Thomas County cat., 1886-12-02
CARP ON THE FARM.

Condensed Directions for Farmers Con-
tempia.ing the Construction OF a FOND.
TO construct pond. first stake of
your land the desired dimensions; tnen
take a plow and scraper, and with
them make the necessary excavation.
The pond should be about five or six
feet deep in the center. gradually slop-
ing up to the edges. The object in hav-
ing the pond deep in the center is to
provide the fish with place to settle
into during the winter without danger
of the water freezing solid and thereby
killing them. as would be the case in
cold climates if the water was all shall
low. The reason for having the bot
tom sloping is, that thereby the fish
can have access to plenty of warm.
shOal water, and also that IN case the
old fish are not taken out after spawn
ing, the young fish will have the pro-
lection of the shallow water along the
edges, into which the larger fish can
not swim if they should feel inclined to
make meal on some of their younger
relatives
The outlet should be about three feet
wide, and SO constructed that it can be
well screened 10 prevent the fish from
escaping, and so as to admit of the
water being drawn off when it is de-
sired to remove the fish or to cleanse
the pond. The screens may be made
of wire netting. and painted with gas
tar mixed with one-third turpcntine,
or to the consistency of paint, and APP
piled with an ordinary paint brush.
The wire netting should be tackled to
strong wooden frames. made to tit the
space to be screened. To screen a
carp pond etfectually, three screens of
different sized meshes should he used.
These should slide in a grooved frame
work. so that they can be taken out
easily and cleaned. The coarser screen
should be placed first. Or nearest to
the pond. so as 10 catch the principal
part of the drifting matter, and prevent
the clogging of the lower and finer
screens. About eighteen inches back of
the screens the outlet boards should be
placed, fitted 10 slide in groove.
They should be about six inches wide
each, and made to tit closely, as it is
by these that the overflow is regulated.
1t is advisable to have the top boards
narrower than the lower ones, so that
the water may be raised or lowered to
any level desired. If galvanized
wire-which is the best, although
more expensive-is used for screens,
they need not be painted with gas-tar.
For pond containing large carp only,
the outlet screen may be made OF Stats
about three inches wide, with haif-inch
openings between the stats. If leaf
strikes against Stats of this width,
it will pass between them without OBJ
structing the flow of water, as it can
not lap around them as it would do if
the Stats were smaller. In all eases
the screens should extend nearly to
the bottom of the pond. so as to pre-
sent as great surface as possible.
Carp can be raised in well water,
but water from brook is preferable.
They will succeed in the Northern
States if the ponds are deep enough
not to freeze to the bottom in winter.
Carp do not require feeding in winter,
as they burrow into the mud or hiber-
nate. until the ice disappears in the
spring.
There appears to be difference of
opinion among the authorities as to
which is the best kind of carp. The
scale carp are said to be the most pro-
life, and the leather carp grow tho
fastest. For my part prefer the lat
ter: it is the handsomer and finer fish
of the two. AS to their qualities as
table fish, so far as my experience
goes, have not been able to discover
any difference between them.-Seth
Green, IN Anerican -dgriculturist.