12 



tional precautionavy measures, and owing to the extreme hot weather 

 and consequent weakening effect on the fish, both in transit and 

 while in the waters. The loss in transit has been great, but while 

 this is true, the work of saving and placing them in deeper water, 

 in th3 vicinity of our work, has been carried on to a mach greater 

 extent than during any previous season. 



CARP, 



Since public attention has been called to the subject of tish cul" 

 ture, as a means of forming an important addition to the food pro" 

 ducing resources of the farm, no other fish has attracted so much 

 attention as the carp. It has furnished a series of surprises from 

 its first introduction. The first and greatest, perhaps, is the ease 

 with which it adapts itself to the waters of the different sections of 

 the country. Of no other fish with which experiments have been 

 made has so much been written. In our opinion they are of great 

 value to the country as a food supply. Though there has, of course, 

 been a great deal of adverse criticism regarding them, it has been, 

 in our opuiion, caused either by ignorance of their merits or by 

 erroneous opinions gathered from the experience of some who have 

 undertaken to raise them without supplying the necessary conditions 

 for their successful cultivation. They can not grow and thrive with- 

 out care and food any more than can any other kind of stock, 

 and just in proportion to the care given them will the fish cultarist 

 be compensated for his outlay. An ordinary farm pond may supply 

 the necessary conditions to keep carp alive, but it requires some- 

 thing more than an ordinary farm pond to raise them with success 

 and profit. Every farmer may be able to raise carp, to a limited 

 extent ; but every farmer is not in a position to receive the full 

 benefits of their naturally rapid increase in numbers and size, unless 

 he has made the provision for their cultivation that he would expect 

 to make were he intending to raise any other kind of stock, with a 

 view to receiving the most profit possil)le for his outlay. In view of 

 the wide range of opinion regarding the merits of these tish, we 

 caused postal cards, enclosed in circulars explaining our purpose in 

 making inquiries, to be sent to a large proportion of those in this 

 State who had been supplied with carp, through our Commission, 

 during the past two seasons, with a view to getting at. as nearly as 

 possible, the facts. Owing to the large number of the replies, it 

 would be impracticable to give each in detail. We have tabulated 

 them, however, and give the average: 



Number of circulars issued B,20() 



Number of replies 2,98(5 



Number reporting favorably 2,618 



Number reporting loss 818 



Average length lOi inches 



Average weight 2,1 pounds 



Number reporting increase n3(i 



This estimate gives us a total of 820,000 pounds of carp, ns the 

 increase of one year, from tliose heard from. ^Yhen the fact is 

 considered that many have had carp ponds in successful operation 



