The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-12-22
THE FAMILY FISH-POND.
Seth Green Explains How to Make IL and
How to Stock 1t.

Seth Green Explains How To Make IL and
How to Stock 1t.
There are many artesian wells scat
tered all over the Western country, and
most of them many miles from any
lakes or streams or fish markets. 1t is
my opinion that nearly all of the flow
ing wells will furnish enough surplus
water to supply a pond that will supply
n family with fish. A very small stream
will furnish enough water for some
kinds. / would recommend carp as be-
ing the fish that would most likely be
success, as they require less care than
any other fish. do not consider them
the very best of fish, because of late
years | have been used to eating the
very best kinds our country affords, but
j do remember when my mother cooked
the suckers and sinners L caught with
bent pin. They were the best fish there
was. 1t would undoubtedly be the same
with n family raised on carp. They
would be the same to them as the sinners
were TO me-
My opinion has often been asked how
a carp pond could be constructed for
family use The pond can be made in
any shape to suit the locality, but
would prefer egg-shape if the location
was just as well adapted for it. The
pond would breed flies of great many
kinds; one of them would be mosqui-
toes. The>larva of all flies is the best
food for young fish. have bred them
by the bushel, but some of the mosqui-
toes would be apt to take wing before
the pond got well stocked with young
fish, and to protect the family in a
measure L would advise building the
pond to the leeward of the house of the
prevailing winds of their locality. If,
for one instance, the prevailing wind
was from the west, the pond should be
built on the east, northeast orlsoutheast,
because if the pond were placed directly
east of the house it would make lee
for them under which they could easily
reach the house. They can beat any
sailing craft before the wind, but on
the wind they are nowhere in the race
as they have no keel. The whole human
family should be thankful to the Crea-
tor for not putting keel on them, and
if their bowsprit had not been quite SO
sharp they might not receive SO many
handkerchief salutes from the verandas
of the Long Island hotels, but would
be just as useful and ornamental. The
pond can be built with pillow and
scraper. 1t should have deep place
in the centre and very shallow on the
edges If you have square sides the
young fish would have no protection
from the old ones. When scraping is
commenced, carry the earth as far back
as you intend making the lower outside
of your embankment. Keep scraping
until the pond is four to six feet in the
centre. If the locality is such that the
ice freezes very thick the pond should
be made deeper, and holes kept open
through the ice during the winter to
keep the fish from suffocating. If the
embankment was raised three feet and
pounded down and sodded or sown to
grass the water could be raised so that
but three feet III the centre would have
to be excavated in order to have a pond
six feet deep.
The pond should be sown with some
kind of grass or water plant, with the
exception of about fifty or seventy-fve
feet square in the centre. The grass
and water plants make the spawning
ground, breed food and protect the
young The ponds should not have
any other kinds of fish in them, and if
the grass gets too thick it can be raked
out. SETH GREEN.