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

ana winter. MS aulOHlallC Sate II D
screened as to prevent all ingress or Ill
gress of the smallest fish. All of m
ponds have the Jones DAM which, atte
careful consideration and practical trial
l unhesitatingly pronounce iron wall
against musk rats, crawish, ct idomn
genus. They have withstood the heav
lest freshets known here for years, cal
never rot or decay cost nothing for re
pairing, and the construction material
cheap and easily obtained. Experts wh'
have examined my dams, whilst surprls
ed at their simplicity and economy o
construction, at once concede their supe
riority over any known system. Th'
screen over the mouth of the trunk wa.
is superior to anything of the kind | have
ever seen. 1t never clogs, does not catcl
the smallest atom of rubbish, and ye
will not permit the escape of smalles
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 ?"
"No, only the small fry in the batch
ing pond. Carp should not be artificial
ly fed. The fish is vegetarian and no
caruivorous. 1t will fatteu rapidly upon
the succuent leaves of the water cress
the tender shoots of the pickerel, the
seed of the water oak, and the myriad oil
slugs and animalcul9 that abound upon
the leaves around the roots of the nymo'
hea odorapta, and other aquatic plants
My ponds are now we'll supplied with
every variety of water plants. make il
a point also to annually increase the food
supply. 1 have the banks lined with
elder bushes, the berries of which the
carp are especially fond of. This year
planted double rows of the Russian null
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 a variety of water moss,
a rank grower of which the carp seemed
fond"
"Wil they only feed upon vegetable or
insect matter 2"
ooh, no not all. Like pigs they eat
anything. But to make carp culture
profitable, artificial feeding should he
dispensed with as far as possible, and the
fish be required literally to root for its
own living If, however, artificial feed.
ing is resorted to it should be cheapened
as much as possible. Commencing in
the spring give them lettuce leaves, tur-
nip tops, and 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.
"NIuch difference of opinion seems to
exist as to the edible qualities of the carp.
What is your opinion of the fish 2"
Gas 1 told you, before embarking in
the business on such an extensive scale
/ satisfied myself on that by eating some
of my carp. They were ta!:en after the
spawning season, late in the fall, and
were plump and in good condition. I
tried them baked and 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 bony?"
call fish, believe have bones, but the
carp is rs 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
not be eaten during the spawning season,
or Immediately thereafter, as at that time,
like all other fish, the flesh is soft, and
| of unnleasant taste. Neither do | be-.
ieve, all statements to the contrary, that
carp taken from stagnant and offensive
pools of water would be tit to eat. In
such pools the flesh of the fish will un-
doubtedly be affected and rendered unfit
for table use, it having q modify and
muddy taste Speaking of the edible
qualities Of the fish, / see that the Uni
ted States Fish Commissioner, Hon. 5.
Baird, recently sent into twenty-three
States and Territories letters ofinquiry as
to the table qualities Of the carp, ad-
dressed to parties who had eaten the fish.
He received 242 replies and out of this
number 229 made favorable mention, the
need of praise running from good to
very 6ne.' Only 10 alluded to The fish
as poor and Indifferent"
elbow large do the carp grow"
Gin the river Danube, in Germany, they
are often caught weighing from 80 to
rs pounds. I have them weighing s
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
rapidity." O.,
"ln 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 its belly and
sides."
care they prolific?"
"Wonderfully so. Last September I
caught female carp weighing only l.!
pounds that must have had 10000 eggs
in it. A female carp weighing pounds
is said to contain 100000 eggs. Unlike
other fish, they do not spawn at certain
seasons, but drop their eggs as soon as
each female attains maturity, whether
| that be in April or November"
''Is it Il game fish p
"Not so gamey AS the shcephead, trout
or that cavalier of the sea- the Span.
ish nackerel, but at times it takes the
hook freely, is a strong pu!ler and fights
to tie last. Often last fall / had them
to snap my line in two and escape with
| bait aud hook"
GLOW many carp can be raised to the
acre?"
"That depends If arlificially fed l
should say five thousand, if not, perhaps
half that number. A carp pond proper
ly cared for and abundantly stocked with
natural food will undoubtedly pay iis
owner clear, net profit Of five hundred
dollars per acre. This will lead a cotton
farm, wont it? There is always de-
mand for fresh fish. aud they can readily