The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-02-17
RIvERsFUL OF NEAT.
Tho Finpyf Gernna Destined to People
our Rivera-naethods and Capabilities of
sho Germnn.Carp.
atlantic Gns.itut;on.
NEW YoRK. January 90

| oee III ~ SFcHt prcDaOiNtles OF progress
and comfort for our people-and because
l met in Washington few days since q
gentleman who knew all about the first
carp establishment in Amesica-.hat of
MIR. Pappe in California.
AS a typical experiment in this most
important matter, the study of Pappe's
farm and farming will be interesting.
Said my informant:
| "Mr. Pappe was o German, of intelli-
gence and wealth, who owned q farm
about six miles from Sonora, In Califor.
mia. 1t il composed Of about 700 acres,
of which about $50 acres was considered
worthless. 1t was low, swampy land, aud
was full of springs that were constant,
rather than bold. and kept the place q
perfect msrsh. Mr. Pappo had bought
The farm to use as dairy farm. He put
the arabic land in grasses and grain, and
selected herd Of good milk cattle. This
occupied the most of his time until few
years since. lie leased it TO company of
Swiss dairymen. He then determined ia
utilize the marsh or "tule" land by fit.
ting UP for the the culture of carp--,he
enormous profits of which he had seen in
Germany"
LET us have his process p
1T was 80 simple that it could hardly
be called o process. He had the fore.
Sigh. to provide his ponds, however. be.
fore be went for his fish. He laid Off the
lowest part of tho marsh into an area for
seven ponds. He then dug them out to
the depth Ct about D feet, each covering
about 200 feet. The DRIFT dug from the
bottom was used aa dam and levee. His
place was called, 'Folpuli Rancho from
fhn nuu,hnP nf ~
-ponds. soon filled up with water that .lhas
uniform temperature Of about 74ssdo.
grees. The water is allowed to flow
easily through the pond gates at inter
succeed each other in falls of few feet.
Besides these ponds he built several
small ponds in which to place the fish
that were for sale. The making of the
ponds drained the rest of his $50 acres
and made it the richest land OH his
place."
"How did he secnre his carn?"
"Hc went TO Germany for them, This
shows how important he considered it,
He travelled 5000 miles across the cont.
nent-then took steamer for England
and thence to Bremen. He looked up 9
certain miller in Reinfeld, who was
repnted to have an excellent quality of
carp. He purchased SO fish selecting
them in all sizes-from fish more thnn
two feet In length-and from that size
down to the length Of steel pen. He
then hurried abonrd o steamer and
started home. He placed the fish in
four buckets, placed one higher than the
other. and arranged it so tha1 the water
would flow from one bucket from the
highest to the lowest bucket and back
again. The supply of ice gave out and
he soon found that he could not keep
the water cool enough. The fish COM
menced dying. the largest one going frat.
Mr.. Pappe set up night after night
watching them, but by the time he
reached New York harbor only 90 Of the
83 were left. Being detained two days
on account of quarantine, twelve more
died before he reached the shore. These
he put at once in small ponds cf Croton
water which he had prepared for them.
They we're left here for several days to
fecuperate end were visited by hundreds
of fish men. MFR. Pappe made the most
elaborate preparations for their conduct
across the continent taking half of spe.
ciGl car where he could attend to them
all the time. Afler nine days trip he
reached Sonora valley with Eve tiny fish,
the five smnllest Of the original S9.
These we're punny, slrggish and almost
dead. They represented b wever, three
months trip, and over $4,000 In cash, or
about $500 EACH"
"How did they thriye?"
That Is the interesting part of it, and
fortunately I have the figures to give
the special information. The five fish
were scarcely larger than oteel pen
when he put them in the pond.
This was In August 1877. In the May
following, nine months after he had put
them in tho pond, the original five had
grown to be over xteen inches in
length, and the nur 'ber increased to
over 5000. The carp err IN in April
and May, spawning two or three times
instead of continually as other fish do.
After this there was no lack of fish,
although The demand was immense. at
three years old the three remaing fish Of
the original five were over two feet long
and weighed abont fifteen pounds. The
average growth of the carp was about
twelve inches in twelve months after
birth-that is. fish spawned 10 May will
by the next May weigh from four to six
! pounds and measure from nine to twelve
inches. THIS is the ascertained result Of
Mr.. Pappe's fish. AS one female will
hatch out from 1900 &c 10000 under
good conditions, you caIl see that nu,
! merous results are obtainaSl.. There's
no meat-producing record likeit. Think
Of 1t. A single pair of earn To produce in
one season 10000 young that by the next
season would yield to the net from 60, 900
to 100000 pounds of the most delicious
meat food, and this, too, without a dol
lars expense Tor feeding or housing oT
attention"
"If the yield of a single pair is from
| 10000 to 10000 why did Mr. Pappu's
| produce only 3.cGG the frat year7"
Simply because they had spent the
first three or four months of their lives
in travelling and month. probably, in
recuperating. Their spawn was much
larger than 5000, but the frogs destroyed
q large amount of it. The yield was not
as large, however, as it was for the same
ese fish the next year."
"You say that it cost nothing for food.
What did Mr. Pappe feed his fish on9"
"He fed them mainly on curd from
the dairy. He used to cay, for he is dead
now, that carp would cat anything q
hog would. They ere fond of barley
wheat, or anything of the kind. They
| find large par. Of their food In the pond
itself. especially il the pond bed has been
sowr in wheat or some sort of grain
before the water is turned on. / mean
by saying that they cost nothing to keeD
that they would live and thrive on what
Is usually the wastage Of farm and
what would be thrown away IL the carr
pond was net there to empty it into
UFusta of bread scrana of vA1eta hias