The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1883-11-08
Carp Culture.

OF 1904. In Austria, which pos
sesses the most extensive carp fish
cries in Europe, the culture of carp
can be traced as far back as the
year 1928.
The carp is partial to stagnant
waters, or such as have a not too
swift current, with loamy, muddy
bottom, and deep places covered
with vegetation. 1t is an advan
tage that the carp is able to live in
water where other fishes could not
possibly exist; for instance, in the
pools of bog meadows or sloughs.
Such, however, are not the best To-
calities for carp ponds of superior
kind, as the presence of too much
humic acid is unfayorable to the
well being of the carp.
The carp lives upon vegetable
food as well as upon worms and lar
vac of aquatic insects, which it turns
up from mud with the head. 1t is
very easily satisfied, and will not re-
fuse the offal of the kitchen, slaugh-
ter houses and breweries, or even the
excrement Of cattle and pigs.
The abundance of eggs in the
carp is very great, and this circum
stance will explain it's extraordina
~ increase in the natural waters.
A fish weighing from four to five
pounds contains on an average
from four hundred thousand to five
hundred thousand eggs. The eggs
of the carp are adhesive, not de-
tached like those of of the Salmoni-
de, these latter lying loosely on the
ground, while the former adhere in
Jumps to the object upon which they
have fallen. AS soon as the egg
mas left the body ofthe fish it swells
up a little, the mucus which sur
rounds it serving as a means to
fasten itself upon some aquatic
plant, stone or brushwood. Those
eggs which have no such objects to
cling to are lost. The long strap
shaped, thin leaves of "water grass"
Festuc0 Ruitaus, spread softly over
the waters surface, as also its nu-
merous branches in the water af-
ford to the fish the sought-for OPP
portunity to deposit it's eggs upon
the tender leaves. The leaves will
develope themselve quickly, if as
sisted by warm weather. AS early
as the fifth or sixth day the first
traces of the dusky spots, the eyes,
will be visible, and toward the
twelfth, or at the latest the six
| teenth day, the little embryo fish
will break through its envelope.
This rapid development takes
place only in the shadows of thor
opghly warmed ponds; where the
water is deeper, and consequently
colder, the process may require
as many as twenty days.
It's growth differs, according as
the fish inhabits cold or warm water,
a river, lake or pond, finding plen-
tiful food therein,or being fed. An
additional factor is the quality of
the soil, whether muddy or stony.
In cold water or such as has a
stony bottom, the carp will not pro-
gress favorably. The growth OBJ
tanned by the carp in waters of cold
countries is about three ana one
fourth pounds intwo and ahalf years,
IS there the carp has only season
of four or Aye months growth, being
lethargic in cold weather and alb
staining from food. from October till
the last of March. In the warm
streams and ponds of the south
where at no time would it be so
cold, the feeding would continue
throughout the winter and growth
of three to four pounds obtained
in one year.
In stocking ponds, three females
and two males, sometimes twice
that number, are calculated to the
acre, and while the females, as be-
fore stated, bear a great number of
eggs, many are not empregnated,
nor do all of these come to life.
The most liberal estimate is from
eight hundred to one thousand
young fishes to each epaYner, the
aggregate per acre amounting to
from four to five thousand. This
number of young carp to the acre
requires water very rich in natu
ural food; if there are too many
young fish in the pond, they grow
very slowly, as the water cannot
produce the necessary quantities OF
food.
Carp may reach very advanced
age, as specimens are to be found
in Austria over one hundred and
forty years old. Its increase in
length only continues to certain
age; but It's circumference will in
crease to It's thirty-ffth year.
They have been known in the south
ern parts of Europe weighing thirty
to forty pounds, measuring three
and one-half feet in length by two
and three ourths feet in circumfer-
ence. During the Grimean war a
French officer killed carp with a.
rife below Widdin on the Danube
weighing sixty seven pounds. H.