practical papers—Fish Culture. 
4°5 
encouraging, and would seem to indicate that the next ten years 
will show no retrogression, but a steady advance in the art. 
A few hints to those making it a business may not be out of 
place here. In selecting a site for fish-ponds be very sure that the 
supply of water is unfailing. The strength of a chain is always 
measured by the strength of its weakest link. If a spring should 
give twenty inches of water most of the time, but only one inch 
in a very dry season, then the flow of that spring is only one inch. 
It has more than once happened that a would-be fish-breeder has 
found his ponds without water, and his beautiful spring dried up. 
Then, too, it would be exceedingly convenient, though not abso¬ 
lutely necessary, to have such a fall that every pond could be 
drained, and the pond should be so situated that a rising and 
overflow of the stream should not overflow the ponds. This can¬ 
not be arranged very well if the ponds are made, as has been 
often recommended, by dams in the stream itself. They should 
be made at one side of the stream, taking all the water if re¬ 
quired, but leaving the bed of the stream as a convenient waste- 
gate in case of overflow. One dam across the stream will turn 
the water into the ponds, and the flow can be made even. 
The distance of a spring from a market makes but little differ¬ 
ence in these days of railroads and refrigerator-cars. But the 
amount of water and shape of land make much difference. It is 
also well to own the spring itself, if possible, in order to prevent 
disputes with other owners, and to have the water always pure. 
Ponds for fattening purposes are now generally made small— 
say about twelve feet wide by twenty-four feet long, either in the 
shape of a square or of an oval. It is a matter of fact that trout 
will find more natural food in a large pond than in a small pond. 
A large pond has also several other advantages over a small pond. 
For instance, it is more economical to build one large pond than 
two small ones, and it is less trouble to take care of one race-way 
and one set of screens than of two. But the fatal defect in large 
ponds is that fish cannot be equally fed. The larger and more 
voracious will follow the feeder as he moves around the pond, and 
drive away the smaller and weaker fish. But in a small pond the 
food can bp thrown all over the surface at once, and all the fish 
have an equal chance. 
