Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-12-16
CARP CULTURE.
THE FOURTH OF LEVI DAVIS ARTI-
Giles (sEcosD ssEIEs).
On the Culture of Carp for Food-Row to
Raise the Fish-tnterest-
iIg Facts
Prepared for the REcoRp. usroS ]


Before proceeding further wish to cor
rect an error which occurred in my last
article, in regard to stone and gravel IN
ponds The types make me say that If
there are stones and gravel in the POND
there is no need of the aquatic plant. Now,
If this idea was acted upon, it would give
man a worthless pond yes, more than
worthless-it would be an expensive one,
and cause him an entire failure in Matching.
meant to have said that there was no
need Of, neither should there be, any gravel
or stone in the pond. know l am giving
large amount of sugar for cent, but do
not wish to mix quinine with it. We will
now return to
THE YOUNG CARP
In the pond. As stated in article No. 8,
they soon began to take food, and here the
amusement commences. They go in schools,
and to THROWN piece of bread, or any food
that will float on the surface of the water,
causes them to go for it like gang of little
pigs, too numerous by half to get in the
swill tub. l have seen the fish, in their
anxiety and rush, throw each other en-.
tirely out of the water, and you can also
hear them sucking off the food
the same as You can pig. Thus they
continue to feed until winter begins,
when they commence to seek the deeper
water, to pass the winter season in kind
of sleepy or torpid state similar to the habit
of the bear. This will sometimes occur as
early as the LIST CT November should the
winter set in early. They always enter
this state in groups of so or 100 or more.
They make cavity in the mud at the bot
tom of the pond, called kettle, and in
this they pass the time in that dormant
condition until spring, huddled together in
concentric circles, with their heads to-
gether, the posterior portion of the body
raised and held immoyable, scarcely lifting
the gills for
THE PROCESS OF BREATHING,
And without taking food. They take no
food from about October until March, and
in colder districts somewhat longer yet
during all this winter sleep they do not
loose any weight, but come out of it in
the spring fatter than when entering. The
carp does not grow during the winter
months; warmth alone seems to exercise
favorable influence ON them to promote
growth. They come forth only when the
rays of the spring sun have warmed the
water thoroughly, and then they commence
to take food. AT this time the eggs have
developed considerable in the body of the
fish, and it only requires few daya OF
warm weather to bring about the spawning,
winch | have described in a previous ar.
ticle. They only grow during the months
of May June, July and August they gain
little during September by accumula.
tion of fat around their entrails. Should
the month of May be mild and warm from
the beginning, we may look for and expect
good growth throughout the entire sea.
son. Culturists altogether dislike cold and
stormy weather at this season, as not only
the eggs, but also the young fry suffer
much from it. A wet, cold, stormy sum.
mr. is no more profitable to the carp cult.
wrists than it is to agriculturists. 1 prom.
ised in previous article to speak of
THE cARP's ENEMIES,
And here is suitable place to notice some
of them. The pond must Tor should) be
screened against the intrusion of pike, cells,
bass, catfish and all other cannibal fish,
frogs, snakes, rats, the water dog, turtles,
and various kinds of water fowls, and all
voracious animals. A fine grating will pre-.
vent the entrance of the former. while
against the latter various traps may be
used to advantage; and other means
might be adopted IN small establishments,
such as | have been speaking of, containing
fraction, or few acres. 1t will be found
advantageous (even should it be little
expenslve) to inclose the ponds with a
board fence three or four feet high, and
set four or five inches in the ground.
This will exclude great many
enemies, even the swapping turtle, which
is the most dreaded of all the enemy tribe
of the fish. This contemplate water ami.
NAL, if we should call him such, has been
known to clean out all the fish in. ponds ;
at night it seizes the fish (which, not ex.
pecting danger, rest at the bottom), with
its sharp fangs and kills them. 1t is a
popularity of the carp to rest
ON THE BOTTOM AT NIGHT,
And also during cold, stormy weather, and
this monster, the snapping-turtle, has
therefore good opportunity of destroying
the fish. In placing spawn in ponds for
Matching purposes, there should be none
except good, healthy, first class fish pu. in.
and, as have already stated, two males to
one female. l have been often asked how
TO distinguish the sexes. The females are
11cT a ltr
fiat across the abdomen and of p2ler color,
while the males are roauder and more trim
built, and usually of deeper orange color
on the abdomen and in the spring sea
son the males have protuberances like warts
on their heads and backs. But in order
that there may be no mistake, place
fish on its back in one hand,
and with the thumb and finger
of the other hand press gently from the
gllls to the fundament, and if a male the
milt will flow, which looks like cream. By
this mode of examination no mistake will
occur.
A NEW QUESTION
Has just been asked me by Mr.. Drake, OF
Humboldt, Cal. His letter of inquiry EN-.
bodies facts of some Importance, and reads
rs tolloWs nave got the carp fever.
In looking over the files of one of my pa.
pers | find several communications from
you, and in one of them l get the idea that
you have the fish for sale l would like
TO know your price for half dozen old
fish and young fry, and how much the
freight would be on them to Eureka, Hum.
boldt Bay, Cal. 1 have splendid place
to make one large pond containing two or
three acres. The ground is covered with
dense thicket of myrtle, alders, aud
blackberry bushes. OF course, when the
water is flooded ever that ground all these
kind of bushes would be apt to die. |
would like to know from you whether such
decaying vegetation would be good for the
fish or not, or would | have to cut it all
away and burn it off the ground? would
make the water fifteen feet deep, and by
blocking up between banks about twenty
feet in part, and have a great plenty of shall