerel, perch, pike 



and suckers ; none of them can beat a carp. I have carp all the year 



round. The way to cook fish is to cut them in pieces, salt and roll them 



in flour ; have half lard and butter on a griddle, hot; lay your carp on, fry 



h 



