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Mellenville, January 10, 1881. 



Dear Sir : — 



I received thirteen small Carp (tlie size of my thumb- 

 nail) on the Sunday, 9th of May last, in good order, and 

 immediately emptied them in my pond, Avhich was not 

 quite completed. They were out of sight in an instant ; 

 the bottom being I clay and I sand, so that it was con- 

 stantly roily. Some days after I noticed the pond was 

 full of frogs, some of large size, and as the lish had not 

 been seen I supposed they had destroyed them. I called 

 upon Mr. Blackford, in ]S[. Y., soon after, but he could 

 give me no information. In the latter part of August, 

 the season being very dry, I had the water let out of the 

 pond, and set workmen to linish digging it out wdth 

 horses and scrapers. After they had been at work sev- 

 eral days, three dead carp were seen that had been hurt 

 with the horses ; one of which I measured and was 10 

 inches long, and weighed over a pound. We then saw 9 

 Remaining in the water that was but about 12 inches deep, 

 in a small space in the centre of the pond, which we fed 

 with crumbs of bread until the cold weather set in (in 

 November), and the pond froze over with not more than 

 18 inches of water. When our work was complete, about 

 Sept. first, I found my spring that had never been known 

 to give out before, was so near dry as to give us but a 

 small quantity of water, and I fear the ice has frozen so 

 hard and tight that the fish will smother. The wonder- 

 ful growth from 9th of May to 9th September — say 4 

 months — beats anything I ever saw or heard of. 



I had intended to make report to you before, but did 

 not want to report a failure. On the 23d of last Septem- 

 ber I was in "Washington, and called at your residence to 

 make my report in person and pay my respects, and was 

 told you were out of town. I shall be pleased to be ena- 

 bled to report favorably next spring, or as soon as the ic 

 gives out. 



Respectfully, DANIEL BID WELL. 



