The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-08-01
Raising Goldfish.

To the boy or girl who desires to
make a few dollars on a small outlay
OF capital, the breeding of goldfish
offers itself as not only a profitable
business, but also as an interesting d.
version. For S. boy can set himself
up in this business and in less than
a year have 100 percent return on his
capital.
Said a prominent dealer in goldfish:
There are certain times in the
year that we would gladly pay %
cents apiece for goldfish of average
sizes although now we can afford to
sell them for even less than that.
Most of them come from China and
Japan, and are brought here by the
sailors of the Oriental steamships in
kerosene tins. During the winter
this is almost impossible, as the cold
kills them, but the few fish that do
come here then are sold at high
prices"
There is a Chinaman in this city
who makes the breeding of goldfish
his means of living. He has con-
strueted a number of wooden tanks
10 by 8 feet and feet deep. In these
tanks he raises his fish. The bot
toms are covered with sand and peb-
bles Every four or five days he fresh
ems the water by pouring in several
tucketfuls, allowing the tanks to run
over through notches in the sides at
the top. Otherwise he never dis
turbs them. In the sand and on the
rocks he has encouraged the growth
CT fresh water aquatic grasses, which
help to keep the water constantly
fresh by supplying it with oxygen. On
the bottom, among the grasses, the
goldfish deposit their spawn, and if
not disturbed the young hatch out.
Great care must be taken in keeping
the tanks free from other animal life,
as goldfish spawn is considered a
dainty morsel by almost all fresh
water creatures.
During the winter the tanks should
be protected from the cold, as gold
fish cannot stand ice.
In China thousands of persons are
employed in raising fish, but on a
larger scale, in large ponds out OF
doors. Even in California this is
done. All shapes and colors can be
made by artificial selection, no fish
being more susceptible to develop
ment in this way than the goldfish
This requires years of patient and
for the time, profitless labor, however
If thick, globular shaped fish is de,
sired. all those in the pond whose
shape is least like that desired are
taken out, leaving the others. These
in breeding among themselves, will
produce fish of shapes more like those
desired, but still the wedding out
process must continue for several
years before any results can be seen
By these methods the Chinese have
produced goldfish of all colors-orange
blood red, white, silvery blue
greenland of almost all shapes
round, square, triangular, half moon
and other more grOtesque forms be
ing produced. This, however, can
only be done where great numbers OF
them are raised together.
If kept in tanks or ponds where
weeds and grasses grow it is not
necessary to trouble much about feed
ing goldfish as they find plenty tC
eat on the green leaves. 1t is even
better not to place the fish in the
tanks before the plants have grown
but if this is done they should be fed
daily, but sparingly, on the prepared
foods to be bought in almost any
bird store.-New York Tribune.
Gonius in Retirement.
81 noticed your paragraph yesterday