New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1897-04-14
RAISING GOLDFISH.
THE TWO LARGEST FARMS IN TIE
WORLD ARE IN INDIANA.

Correcting Some Popular Errors About
These Ftnny Beauties-The Raiser Has
Great Difficulty In Fighting OF the Pest
world-Goldfish With Many Tales.
Goldfish are SO extremely common
nowadays that few people ever stop to
wonder where they come from or how
they are raised. Comparatively little is
generally known about the little cold
blooded vertebrates that swim about in
the aquariums in so many homes. The
| pets require a careful and systematic
raising that is scarcely appreciated by
those who expect to get them for small
prices Of dealers in the city.
The largest goldfish farm in the world,
if it may be called such, is located in
Shelby county, Ind, about so miles
from Indianapolis. Here the original
goldfish men of the country have their
| propagating institution.
! There are two farms, several miles
apart, which are devoted to the differ
ent branches of the industry. In the
north part Of the county is one farm of
eight or ten acres. The other is a few
miles farther south and is about half
again as large as the first one.
Today there are in the various ponds
Of Spring Lake fishery over 200, 900 fish,
from which specimens are constantly
being sent to every state and territory
of the Union. 1t is even said that some
of the finest fish in the royal aquariums
of Europe were raised by Mr.. Shoup
and his partner at this farm.
On each of the farms spoken of are a
large number of small ponds, some Of
them not much larger than ten feet
square These ponds are all connected
with each other by little channels, so
that the water and fish can be let from
one to the other without the least diff
Guilty.
The breeding ponds, which are, of
course, the most important, are protect
ed from the wind and cold by high en-
bankments around the edges. This is
all the protection that is necessary for
the fish, even in the winter time, so it
is seen that, although the fish are I'M
doubtedly delicate, they are much more
hardy than is generally supposed.
Several times year the fish are sorted
in the different ponds and classified SC
that the largest and finest ones will be
together, and those which will not bring
such good prices will be by themselves.
Many people suppose that when the
goldfish is first Matched from the egg il
has the peculiar pretty markings on its
scales which make it so beautiful anC
valuable.
This is not the case. In its youth il
reality the fish is just the same as any
ordinary and everyday fish, and looks
like it for all the world. Even an exper
could scarcely tell it from the little
minnovs which are found in any stream
They are CT a whitish, silvery color
and have not the least evidence of tn,
beautiful hues which they will later as
sumo.
Sometimes, however, the goldfish
grower is sadly disappointed in finding
} that his fish fail to acquire the colder
tint for which he has SO long been look
ing in vain. There have been many in
stances time and again in which the 6sl
} never did change to the reddish color
but grew to be several years old, retain
ing their white, silvery, youthful com
plexion. Ordinarily, however, the fish
} develop the golden shade in less than
year.
First, they begin getting dark, some
times becoming almost black. From tn
} dark complexion they begin turning t,
the reddish shade, and finally come GU
in all their glory, full fedged goldfish.
The food has not, as many peopl
} suppose, the least thing to do with col
oring the fish. All the fish are fed ex
actly the same thing, toasted bread tw,
or three times a week, and nothing els
} is given them for their subsistence TIL
sun seems to be the necessary agent an,
the only one to complete the scheme O
nature, and even this sometimes doe
not work successfully.
The greatest difficulty with which tn
goldfish raiser has to contend is the pes
world. Snakes, CATS coons, frogs an
insects innumerable are all fell destroy
ers of the goldfish, and the crawfsh
by no means second in the destruction
which he can work when he gets in til
neighborhood of the finny tribe Som
one must be kept constantly on waite
at the season Of the year when these in
sects and little animals abound to Sc
that they do not get into the water c
the pond where the fish are
The sting Of some insects will kill
fish in almost every instance. Snak
feeders and some other we'll known il
sects fly close to the surface of the We
, ter in the summer time and with tn
= greatest ease touch the tiny little fis
swimming near the surface Of the poo
An egg is laid on the fish or stinge
inserted, and either will invariabl
prove fatal.
The freaks and unusual development
in the fish are the varieties which wi
r always bring the best prices in the ma
5, ket. Odd and rare colors and spots upo
,. the scales are the marks which are pr,
- ferred by fanciers. Unusual shapes
:, the fishes are equally popular with odd
e ties in colors and will cause a fish |
~ hiring as pnOd a nrice as IF II had crane