St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-07-28
FISH FOR PONDS.
Hints for Farmers DESTROYS of Engaging
in PiscicuIture,

Hints for Farmers DESTROYS of Engaging
in Pisciculture.
Many inquiries are received from
parties all over the United States, hav-
ing ponds varying in extent from one
fourth of an acre to an acre, and who
desire to know what kind of fish should
be used for stocking them. This, from
the meager description generally
given, is difficult matter to decide;
but few simple hints such as will
here give will undoubtedly aid manv
in deciding this question for them
selves. In all parts of the United
States the waters are stocked by nature
with the kinds of fish best suited to
their pecul1arities, and if it is desired
to stock the pond with any of the fish
which abound in the local waters Won
must observe what kind of bottom the
particular fish you prefer lives on; as
certain the depth and temperature of
water in which it is usually found.
and also what it feeds on, and where
and when it casts its spawn. After you
have ascertained this it will be a very
simple matter to determine whether
your waters are provided with the nat
ural characteristics suitable for the
welfare of the fish. There is much of
the above that those who are at all
familiar with the waters of their region
would know, if they would only stop
to consider, without actually going to
look.
All anglers and lovers of the fnny
tribe, as a rule, have their favorite fish,
and 1t is not strange that they should be
particularly DESTROYS of cultivating and
caring for that variety of which they
are the most fond; but this is impossi-
bleu nless the waters of their ponds are
similar to those of the natural homes
OF the fish, and if they are not they
must content themselves with the next
best. As an illustration, we will take
small inland lake similar to thous-
ands which are scattered about the
country. Perhaps it is one having a
width OF from one to three miles and a
length of from five to seven, and per-
haps in parts from seventy-fve to one
hundred feet deep.
In this body of water we will find
many different kinds of bottom, the
character of which is usually Indicated
by the appearance of the shore. Ex-
tending along for certain distance we
will find hard, rocky bottom where the
water is almost always clear. Here
we will find the small-mouthed black
bass, the rock bass, and perhaps the
pike-perch. We go on little further
and we see weeds showing their heads
above the water and the bottom covered
with them. Here we find the yellow
perch and pickerel. We row along for
say half or three-quarters of mile
further and we come to cove in which
the waters look dark and muddy In
here we are almost sure to find the bull
head, and in toward the shore cat-tails
and bullrushes will be seen growing,
close to the edges of which will many
times be found the large -mouthed black
bass, also known as the Oswego bass.
The pickerels are also at home in such
spots. Out in the deep water, where it
is always pure and cold, the lake or
salmon trout holds forth. have used
this illustration for the purpose of show
ing my readers what the natural hab-
itat of a few varieties of fish is, and
what they must have in order to thrive.
In addition to this they must be sup-
piled with an abundance of suitable
food. Many will wish to stock their
ponds with speckled trout. This can
not be done unless the pond is fed by d
large quantity of pure spring water.
The bottom is not such an important
matter if the waters be pure and cold
the entire year, and for the best results
it should be fed by a small spring
brook, There are very many ponds in
which only carp will thrive, and the
character of these is muddy bottom, an
abundance of aquatic plants, and sup
ply of water only sufficient to keep up
with the natural evaporation. The
warmer the water the better the fish
ike it and the faster they grow. As a
'ule it will not pay to attempt to stock
resh-water ponds with saltwater fish.
The water is not natural to them, and
hey will not thrive. Green, IN
american Agricultarist.