The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-04-28

float on the surface. They were mt
fed regularly until the summer f
1882. when those first put into tb
pond had spawned, and their youg
fish were SEEM swimming about. 2
to the appearace of these young fis
hin considerable numbers it We
thought the pond furnished sufficieD
food without any being supplied
They were then fed the bread am
vegetable scraps left from the table
boiled corn. and green corn when ii
season. They are fonder of corr
bread than anything else. and whel
wheat and corn bread are thrown
in the pond together. they eat all thu
corn bread before touching the whea
bread. They were fed with no regu
larity, sometimes every day anl
sometimes not for week. The fist
are strictly vegetarians, and those II
this pond have never yet been tempt
ed into biting at even a red earth
worm. They will, however, bite a
the white grub worms that are dui
up from under old logs. Entrails o
fowls are thrown on the surface o
the water, to test it for the presenc
of swapping turtles, remain untoEeR
ed as long as they are permitteT to
stay on the pond. The waite has
never been drawn off the pond since
its construction. All the fiji that
have been taken out have bee caught
with hook and line, and hose of
small size given to neighbor to stock
other ponds have been taen with
small dip. nets. The fishinswas done
with ordinary tackle, and the best
bait was found to be grea corn or
corn softened by boiling. Unlike the
bass and trout, they foolround the
bait for some little time, ,ut 60 with
rush when they do swallow it, and
make the reel hum.
The largest fish taxa out were
two-year Odds, 18 inches ong, weigh
ing 81 pounds. They were very
handsome fish. These were taken
out last fall, and furnished Mr.. Pal
mer's table after a greatmany were
given away. The scale arp, in Mr..
Palmer's opinion, are mGh superior
to the leather carp, beingvecy much
like perch in favor, whilethe leather
carp has the taste of the sucker or
mullet fish. Fish caught partaking
of the qualities of both kinds put
in the pond show that these fish
hybridize. The wonderful stories of
fish being called to their meals by
the ringing of a bell find no lodg-
ment with Mr.. Palmer. He says
that fish have very acute sight but no
hearing, and that so long asyou keep
out of their line of vision you may
make any amount of noise without
attracting their attention. The fish
when not supplied artificiaily with
food live off the natural pre- ducts Of
the pond, and root out and pull the
bulrushes, cat tails and other vege
table growths to pieces. They root
like hogs, and the surface of the pond
is often more or less covered with
floating grass roots. The government,
has given out number of acquatil
plants for fish-ponds, on which the
fish feed. Several of them are very
interesting. 1t it well to have but
one kind of fish in a pond. as min
nows are very ford of the eggs of the
carp, and hide around in the grass tC
get a cnance to eat the eggs. Many
other fish eat the young carp soon
after they are Matched. The princi
pal enemy of the carp and other fish
in ponds is the swapping turtle. He
hides in the mud. with his nose bare.
ly above it. and snaps the carp as i,
swims over the bottom. The only
way to get rid of such pests is to lei
the water off the pond and thorough.
overhaul it.
Mr.. Palmer's pond was not con.
structed with any view to sales of fish
but the matter has developed in this
section of country, and Mr.. A. s.
Smith. in the same district, has
pond from which he ships fish 10 mar.
ket. Mr.. Palmer uses his pond also
to fill his ice-house. Mr.. Y. d, Wat.
ers, who lives near Brookyille, had
large ice-pond on his place thai
had been standing for years and was
full ofvegetable growth. He got one
hundred scale carp from Druid Hill
Park IN the fail in 1884 ana put then
in his pond. Without any atten tiou
or feeding they did remarkably well
and In the fall of 1882 he caught some
of them with hook and line tina
weighed p pounds each. In winter
they hibernate, staying down in the
mud, and require no feeding. Thi,
spring Mr.. Waters expects his fish t
spawn, and will then give them regu