Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-10-08
THE CULTURE OF CARP.
a LAnar AND axuw,sa nsrrurK,sr.
what Has Beon Done by the Lancaster
iiScatorisi COMPANY at Their Ponds
on tho Mannheim fIke.


on the Mannheim fikc. |
While great many Of our readers have |
heard of the " lancaster Piscatorial com
pany and of their German carp ponds
short distance north of this city on the
Mannheim pike, comparatively small
| number are familiar with their location
and extent, and a still smaller number
with the fact that they are the largest,
best arranged, bost kept, and best etocked
carp ponds in the United States, not even
excepting the government ponds at Wash
| iugton.
The Lancaster Piscatorial company was
| organized two years ago aud consists OF
Mr.. David NJ. Mayer, president DR..
Miles L. Davis, secretary and director, and
DR.. 5. I. Davis, treasurer.
Tho ponds are located on a five acre
tract Of swamp and meadow land belong
ing to ID. L. Mayer, aud are supplied with
| an abundance OF water flowing from six
large springs, all of them being con-
trolled by means of pipes aud stops and
drains, 50 that the water OF one or all of
the ponds can be raised or lowered at
pleasure. The company has secured n
| twenty years lease of these springs and
the five acres of land adjoining.
There are at present four largo ponds
and several small ones in use-the largest
containing two and half acres of water
surface, with an island near tho centre,
covered with shrubbery, flowers and choice
grasses. Tho water 10 this pond varies in
dopth from one to six ieet, the deeper por
tiOus being intended as winter quarters for
the fish, they being thus enabled TO get
below the frost line, no matter how severe
the weather may be, and there doze away
in toTpcr the long winter months.
THE FISH HOUSE.
Adjoining this pond is the fish house, n
frame building 90 feet in width and 100
feet long. 1t is provided with a large pool
constructed of boards aud extending the
full length OF tho room in which are
| placed the "stookers " or young fish that
, have attained 4 length of TO 4 inches
The pool is SO arranged that the water can
at any time be drained OFF, go that tie fish
/ may be easily taken from IL for trauspor.
q tation to other ponds. Tho fish house
!. contains also a large boiler or steamer for
heating the water III cold weather. The
fish instinctively seek the warmer water
and assembling in numbers in tho warm
er part OF the pool, they are easily caught
!, in nets and placed in large cans in which
they are transported 20 other pools in
distant parts OF tho country. The steamer
$ is also used for cooking food for the fish il
). the several ponds in summer time.
@ East OF and adj joining the main pond is
r the spawning pond. This is 1870 feet in
Q length by 100 feet in width. In it have
- been placed only fifteen large fish male
:. and female, averaging about pounds
d weight each. They breed so rapidly that
@ there arc already many thousands of small
ir fry in the pond which by next summer
10 may be utilized as "stockers." The waite
re in this pond is in general from IL TO II
st inches IN depth, and in il are growing con
It siderable quantities of swamp willow and
10 other shrubbety, on which the fish feec
Of and among which they spawn and shec
" their mIlt. There is a deep hole in thi
20 pond for the fish to winter in.
,e y third pond adjoining tho above, il
N in q more natural condition than either o
y the others, being IN good part merel.
iti swamp land, ,overiiowed by a low dammin!
of OF tho springs The bottom of the pom
I'd is full of rushes, aquatic grasses aud smal
r shrubs of various kinds, on which the car
rt delights to feed. The pond is psrh ap
.l 400 feet long and 200 feet wide. 1t con
Y, tans not less than 0,000 carp from tw
s. to four years old, besides many thousan
al of small fry Some of the larger fish ar
le 81 inches in length ald weigh from t
q. pounds.
~ HOW THE FISH ARE CAP TURED.
- Daring the past few days the compan
Il
draining off tho water of the two largs
or ponds, for the purpose OF catching an
ty asserting the fish according TO their size. A
ne the water is very gradually drained oil th
,n fish seek the deep holes, above referred Il
no where they are easily caught in drag net
n the meshes of which are sufficiently larg
"a to allow all the small fry to escape, yer
ed few less than two inches in length bcin
al taken. From the two acre pond, D.
al Davis states, there were taken 9, 100 car
as OF all sizes, waile thousands upon thou
i'll sands of small fry escaped through tb
meshes of the net.
representative of the INTELLIGENCE
visited the premises on Tuesday at whio
~ time half dozen men were engaged
he draining the upper pond. Nearly all th
water had been drained off except in th
IT, deeper part near tue lower corner, and
be another deep place which had been du
Is out around spring that rises from th
en- bottom OF the pond. The men were fish
ed in this spring when our reporter was ther,
They used drag net ten or twelve fet
by long aud about half as wide. At ever
D. haul, they caught from one to t2
ais buckets full of fish, from two inches I
he eighteen inches in length. In two hour
nd time there must have been ten bushe
he OF fish taken in the net. Thes
were carried out upon the bank and a
sorted, the smaller ones or ''stockers
being thrown into large tin cans contain
ing water, and carried thence to the tisl
py house, into which they were dumped ,
ng have them handy when tho time comes f(
, shipping them TO other ponds The twl
ie- year olds, or ''spawners" were placed
? one of tho small ponds, and the large fis
or. intended for market, aud weighing frol
cs three to seven pounds, were placed in pc
co. feotly clear pool of spring water adjaceI
to the fish house. This pool is so feet long
M 13 feet wide. IL is built of brick and b;
ls- depth OF not more than 3 feet. I'll
brick floor and walls are laid in cement,
of that it is perfectly clean and water -tigh
I'm IL is fed with pure water from a. two inc
sG spring that boils up from walled we
IS fonr feet deep near one end of tho poe
fy' This water has q regular temperature OF
degrees.
ID, The object in placing the marke
III, able fish in this pool is to cleanse al
purify their flesh from the taint
no mud or the vegetables on which they fe,
~ while in the natural pools. 1t
we'll known that milk and butt
OF and even flesh of animals tls
Is. of tho food upon which they feed
and hence an objection urged againi
l., IA t,I nd MI m