The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-09
CULTURE OF CARP.
Their Introduction Into the
Waters of Washington.
In Washington Hibernation in the Mud
IL Unnecessary Cooking in
Puget sound Restaurants.

L
received instructions from the United
States fish commissioner, at Washington
City, to take applications for carp from
persons DESTROYS of introducing them into
the waters OF this state as q valuable addi-
tion TO our food fish. During the year
from March l TO December 20 l received
and forwarded TO the fish commissioner,
Professor Spencer +. Baird, at Washing
ton City, twenty-nine applications for
carp, all of which were filled and the
carp duly received and placed in lakes or
ponds. Although have every reason to
believe that the carp received have all
done well and increased, yet not single
person of all the recipients has made a re-
port to inform the government whether or
not the experiment has proved success.
| have, however, been incidentally in
formed that those placed in ponds on
Lopez, 0rcas and San Juan islands have
increased in numbers and size, and twenty
pound specimens are said to have been
taken.
THE RACES OF CARP.
The carp, Cspritlus cdrpio. belongs to the
Cyprinidae. They are divided into three
chief groups: Cyprinus carpio eommunis,
the scale carp. with regular concentricaliy
arranged scales: q {. C. specutdris, mirror
carp. thus named on account of the extra
ordinarily large scales, which run along
the sides of the body in two or three rows,
the rest of the body being bare; C. c. cori-
dceus, sire nudis, the leather carp, which has
on the back few scales or none at all, and
possesses a thick, soft skin, which feels
velvety TO the touch.
1t was the scale carp which was sent by
the United States fish commission to
Puget sound. The carp were originally
imported from Europe by the United
States fish commission, and they have in
creased in every state in the Union.
HABITS.
The carp is partial to stagnant waters, or
such as have not too swift current, with
a loamy, muddy bottom, and deep places
covered with vegetation. 1t is an advant-
age that the carp is able to live in water
where other fishes could not possibly exist;
for instance, in the pools and boys of
meadows or sloughs. But this is not the
best locality to produce carp of the best
quality. The many ponds or so-ca,led
lakes to be found all over Western Wash
ington seem to be admirably adapted to
the growth of carp, and wherever they
have been introduced they have thriven,
as they are d hardy fish and bear trans
portation well.
The carp lives upon vegetable food as
well as upon worms and Larvae of aquatic
insects. which it turns up from the mud
with its head. 1t is easily satisfied and
will eat bread crumbs and other refuse of
kitchens, and the offal of slaughter houses
and breweries.
REPRODUCTION
The carp commences to spawn about the
LIST of May, and continues through June
and July. The spawning of the individual
rs b does not take place all at once. DAYS
and weeks may pass before the last egg is
left to the care of nature. At times, should
rainy cool weather occur during this pc
Rod, it will be interrupted but resumed
again as soon as the temperature grows
warmer.
The abundance of the eggs of the carp is
very great and it is this circumstance
which will explain its extraordinary in
crease in natural waters. Professor Ru-
dolph Hessel IN report of United States
fish commission, 1876, SAYS: "A fish
weighing from four to five pounds con-
tains, on an average, SOC, 900 eggs. These
carp eggs are adhesive, not detached like
those of the salmon family which lie
loosely on the ground, while carp eggs adj
here In Jumps 10 the object upon which
they have fallen. AS soon as the egg has
left the body of the fish it swells up little,
the mucus, which surrounds it, serving as
means to fasten itself upon some aquatic
plant, stone or brushwood. The eggs will
develop themselves quickly if assisted
by warm weather. As early as the
fifth or sixth day the ewes will be
ardS ha -
teenth day the little embryo fish will
break through its envelope. In deep, cold
ponds the Matching process may require as
many as twenty days. If there is plenty
of food in the pond the carp grows very
rapidly.
As before remarked, the carp lives upon
vegetable as well as animal food. AQUATIC
plants, seeds, worms and larvae of water
insects; it is therefore no fish of prev. 1t
does not attack other fishes, and has no
teeth IN his mouth, but only in its throat,
and Is, on account of its harmlessness, an
excellent fish for the culturist, as well as
for stocking large lakes and rivers in gen.
eral.
WILL THRIVE IN WASHINGTON
The carp will thrive well in the waters
of Western Washington, as the winters
are seldom cold enough TO force il to hide
itself in the mud, which it does in colder
climates, as in Germany, where in the
Danube, near Widdin, it passes from five
to seven months in its winter sleep. during
which time Ii does not grow. But in the
ponds and lakes bordering on Puget
sound, which are seldom frozen oyer
longer than one or two weeks durins the
winter, the carp will grow rapidly and at
tam weight of twenty pounds or more
ITS QUALITIES AS A FooD FISH.
Those persons who have tried the earn
IN our waters pronounce them a muddy
favored fish, not to be compared to anv of
our native species. and as we have such
quantities of excellent fish, such as half
but, cod. rock cod, ling cod. founder.
smelts, herring and other salt water sna-
cles. and salmon. salmon trout. brook and
mountain trout, and other fresh water
varieties, which readily take to the HOOK
which carp do not, no attemnt hss been
made To take them except BY HAULING +,
seine, and there being but little demand
for them they are not placed on our mar
kets.
HOW To COOK CARP
Very few people in this state srcent
Germans, know how 10 cook earn nron-
erly. and, for general information. | will
append few recipes translated from .
German cookbook by c. GERBER and nnb-
hshed IN Bulletins of the United States
Fish Commission. 4" volume ". 1874 nase
lol. As general rule, the pond earn ia
not considered good TO eat during the SIM
mer months. May, June, July and August
during and Just after spawning: but AT ali