CARP. 
203 
were stocked with the same in the reign of Louis 
the Fourteenth, where they probably remain at this 
time, unless, like the rest of the country, they have 
undergone a revolution. 
These fish abound in the rivers and lakes of Po- 
land and Germany, where they are taken of a large 
size. The traffic which is carried on in these coun- 
tries has induced many of the nobility and others 
to be particularly attentive to the breeding of carp ; — 
the merchants or dealers purchase the fish of the 
noblesse, who derive a considerable income from 
the produce of their ponds. We are indebted to 
Dr. Forster for a very full account of the method of 
managing carp on this large scale, and shall take 
the liberty of introducing as much of his paper from 
the Philosophical Transactions as will be sufficient 
for our purpose. 
The doctor observes that the fish thrive best in 
ponds that are situated in a well manured fertile 
plain, surrounded by fine pastures and corn-fields 
of a rich black mould, having either mild or soft 
springs on the spot, or a rivulet that runs through 
the plain. The water ought to be mild and soft ; 
by no means too cold, or impregnated with mineral 
particles ; the full influence of the sun is very neces- 
sary to ensure success in breeding of the fish, and it 
is likewise highly proper that the pond be sheltered 
against the cold blasting easterly winds. The 
ground towards the pond ought to have a gentle 
slope ; for the deep valleys are subject to great floods, 
and will then endanger the dikes in a wet rainy 
