The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-09-06

caught IUO pounds OF edible fish, consist
ing OF trout, Dream. mouths, rod
bellied perch and suckcrs-the trout, OF
==h:ch there weT0 oglyni03, weighing
from fcur pounds whieiiNw was the heavi-
est, 70 one and a half pounds, the Oldest
and largest being four years old My
pond igstsvo acrea aud half in extent.
Myriads Of young FISH, the weight OF
Hllch is not reckoned in the aboye, were
pat back aud are now doing better snce
the larger ones have been taken out. In
fact, gu ponds, including mill ponds,
should be drained and the fish assorted
at least every third year. II should be
borne in mind ths, the 7G3 pounds we're
the product Of tbe pond, with no assist.
ance whatever, except the occasional
throwing in of little grist, more for the
purpose of attracting the fish to certain
localities where l was in the habit OF
using the hook, than for regular feeding,
aid that 1t was not the result of an un.
usual accumulation, for the pond. had
beeu subjected TO vigorous fishing each
year s'Ice its commencement.
The truth is, that meagre as have been
the results obtained by pisccullurists OF
thip State, there is not on instance, and |
include myself, IN which we had a riRht
to expect better returns-not one in
which we deserved success. have yet
TO hear Of any one in this State who has
made Use Of Matching boxes, artificial
iecunda;ion, or any of the plans or ap-
pliances by means Of which 80 much is
being done elsewhere. My experiment.,
In artificial Matching have beer. o;, ~, ex-
ceediDgly small scale, mostly in tum-
blcrs, soup plates and in Il small glass
aquarium, and mere for the purpose of
testing the truth of the discovery than
for practical advantage.
Seth Green and other Discic Ilturists of
the North, who have done 80 much for
the country, pursue regular systematic,
scientific routine-first constructing
ponds with n proper regard for water
supply and extent of surface, having due
care against damage from frcshcts and
other unfavorable contingencies Then
attention is & T.h to the procuring and
impregnating Gf eggs. These are Matched
IN boxes judiciously arranged for the
purpose the young are then confined IL.
separate reservoirs, according To aye and
size, because fishes of the same size car
&c! s"a!!"s' each other Here they are
regularly supplied with animal food.
which is made to take the place of fish
diet until ready for market. SO com.
pletely has the process been perfected
that nature herself has been outwitted in
the arrangement, and the fact established
that pisciculturists can breed fish faster
than fish can breed themselves. II has
been said that whoever raisea and sends
to market O million of frogs will be the
possessor of nh immense fortune by the
tTansactl0n. 1t il equally true that Who
ever properly cutivatcs the fresh water
turtle, which fourishes in any kind of
water and feeds largely upon aquatic
plants, which all ponds should furnish,
will find himself largely tho gamer.
But TO him who lrst raises tho produce
Of only single pair Of either the trout,
tho Dream, red-bellied perch, NAV.
mouth, red-horse, bumped back sucker.
cat, or almost any other Of our numerous
species, simrle as is tho process, will be
due the gratitude Of the State. DO with
our trout (Grystes salmoides) what Green
has done with his trout (salmo fon.
tinalis), and compare results. His fish
produces about 600 eggo, requires several
months to hatch and about; four years Of
careful feeding to reach one pound in
weight. From one Of our. trout Tshaya
counted over 10000 eggs, and theH fro.
quently rear two broOds In O year: fthey
can be hhtched in from four to six davs.
and In four years would easily average
four pounds ia weight. Deduct ton ner
cent;;--ualial loss from eggs to ashland
you have $40 fry in one inetance. IA 400
in the other. Now allow half for casual
ties, and you have 2,07O for one and
1900 for tte other. Feed then. sor four
years and the difference in weight is in
iaTaz CT The Southern fAh by ,l5.5a
ppunds. The difference in flavor is
claimed for the salmo fontinalis, but I
have yet to see even the epicure who
would discard the Grystes salmoidcs
either for pot or pan purposes. AS n
game fish, he is little if ut all inferior to
the brook trout. All can testify who
have bad o.:s at the end OF his sod tba.
he neither lacks pluck nor energy. do
believe, with this Il;h treated as are some
at the North, that it 10 practicable to add
millicns OF pounds to our supply, and
yet am not prepared to say that it is
our most valuable species for ponds in
fact have always thought that to soma
Of tto cyprlnoid family would be given
To palm.
Whilst engaged on this article, Mr..
James NJ. EteWsrt, of Winnsboro, fur
nished the following information: His
mill dam broke dcring the last heavy
rains and ran down to thu buttop. u. Is
were left two trout oi several ,,hich I
had given him, aud which were lust two
years cid. One weighed two pounds and
three.quarters, the other two pounds and
one.1uarter. Neither had beeufgl arti.
ThiS information Is excselin6lN Hai,E.
able, as it shows that larger results as to
weight can be reached than has been sea-
'timated, and that clear waters are by no
means essential, for Mr.. Stewards pond
Is situated among the rcddcst and steep
eat hills of Fairfield, and is after every
rain ns muddy % clay hole.
! suggest, in conclusion, the formation
Of o society, which viii have fos its OBJ
lect the advancement of pisciculture, to
be called "The South Carolina Piscicul-
tural Association" This body, having
such bylaws and officers az may be
agreed upon, could meet with either the
State Grange or the State Agricultural
and Mechanical Society, or with both,
and could by assigning experiments with
different Einas of fish to different sections
Of the State, and by sending delegate. to
aimilar bodies in other States, tend large
ly to the speedy solution of the now
doubtful question SO often asked, what is
the best fish for the ponds Of this State
The problem before US, then, is to
raise the young ofGa singie pdir, even
where there are thouBands OF pairsi in
reach. DO this, and fish ponds are q
grand success.
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