Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-04-27
ABOUT GERMAN CARP.
How Every Farmer Can Raise His Own
Supply of Fish.

HOW Every Farmer Can Raise HIS OWN
Supply of Fish.
A. Bracket writes to the Orange Judd
Farmer: From the numerous communi-
cations received it appears that the
American people are waking up to the
fact that they can raise their own fish
q thing which has been done In Ger
many for generations. viii attempt
to explain how pond is made in which
German carp can be raised. The large
or summer pond must be located on
low land, at one side of a run or water
way. 1t is not necessary that there
should be a constant supply of running
water, but to furnish a pond of ten
acres it must have at least the drainage
OF three thousand acres of land. OF
course this depends a great deal on the
nature of the soil in which the pond is
made. It would not be practicable to
make one in sandy porous region.
Put dam across the run some distance
above the pond and conduct the water
from it to the pond through ten or
twelve-inch tile. 1t is not necessary to
have the water in the pond more than
three feet deep. 1 made the embank-
ment around mine with teams and
scrapers. The main thing to guard
against is an overflow from sudden rain.
1t is unnecessary to feed the fish until
the pond becomes thoroughly stocked.
They will eat grain of any kind and
are particularly fond of green corn
sliced from the cob, or of scraps from
the table. If thoroughly fed they will
grow rapidly. A carp which has good
care will weigh three or four pounds at
eighteen months. This is the most
profitable age at which to sell them.
Their table qualities as compared with
other fish are of the very best. No fish
is as good to eat when taken from
warm, muddy water as from cold spring
water. When carp are wanted for
table use in summer, keep in cold water
at least three weeks before using. The
best proof of their superior quality as a
table fish is that in Germany, where they
have been raised for many years, they
bring the highest prices in the market.
My experience has been similar. have
sold them for fifteen cents per pound,
when pickerel, bass and whitefish only
brought ten cents. A gentleman writ
ing from Hebron, Wis, states that he
has natural pond of eight acres which,
from his description, I should think
would make an excellent carp pond.
But in order to handle these fish success
fully it is necessary for one to be able
to draw off the water, as it soon
becomes infested with millions of
surface minnows and other fish which
will destroy the eggs of the carp. They
can be raised in large natural ponds
where the water is sufficiently deep, but
small pond must be provided in which
to spawn the fish and keep them until
they are three or four weeks old. Then
put them into the large pond. If situ-
ated SO far north that the pond will
freeze two TO three feet most of the
carp will be destroyed. Therefore it
is better to keep them in smaller,
deeper one, as they do not feed during
the winter, and large number can oc-
cupy small space. If the water is
two or three feet deep, and is kept run
ming constantly SO as to prevent the for
nation of very thick ice (which will re-
tain the gas which the fish give off in
their breathing), ton of fish can be
kept in a square rod of space. The best
mode of catching the carp is to dig q
tunnel eight or ten feet broad by
about four deep, extending about fifty
feet from the pond. Always feed In
that channel and the fish can easily
be taken with a seine when desired.