Litchfield enquirer., 1856-09-18
Rearing riah.

| lA Col. LYIE's report k brief and p11oticel
 and cannot fail to suggest and snee1r6& 6ipk
 lar efforts to all similarly situated.
 "Two years ago the rsport on the success. 1 ful culture of Fish by Mr. Hill near Augus.
 ta Georgia, called my attention to the subject, Having near my house at suitable locauea Ca hollow in the hills, with two or thrse bold springs breaking forth, I hid of . pond ier. ty-fve feet wide and seventy feetlong. Ithen proceeded, by digging the earth from the uIr springs, to construct a dam on tho lower aide, six feet high with seven feet base. This en-J abled me to raise five foot head of Matef,at which point small trunk of common plank was inserted as Q waste-way. In this pond, | placed in the mouth of April last, some six or seven hundred fish, such as perch, mA wmouths, silvers and mnnows. To these | hove since added few others, snch as trout, flyers, &c. x
 The increase in size of these fish has been very remarkable; while the increase in ntin-i bers has been enormous indeed, believe ten thousand, from the appearance in the pond, would be but moderate estimate. As yet, '1 have only used . few for the table, prcferrinR to wait another year for their increase in size and the thorough stocking of the pond |
 have however been enabled to spare to several of my neighbors, who have since erected ponds, a sufficient number to start the culture with.
 "The pond being too small for such . vast number of fish to procure subsistence in the ordinary way, have been compelled of course to feed them. Almost anything answers for this purpose, such as shreds of meat, crumbs of bread, hominy, wheat bran, entr6ils of fowls, chopped fine, together with the offal of all an- mals, &c. Occasionally furnish them with a treat in the way of earth worms, grubs, catter. pillars, &c l have recently learned from O gentleman connected with the Japan expedi- ton, that the Chinese, who are perfectly ax fat in fish culture feed and fattcn their fish on fresh COW dung and grass chopped fine, gene rally that very common plant among us, known to farmers as purslain. Whether this win arl. swer am unable to say, but as I intend to make trial, trust shall be able to report at a future day.
 '' The varieties of fish proper for such ponds as mine, or any still waters, think, are bream, the perch, the mawmouth, the red-bellied perch, the trout &c 1 would by all means avoid the pike, the jack, and that horrid fish, knowu.m the cat. The objections to these are, that they are extremely yoracions, and prey not only upon the spawn, but the small fry, of all other fishes besides this, tho two former arc very boncy, while the latter is scarcely fit even for n stew. The trout, too, is voracious fish, and the propriety of breeding them with other fish is very doubtful but as took care to stock. my pond well with minnows before procured the trout, l hope to be able to succeed.. This fact, however, only can be settled by time.
 The cost of my pond was only twenty-five dollars, and it is sufficiently large, think, fer the purpose. The gentleman referred to pre- s.fr Ak,& in China had it's fish pond, many of them not more than ten feet square. In these, however. tho fish were ouly fattened, while they were bred elsewhere If this be 50, 1t fellows that every man in the State can have pond who has spring or running brook on his place. and at on expense so triaing in comparison to the advantages, that it's cost will be c mere baga- tellc
 In my neghborhood there are now, besides my own, four fish ponds, and ono near Wiuus- boro,' belonging to my relative Capt. T. w. Woodward, commenced at the same time, or before my own. His experience has su far been perfectly satisfactory, and he eoncurs with me, that fish can be as easily propaguted as poultry If such be the fact aud | sin- ccreIy believe it, why should not every mait have his fish pond, as well as his poultry ysrdf To say nothing about the pleasure of angling, the fact that fish can be obtained at all sea. sons, when poultry is scarce, &c, ought to de- termine the question favorably.
 In conclusion, will say that my experi- ence is too limited as yet to determine what varieties of fish are best for particnlar ocali- ties, &c. This must be the result of trial and experience on the part of fish breeders. have no doubt, however, the time will come when fish ponds will be almost as common as poultry yards, and when fish of almost every variety will be acclimated (if 1 may be allowed the expression to convey my idea) including the, choice European varieties, such as trucle, tho, carp, the sole, &c."