Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1851-06-28
BREEDING FISH.

The London Morning Chronicle gives interesting
count of curious branch of husbandry which pacsed in
France in the valley Of the Saone characteristic feature
Of this part of France is the number of small lakes or
ponds by which the surface studded In one department.
that Of Saone ct Loire there actually upwards Of two
thousand Of these sheets of water, principally lying to the
east Swiss side Of the Saone These sheets of water are
Of all Sizes from pools to lakes Of from fifty to one hun
ded acres in extent and they play very curious part in the
agriculture Ct the district many Of them being alternately
dried and eed, the proprietor raising year in the
precise spot in which be caught fish in the preceding summer
The small ponds commonly used for rearing the fry which
are destined acquire their full growth in the larger sheets
Of water. The following outline of the plan of opera
ton
cat the commencement of winter from ten to fifteen carp
turned into each small pond great care being taken that
no pike manages to slip quietly in along with them. The
next the water nurseries dried, and thousands of
young carp are found sprawing in the mud. The fry is
called la ~ and is let loose in larger ponds in the ratio
Of about thousand two hundred little fishes acre.
Here the creatures pass the second year of their @ attaining
size Of shout four five inches In this stage they
called c1pAons or aus; and subject to the treat
ment as BEFORE the pond being again Drained and its
pants turned out into still larger piece Of In this
third dwelling place they take their final development. They
are flung into in the proportion Of about hundred and
eighty cUpOns per acre, and taken out again in one,
two, or three years afterwards according to the size of fish
required The carp aen fast in rich, muddy waters, sleep
ing sagnanty 10 the bosom of fat fields and stiff auva Soils
The ponds sprnked among the woods the feeding
places Into the third pond dozen Of small pike let
loose destined to keep down the young carp that the
fish have the advantage of the best possible feed
ing The final fishing generally takes place early in tho
spring The water is drained off and the fish are caughtby
hand OF BY hand nets They usually sold upon the spot
either BY the hundred by weight to the agents Of fish
mongers in the neghbong towns occasionally to the trades
men Of Lyons or Paris BY whom they carried of in casks
pierced with holes and half filed with The critical
time for the interests Of the fish breeder the draining of the
water lest the creatures die in the mud the critical time for
the shmonger is the cartng them homo lest they die in the
cask common practice, after pond has been fshed
for three successive years. to drain thoroughly and to SOW
maize or oats Tor the earth has been under
water Near Chalons, three years and three years
crops is the rule The proportion in other districts depends
much upon the qualities Of the land The weight Of autho
ry IS understand in favor of the doctrine which maintains
that fields are pro6ab than fish ponds The larger
ponds yield from four sir thousand carp annually, but the
unknown depths Of the rich black mud they contain rendert
certain that complete drainage and good cultivation would
greatly enhance the value ofthe land"