13 



for five years, and that the increase from the increase even now is 

 reported, it will be safe to assume that the increase in the food 

 supply from this source will aggregate for this year 2,000,000 pounds, 

 and since their introduction fully 5,000,000. The increase will, of 

 course, be much larger each year, doubling rapidly as the young 

 fish begin to fill the ponds. The carp is a great reproducer, and in 

 large ponds, where proper care is given them, the number of young 

 produced from twenty breeding carp is almost fabulous. We instance 

 one man, Mr. Worthy Frost, in Adams county, who, from a pond 

 covering one-third of an acre, has since the fall of 1882 sold $396 

 worth of carp. Throughout the State there are now quite a number 

 of carp culturists who are raising carp for sale, and are, so far as we 

 can learn, selling the product readily. As to the extent of this in- 

 dustry we have not gathered sufficient reliable data to base figures 

 upon, but that it is large and will increase the amount of food pro- 

 duced greatly, we have no reason to doubt. The carp, as a rule, 

 spawn at two years of age, though instances of an earher increase 

 are not rare. One instance might be mentioned which came under 

 the observation of the writer. In May, 1886, I purchased of Mr. 

 Worthy Frost, of Fowler, Adams county, thirteen carp three years 

 old and fifty yearlings, to put into the Park fountain at Quincy. On 

 getting them to Quincy we found the water in the fountain had not 

 been turned on, so were compelled to put them in a live-box in the 

 Quincy Bay. After the lapse of a day or two water was turned on 

 in the fountain, and we took up the live-box, and found that in 

 their struggles the three-year-old carp, being quite large and strong, 

 had broken out. One, however, had got caught in the aperture, wiiich 



■ prevented the rest getting out. We found in the box one three year 

 old, (a male), and six yearlings. These we put into the fountain 

 basin, quite disappointed at our loss, as for several years we had 

 bred quite a number in the fountain, which served the purpose of 

 affordmg pleasure and amusement to visitors, as well as increasing 

 the supply. Sometime in July the park policeman, who fed them 

 daily, meeting the writer in the street, said: "There is quite a 

 number of young fish in the basin. I wish you would come over 

 and see them ; I believe they are young carp.'' I replied that that 

 was impossible, as there was but one large fish there, and that a 

 mile, but would gD over and see them. Judge of my surprise^when 

 I found thousands of young carp there from one and a half to two 

 inches in length, the product of carp then only one year old. The 

 young will now aggregate many times more in weight than the 

 original fish, and of extraordinary size for their age, five to six 

 inches in length. The carp were taken out and loaned to the Inter- 

 State Industrial Exposition at Chicago, where they now are. Since 



'* the above mentioned experience we have not been so ready to doubt 

 the statements of quite a number who have repeatedly written us 

 that their carp had spawned at the age of one year. 



THEIR ADAPTATION TO RIVEES. 



Last season the first experiment was made of stocking the rivers 

 of Illinois with carp. The United States Fish Commission gave the 

 State, a car-load of carp, and sent their car No. 3 in charge of J. 



