Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-08-19

Seventy live years ago e. K. Bruce
was walking down the street Of Pitts
burgh when he noticed number OF
people gathering about sailor who
had just come from the Atlantic
coast. They were all looking curious
~ into pail which he was carry
ing. When Mr.. Bruce came near and
looked into the pail he saw a num-
Der Of beautifully colored fish splash
ing about in the water and they SO
appealed to him that he paid the
sailor q dollar and took the fish home
with him. He placed them in large
Ice pond and they began to multiply.
That was the beginning OF the gold
fish industry in the United States.
Thirty-five years later E. K. Bruce
Jr., came to Iowa and bought farm
near Thornburg. Mr.. Bruce, VINO
was at that time young man, had
been brought up in close contact with
the fish business on his fathers farm
and most instinctively he began 10
scrape out few ponds on his farm
mile east of Thornburg. After
wheeling out the dirt in wheel bar
row, he waited for the rains to fill the
ponds and then put in few goldhsn'
That was the beginning Of the gold
fish business in Iowa.
Seventeen Ponds on Farm.
Those few ponds, which he con-
structed by the use of wheelbarroW.
now number seventeen. iMr. Bruce ano
his wife ship fish to every state In the
union and to Canada. They sell thou
sands and thousands of fish every
year at prices ranging from 10 cents
to $25 each.
The seventeen ponds on the Bruce
farm are of different sizes, ranging
from a few square rods to several
acres in area. They are located be-
tween two hills just east Of the Bruce
residence. The small ponds, which
serve mostly as Matching ponds. are
arranged in such a manner that they
can be drained by means OF siphon
and the small fish collected as the
water is lowered. The ponds are filled
again by means OF siphon from one
Of the other ponds, or with water from
one of the several wells located near
the ponds.
The larger ponds serve both as
spawning ponds and stock ponds in
which the fish develop their color.
Eggs are gathered from the spawning
pond just as the other Iowa farmers
gather eggs from the poultry house.
These are placed in the smaller hatch
ing ponds. After the eggs are Matched
and the fish have reached size of
about an inch long, the pond is
drained and the fish are gathered in
small hand nets. They are trans
ferred to larger pond, where the
sunlight, causes them to color. Some
Of the fish lose their dark or silvery
color in a few months. In others it
takes as long as four years to get the
desired golden color
The secret of obtaining the fancy
fish for which the Bruce farm is: noted
lies in Mr., Bruce's scheme of selec-
ton. The finest fish are not sold but
are turned back into the spawning
pond at the head Of the slough. In
this pond there are a number Of old
spawners, which Mr.. Bruce will not
sell at any price. Some Of these
Japanese fantails are more than a
foot in length and weigh more than a
pound.
Difficulties in Raising Goldfish.
The goldfish industry is not all
smooth sailing. for there, are difficult
ties to be5overcome the same as in
raising blooded stock. Turtles like
goldfish almost as we'll as the fish
fanciers Of New York and Chicago.
On the large spawning pond there are
a large number. of queer looking
wooden contrivances that float ..on the
water. These are designed to catch