Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-01-11
aflistelIaueuns &eading.
HOW TO GROW CARP.

Hon. D. Wyatt Aiken in News and Courier.
CHICAGO, December IA was latterly call
| ed from duties to the Northwest, and return
ING through this beehive this morning 1 con-
cluded to spend day in attendance upon the
National Agricultural Association, which l
knew was in session here. The day has been
one of much interest to me, and the most in
teresting portion of it was spent in listening
to an hours talk on the subject OF fish culture
by one Captain Pearce, Of Pennsylvania, and
while waiting tonight for my train, with his
speech fresh in my memory, thought the
time might be we'll spent in dotting down for
publication those ideas most essential to your
readers who are attempting to grow fish, many
of whom know live in the third district
The speaker, Capt. Pearce, seemed to init
mate that he was master of his subject, and
what he did not know about fishes was not
worth knowing.
He said, let those who have the time and
spare money attempt to grow trout and other
fishes, but the masses must grow only the
carp. This was the fish for the people, and
about which the people knew but little, and
were attempting to practice the culture OF
without knowledge, and consequently going
directly in the face Of what was correct.
The carp is native of Asia, where it has been
cultivated grown and fattened, even IN wash
tubs, for centuries. Six hundred years ago 1t
was introduced by Jesuits into Austria, thence
into Germany, Prussia and Italy, in which
countries to-day hundreds of thousands OF
acres of ponds were devoted to their culture,
and upon which almost millions OF people
SubSiSted.
The carp is a timid fish and should never be
in pond with other fishes Big carp never
destroy little carp. They hybronate at the
first cold weather in tie fall and come out
when the sun grows warm in the spring, ex-
actly the same size they were in the fall, having
lived through the winter with their whole
body buried in the mud head downward.
They grow only when the water is warm.
They should never be fed but 'pastured"
upon the natural vegetation of the pond.
They do not spawn in sand beds as other
fishes, but the female spawns-npon growing
vegetables and the males lash these growing
plants with their tails throwing the milt over
them. There are usually three males to one
female. They grow more the second than
the first year, and should not be eaten till
they are three years old, when they will vary
in length from foot to eighteen inches, and
in weight from six to nine pounds. They can
be grown as cheap food for the million, while
it will cost nearly dollar to grow seventy
five cents worth of any other fish.
There should be three ponds, immaterial
whether they are together or not. They may
be miles apart. One for the spawn and year
lings, one for the two year olds, and one Tor
the eating fish. The pond should be as shall
low as possible, never more than five feet deep
in the South, and as much shallower as possi-
ble. An average of two feet is the best depth:
The bottom should be mud if possible, and if
the pond is in Il ravine with precipitous sides
it should be filled up to prevent deep water.
The dam should be so constructed as to enable
the owner to draw off the water from the
bottom, and all water escaping from the pond
should 60 through a crate at the bottom OF
the dam, so as to let off the cold water, there
being at least twenty degrees of heat differ,
ence between the first and the fifth foot OF
water in pond five feet deep. There should
he no shade trees near the pond, and every
encouragement given to the growth of all
kinds of mud or water grasses. There should
be planked vat about two feet deep and ten
feet square just inside the dam in the deepest
portion of the pond, so that when the water
was drawn off to catch the fish they would all
seek that vat, and could be dipped from it in
basket or net.