The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1957-05-31

The Piedmont SOIL COnSerya-
ton district stocked five Prince
Edward farm ponds with fish on
May %, according to II. Z. Lacy.
county soil conservationist. The
ponds belong to f. w. Stockton.
r. +. Farmer, N. r. Soutllall, C..
H. Matherly estate. and Phillip
Early.
These ponds we're stocked last
November with 1000 Dream per
acre Of water, and were stocked
last week with 100 large mouth
bass per acre.
Lacy explained that a pond is
ready to fish when the bass have
reproduced successfully. This &C.
ours the first spring after the
bass are stocked if they mature
properly.
BE sure" he advised. that
young bass are present in your
pond before taking any fish out"
This means at least ID months
after the pond is stocked with
Dream. Even bluegill Dream should
not be fIshed until the bass have
spawned.
TO have the best bass fishing
Lacy continued, you must fish
both the bass and the usahlc size
bluegills. You get the most re-
turn when. you harvest each year
three or four pounds of bluegills
to one pound Of bass" Most Of
the bass will be caught from fan
to spring and b~luegills from
spring to fall.
Pond Fertilizer
Editors note. The following IN
formation is furnished through
the Hydro-pak Co. of Savannah,
Ca
Fertile waters produce the most
pounds of fish per acre. Fertile
water is dark colored, usually
green. 1t shades the pond bottom
and thus prevents and controls
the growth of most waterweeds
in southern fishponds.
Pond water needs fertilizer
when YOU can see a white object
Il TO ID inches under the surface.
A fertilizer for water needs
equal amounts of nitrogen and
phosphate. with less potash.
which means an 1872, 10-10-5.
l2-l2-4, or similar analysis You
usually need 6 to II applications
each year during the warm grow
iilg season-early spring F'ebru-
airy OF March to October.
One application is about loo
pounds per acre if you use 3D.
O similar analysis. A new fish
pond fertilizer, 20-2O-5. IS now
being manufactured. taking only
40 pounds per acre at an appli-
cation. It is the equivalent Of 100
pounds Of 1872 fertilizer. The 40
pound bag is easy to lift and
handle.
BlueglllS grow best IN the 100
day spring season before spawn
ing. Thus. to grow big bluegills.
you must raise the fertility early
February or March. Add an ap-
pllcatlon every week or ten DAYS
until proper color is produced.
Then add fertilizer whenever the
color show the need all sum
mer INTO October. Many fish
ponds have failed because the
owner started too late in the
spring, and used insufficient fert-
iliZer.
II takes about five pounds of
insect larvae to grow one pound
OF bluegills. The larvae live In the
bottom Of your pond. The green
color Of your water is microscopic
plants tAlgae} which drop to the
bottom to feed the larvae. Thus,
the high fertility means a heavy
poundage Of bluegills. The blue
gils IN turn feed the bass.
Most natural waters iii. the
South feed only 100 to $50 pounds
OF fish per surface acre. This
gives the fisherman only a few
catchable fish scattered over .nt
1850 square feet of one acre
You seldom catch fish quickly
or IN large numbers. The average
yield from natural water-fertility
is Is to IS pounds per acre in a
whole year.
Weed Prevention
The modern system 81 pond
termination raises the fish popu-
lation TO a weight of 800 to 500
pounds per acre. The larger num-
Der of catchable fish makes fish
ing more successful.