The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-04-10

careful consideration and practical trial,
| unhesitatingiy pronounce iron walls
against musk rats, crawfish, ct idoMne
genus. They have withstood the heav.
lest treshets known here for years, can
never rot or decay, cost nothing for re.
pairing, and the construction material is
cheap and easily obtained. Experts who
have examined my dams, whilst <urpris.
ed 1T their simplicity and economy of
construction, nj once concedc their supe.
riority over any known system. The
screen over the mouth Of the trunk way
Is superior to anything OF the kind have
ever seen. II never clogs does not catch
The smallest atom of rubbish. and yet
will not permit the escape of smallest
fish. The gate is also an excellent in.
vention, simple and easy to operate.
can empty my pond in five hours, and my
stock pond in twenty four hours"
do you feed your carp?"
mo, only the small fry in the hatch.
ing pond. Carp should not be artificial.
iy fed. The fish is "A vegetarian and not
carnivorous. 1t will fatten rapidly upon
the succulent leaves of the water cress,
the tenuer shoots of the pickerel, the
seed of the water oak, and the myriad of
slugs and nnimalculn that abound upon
the leaves around the roots of the nymo-
hea odoraDta, and other aquatic plants.
My ponds are now well supplied with
every variety OF water plants. MAKE it
point also 10 annually increase the food
supply. l have the banks lined with
elder bushes, the berries of which the
carp are especially fond Of This year
planted double Iuws of the Russian mul.
berry near the ponds. These will bear
in few years, and afford in their season
large supply of natural food. have
also in my ponds IL variety of water moss,
n rank grower of which the carp seemed
fond"
"Will they only feed upon vegetable or
insect matter?"
ooh, no not all. Like pigs they eat
anything. But to make carp culture
profitable, artificial feeding should he
dispensed with rs far us possible, and the
fish be required literally to root for its
own living II, however, artificial feed.
ing is rcsorted to it should be cheapened
as much Ms possible. Commencing in
the spring give them lettuce leaves, tur-
nip tops, aud kitchen scraps. Later feed
cabbage leaves, melon rinds, sweet corn,
squash, etc, and in the fall pumpkins,
boiled turnips, cabbage, potatoes, etc.
They seem especially fond of pumpkins,
and the fry will literally gut large
sized one.
"Much difference of opinion seems to
exist as to the edible qualities of the carp.
What is vsur opinion of the fish ?"
CAS- l told you, before embarking in
the business On such an extensive scale
satisfied myself on that by eating some
of my carp. They were taken aitei the
spawning season, late in the fall, and
were plump and in good condition. l
tried them baked anI fried, and found
them far superior in flavor to the mullet
or perch, and nearly if not indeed quite
the equal Of the shad. The flesh is very
white aud about the same consistency as
shad"
"Were they bnny7"
"All fish, believe have bones, but the
carp is as free from them as any fish
know of. Indeed with the large carp,
the bones give no trouble, the flesh flax
ing off nicely. Carp. however, should
net be eaten during tie spawning season,
OF immediately thereafter, It's Il; that time,
like all other fish, the flesh is soft. aud
of unpleasant taste. Neither do | be.
iieve, all statements To the contrary, that
carp taken from stagnant and offensive
pDoiS VI Whit WOuIt Utt iil I'd ptt. III
such pools the flesh Of the fish will un.
doubtedly be affected aud rendered unfit
for table use, it having II modify and
muddy taste. Speaking of the edible
qualities OF the fish, | see that the Uni
ted States Fish Commissioner, Hon. S.
Baird, recently sent into twenty three
States and Territories letters ofinquiry as
to the table qualities of the carp, ad-
n HrpuyaI N no rfi hp hul for thn s,h
He received 242 replies and out Of this
number 229 made favorable mention, the
need Of praise running from 'good,' to
very fiue' Only 10 alluded to the fish
as poor and Indifferent"
"How large do the carp grow?"
''In the river Danube, in Germany, they
are often caught weighing from 80 to
rs pounds. I have them weighing
pounds, three years of age. In South
Carolina, Georgia, or The eastern part Of
this State, where the waters are warmer
the same fish would doubtless have at
tained weight of fifteen pounds. In
this section with long winters and late
cold springs they will not grow with such
rapidly"
''At what age, will they spawn?"
"In this section, the Scale carp at two
years, the Leather and Mirror carp at
three"
Can the male be distinguished from,
the female!"
Easily, the female. is the largest, and
Just before the spawning season acquires
a bright yellowish cast on it's belly and
sides."
care they prolifc?"
Wonderfully 80. Last September 1
caught a female carp weighing only II
pounds that must have had 10000 eggs
in it. A female carp weighing S pounds
il said to contain 100000 eggs. Unlike
other fish, they do not spawn at certain
seasons, but drop their eggs as soon rs
each female attains maturity, whether
that be in April or November"
"ls ii 4 gamc fish ~
"Not 80 gamey as the sheephead, trout
or that cavalier of the sea- the Span.
ish mackerel, but at times it .akes the
hook freely, is n strong puller and fights
TO the last Often last fall l had them
to snup my line in two and escape with
bait and hook"
"How many carp can be raised to the
acre7"
"That depends If arti6cially fed I
should say Ave thousand, if not, perhaps
half that number. A carp pond proper.
ly cared for and abundantly s,ock.a with
natural food will undoubtedly pay it's
owner clear, net profit of five hundred
dollars per acre. This will lead cotton
farm, won't it3 There is always de.
mand for fresh fish, aud they can readily
be sold at ten cents per pound. At that
price, the profits per acre would be enor-
nous, provided always that proper care il
given the ponds, for carp have many
enemies"