Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-04-14
HOOsier Runs Goldfish Ranch
Gene Shiremdn Raises
More Than TtUO Million
Finny Pets EUery Year

From that pond last year indicating
nearby medium sized sheet of waterl
we took 100000 fish" The pond con-
tanned perhaps two acres of water and
unless one watched carefully and a sign
of life was visible. Yet quartered in that
body of water-and still with ample
rOom-Shireman has more than two hun
dred thousand of these wonders of the
fnny tribe waiting to find home in the
private ponds of famous places OF to
give delight to bright-eyed youngsters.
Shireman skaters all home traditions
in his raising of goldfish. Thousands of
buyers hesitate TO put money into gold
fish because of some unfortunate expert
ence in raising them. Maybe the cat got
EN-. Maybe they died overnight. If so,
according to Shireman, there's always a
reason and that reason may he summed
up in a few words. These are the words
of Shireman and his associates:
GOLDFISH ARE
VERY HARDY.
People are zoo good to them"
1t is easy to understand why people
are too good to goldfish. They look so
frail and so dainty-so breakable. But
as matter of fact the goldfish is vari-
ETY. of the carp family, one of the hardi-
est Of fish. Too much changing of water
is not good for them. Nearly every one
other way. Too much attention sOOns
ends the life of the goldfish. But a lit
tie knowledge. CLEANED from the book
lets on goldfish care in the everyday
household, will enable any one to keep
goldfish almost indefinitely. Kept in the
fresh pond water Of the Grassyfork
hatcheries they live year after year I'M
til some now weigh between two and
three pounds. And in the winter time
they live beneath the ice of the shallow
ponds of GraSsyfOrk without the loss of
a single fish from exposure. Even the
most dainty survive this ordeal without
diifculty-fairly good proof of the ability
of the goldfish to stand punishment, when
rightly treated. Don't pet them. Don't
be too good to them" is the advice Of the
goldfish expert. And he clinched his ar
gument when he fed his goldfish mush
The ordinary varieties of gold fish are
wonderfully productive. One female will,
under proper conditions. lay 10000, eggs
in one year. Under ideal conditions -
per cent Of the 6sh will hatch and de-
velOp into sturdy fellows ready for the
market.
FISH ARE
CHOSEN CAREFULLY.
Not all gold fish are prepared for mar
ket by the expert. He carefully selects
his stock, with the same care and caution
that the trained cattle breeder selects
He protects his trade He does not give
them ShOddy fish-in most instances be-
cause he takes a peculiar pride in his
fish if he really is raiser Of fine fish
The scrubs-he has his own met h0ds Of
determining those of the scrub class and
his met hods are not at all susceptible
to analysis-are put aside and held for
that new-and rapidly growing market
for goldfish, the fisherman. Though the
qualities OF the gold fish for attracting
game fish 10 the end Of q hook have been
well known to experienced fisherman for
many Years they have not been in
general demand as bait until recently
The gold fish, bright in color and lively
on the end Of hook because Of a natural
hardness. provides excellent bait In
many waters. The ability to ship gold
fish long distances without undermining
the strength and without frequently
water frequently-so necessary with the
! ordinary minnow-is giving the gold
? fish a constantly widening market as
{ bait.
! Among the interesting ponds at Grassy
+ fork is one which Shireman terms his
! hospital. You may not know it but gold
/ fish are susceptible to some Of the
/ diseases which the human has learned to
dread. Among them is dropsy The
/ disease is not general and Shireman has
not affected cure. One or two fish with
/ the drGpsy don't matter when millions
keep right on growing on mush.
FISH HOSPITAL
/ Is MAINTAINED.
/ The hospital. however. is kept up. When
a fish shows signs IF weakness. the old
familiar come to the surface and gasp
for breath" mode. one of the several
Shjreman men soon sees him. If he is
an especially valuable type perhaps he is
; given a salt bath or other emergency
: treatment. Then he is transferred to the
/ hospital pond, where special food and
special attention Is given the several
/ thousand housed therein until recovery
/ or death ensues.
! Nesting time is busy season at Gras-
! syfork. Seven hundred nests are pre-
pared for the fish early in March. The
/ nests are prepared because Il isn't good
/ business TO let the fish select its own.
\ wooden box, open on top and bottom,
/ is constructed with ordinary matted blue
grass roots suspended on wires across
/ the bottom of the box. All nesting
/ places near the edge of the ponds are
I carefully removed. The fish nests then
/ are placed in the spawning ponds. and.
/ finding no other nests, the fish deposit
eggs on the artificial nests. One nest
/ will frequently contain as many a 100.-
/ 600 of the minute eggs. When the nests
are properly filled they are removed
/ from the ponds and placed in special
hatcheries, when in ten days or so, de-
pending upon the weather, the baby fish