The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1885-10-23
Carp Culture.

Cnlnk every man VINO naS suit
able place should have a carp-pond
as we'll as an apiary in TACT, be.
lieve those who tried both, find tha
there is as much profit, fnot more in
carp culture that there is in bee cult
ure; or, at least, | find such to be my
experience, for [ have made consid
erable more clear money in carp cult
ure than in bee cul ure. though | am
an A B G scholar in both. | will say.
however, that / do not expect to
mske a speciality Of either. I hrve two
ponds Both together cover about
one-fourth Of an acre of land. /
stocked one Of them in February Is.
83, with only % carp. varying in
length from Il to four inches. In
March, 1884. drew down my water
and found only 20 of them, being in
length from ten to fourteen inches.
The Others, [ presume. had been de-
stroyed by mud turtles, some of
which [ caught.
l sold eight carp to a ne ghbor
leaving only ten. | succeeded in
raising about $50, which spawned
about the middle OF May last (thev
having spawned only one time dur
ing the srason), which were from four
to six inches long when l transferred
them to my other pond, to stock it.
am confident that | had many more
hatched out than were raised, for
could see them swimming on the top
of the water in considerablenum
when they were about an inch long. |
think that the frogs must have de
stroyed them, as they were very num-
erous about The pond. Iintend max
sng my ponds trog and turtle proof by
setting posts all around. and plank.
ing TO the posts. letting the plank in
to the ground, and making close Joints
nntil raise it 81 or feet high.
My ponds are ditched, or drained
all round. to avoid being ovmfowed
by hard rains. Ponds should be con
>tructed. If possible. SO as to have
p#rt Of the bottom of mud or soft
loamy earth; for in freezing weather
the fsh part ally bury themselves in
the mud The rest of the bottom
should be top earth, as it VII pro-
duce more swamp grass, which the
fish eat. In excavated ponds the
feed is very nearly all supplied arti-
ffcially. as hurt little natural food
will srring up in snch ponds. The
epth of the water need not exceed
b or feet in this latitude. and a
sma channel need he that deep, AMI
the rest of the bottom should range
from one tn sixteen inches deep as
more grass will spring up and grow
in sha low water; and hesides the sun
will warm the water quicker, and he
pawn will hatch better, than in deep
W ter; in fact those who have lad
experence in the business sa that
water may be 80 deep that t is donht
ful whether the spawn will ever hatch.
My en- fish that are now in m,
brood-pond are l. TO % inches i..rr,
three of which are leather carp. tn
Others scalv ones. They are two
years old, som" Of my neighbors W @
have some three years old say they
are from "a to 26 hes long, and
weigh from IA 30 I6 lbs, The scaly
carp seem to Lave the prefer nee for
table nsr. hut think leather backs
ontg on them. My fish will eat al
most any kind of food that hos
will, cabbage. onion tops, peaches,
mniberries, black berries. grapes. yong
tender wheat oats, boiled corn. raw
cow-pea> (swelled) bread of all kinds.
and. in feet, scraps of almost any
thing. and evenshttle pieces of dead
torest.'eaves, or trash. that floats on
the top of tn" pond. G.. d. BRowN.
Bowman, Ga.-G!eoninys In Bee
J Culfu!e.