54G EEPOKT OF THE COMMTSSIOIN^ER OF FISHEEIES. 



Ill the succeeding years the demand for carp stcadil}" increased, and 

 the fish were furnished in great numbers b}^ the Fish Commission, 

 being sent to all parts of the United States, and some shipments 

 being made to other countries. We find in the reports of the Commis- 

 sion that in several successive years carp were sent to Canada, and in 

 1882^' they were also distributed to persons in Ecuador, Costa Rica, 

 and the City of Mexico. In 1882 over 7,000 applications for carp 

 were filed, and .5,758 applicants were supplied with 15 to 20 carp each, 

 1-13.690 fish being distributed in this way. With an appropriation of 

 $12,000 made by the Forty-sixtli Congress, the breeding ponds were 

 extended until there were some 20 acres of ponds devoted to raising 

 this fish. 



In this year, also, an attempt was made to bring carp eggs to this 

 country. On May 31, Mr. George Eckhardt arrived from Germany 

 with two cases of carp eggs, packed after a method that had been 

 found successful for transportation for shorter distances; but when 

 the eggs were examined here they were found to be dead and covered 

 with fungus. The efi^ort had been made only as an experiment, and 

 was so far unsuccessful, on account of the long time required for the 

 journey, that it was not repeated. Another importation of the adult 

 fish, however, is recorded in 1882, when, as a return for favors extended 

 to the Deutsche Fischerei-Verein, Herr von Behr forwarded to the 

 Commission a number of the so-called blue carp, "a variety believed 

 to be of particular interest, and which has not been hitherto cultivated 

 by the Commission." When these arrived on Januar}^ 4, 1882, it was 

 found that 19 of them were of "pure blood," while 4 v\?ere h^^brids. 

 The hybrids were destro3^ed and the others turned into the Govern- 

 ment ponds. 



As illustrating how thoroughly cai-p were disseminated throughout 

 the United States in these earl}^ years of its introduction, the data for 

 1883 furnish an interesting example. In that 3^car carp were sent into 

 298 of the 301 Congressional districts, representing 1,478 counties; in 

 this way 260,000 carp were distributed, in lots of 20, to 9,872 applicants. 

 The distributions continued large until about 1890, when they began 

 to diminish, and were finall}' discontinued in 1897. The following 

 table gives the approximate figures for the distribution from 1880 to 

 1896: 



a Records taken from United States FLsh Commission reports have reference to fiscal years begin- 

 ning July 1. Distributions of carp were made in the fall of the calendar year preceding the date 

 designating the fiscal year— i. e., distributions in the fiscal year 18S2 were made in the fall of the cal- 

 endar year 1881. 



