St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1891-12-03
FOR THE FARM.
REARING FISH ON THE FARM.

The carp is one of the most easily
accommodated of fish. 1t does not
ask for spring water, a running
stream, low temperature, or even
for any feeding. Give it mud-hole
with water in it and some aquatic
plants, and it will live and give
quite a useful supply of excellent
food; but let it have clear pond
dug out of a swamp. with a spring
or two in the bottom to furnish
plenty of water, and bed of water
cress, with sedges and other water
plants to furnish the suitable food,
and it will contribute abundantly to
the provision of the farmers table.
1t is indispensable that the bottom
should be soft and muddy. The
carp is a alternating fish, and lies
through the winter at the bottom of
the water, with its head stuck in the
mud at the verge of spring or In
deep hole where the water is the
warmest. For this reason the ponds
are the better for being made in
springv ground. 1t is desirab to
plant watercress on the edges made
shallow for the purpose and to en-
x
as the marsh marigold (Caltha
palustris) and the duck-weeds and
the pond-weeds and other similar
vegetation. The fish feed on these,
and where they abound no feeding is
required. A few water lilies are
doubly useful as affording food and
for their beauty.
The ponds may be of any length,
but it is desirable to have them
narrow, as the fish must be taken
with dip nets, and will rarely take
hook, although / have known them
to take a bait of stiff flour paste
quite freely at times. My ponds
were too wide-16 feet-and ~ feet
is better, but only on this account.
| was very much surprised. after a
heavy rain which raised the water to
the extreme edge of the marsh and
had made the ground quite wet, to
see the fish taking French leave and
going by scores to the stream across
the wet ground, distance Of 800
or 400 feet, and a large number
escaped before l could fence them in
with some boards. This, was told,
was a habit of this fish, and one of
IL q
used in his native country to the
care of carp ponds, said he had
known ponds to have been complete
ly emptied in this way. 1t is there
fore necessary to fence In the ponds
to evade this curious habit of the fish.
1t is quite easy to capture the fish,
when it is desired, by tanning them
by occasional feeding with the dough
or small balls of well-boiled and ad-
hesive corn-meal muSh, which they
take eagerly, and are thus easily
dipped out with the scoop-net.
There are two kinds Of carp, the
"scale'' and the Heather" carp, but
there is no choice between them.
My ponds paid all the cost of them
the first year by the ice they furnish
ed, and as the farm was run as
dairy, this supply was quite valu-
able. Another valuable return was
the muck that was dug out and used
for litter in the stables and for COM
post, and still another was the water
crosses grown in the shallow water
of the lower pond. This brought me
the New York market, and 81 so
per basket in the winter from the
part of the pond which was protect
ed by hot-bed ashes. Few farmers
who have all the facilities take an &C
count of the value of a water annex
to the farm, but such part of
farm may be often made to pay
many times the value of as much
dry neutrality-suspicious. Country
Gentleman.