154 Thirty-ninth Annual Meeting 



texture and flavor of the flesh, as well as to the rapidity of 

 growth. I know of no other fish that responds so quickly to 

 good food as does the carp, yet it is easily and cheaply cared 

 for. 



I have in mind a large number of places where carp culture 

 could be undertaken with profitable results and if the supply 

 is kept up to the demand, the time is not far distant when 

 such places, now practicall}' a waste, can be utilized so that 

 the water can be made more productive than the land. 



I can make no better argument as to the future possibilities 

 of carp culture than to ask you to consider the following- 

 quotation from one of the best authorities on the question of 

 fish food supply, Dr. Hugh M. Smith, Deputy U. S. Com- 

 missioner of Fisheries. He says : — 



It will suffice to say (1) that special investigation has shown the carp 

 does exceedingly little harm to any other hsh, as anyone would expect 

 from its known hal)its and anatomical peculiarities; (2) that the injury 

 done to the feeding grounds of wild fowl has l^een grossly exaggerated ; 

 on one hand, a scarcity of ducks may occur entirely independently of the 

 presence of carp, and, on the otiier, a great abundance of carp may he 

 coexistent with an undiminished growth of wild celery; and (3) that the 

 carp is a food fish of very great importance, and to say anything to tlie 

 contrary is to ignore facts. 



The carp is here to stay. The markets take all they can 

 get and ask for more. Thousands of acres of water can be 

 utilized for successful culture, but in order to bring this 

 about, intelligent application should be made of best known 

 methods and care. 



