Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-08-22
Life on a water Farm.


II has not been many years since water
farming was added to the possibilities n
"agrieuiture' In Indiana. II began as
diversion. IL Inns become y business,
Enough time has now elapsed to demon
strate that water farming may be made
practicable and prohtable-at least as
profitable IN some other rural occupations,
and more entioing than tho ordinary life
of an agrieulurist A. much money can
be made off an acre of water m OFF nm acre
of land, including well located fish and
| frog ponds on the one hand and ordinary
farming ON the other.
One of the pioneers in water farming in
Indiana is Mr.. Joseph Manlove of Milton.
Seven years ago he bought small piece uf
low land lying between the White Water
Canal and White Water (river). He de-
| termined to flood the low land and TO add
| to his possessions the adjoining high land
for park purposes. His place now in
cludes fourteen acres of water and twenty
one of land. His business is largely with
the water and only incidently with the dry
land. His first purpose was TO establish a
| carp pond from which the fish market
might be supplied. This was accomplished
! in two years with comparative ease. Now
| he has practically an unlimited quantity of
this variety of fish. However, the public
| taste also calls for bass, and Manlove de-
termined to add this variety to his supply.
His lake is now stocked with vast supply
of black bass. They have grown finely,
and next year bass fishing will be put on
the market" Bass promise so much bet
| ter than carp that "Farmer" Manlove uses
his young carp as food for his bass.
Still another department. has been
added to the ''farm" this season-frogs.
Four acres of shallow water, well grown in
flags, were set apart as a breeding place
for frogs They breed and grow rapidly.
Four Thousand tadpoles. were put into this
breeding pen early in the spring, Many
| of them are now of a marketable size.
Next season they will be giants-big, ten
| inch long Cultivated" bullfrogs, worth
| SO. so and s. a dozen-not the little marsh
frogs, but the big fellows with Herr Fischer
voices. In catching them for market a
| light at night is used. They stare at the
| light, and can be caught and handled with
ease in its glare In catching large quanti-
ties of carp the lake is drained off. In
| winter the marketable fish are kept in
! small ponds.
It is interesting to observe the water
farmer at his work. He can use n horse
for side purposes, but he needs neither
| plough planter, nor reaper. Suppose he
had gone out to feed. He has with him
middiings or some other grain. Hegoes
to the breeding pond, sounds a gong or
blows whistle, and thousands of frogs
come hopping from their shelter. They
eat the food ravenously and become SO
tame that the farmer handles them as a
woman does her pet chickens. The same
food is just the thing for young and old
carp. 'sFish and frogs take to grain and
grain products" said Mr.. Manlove, like
a boy takes to apple dumplings. Part of
the season it is not necessary to feed my
stock at all. The water-grass seeds make
the finest food for the fish, and at this
time of the year rarely prepare fish for
the table that do not find him filed with
grass seeds.n