''Proper Fertilization Is A Key To Successful Good Fishing
By JAMES Q. WOOTEN
Proper fertilization is one of
the kftya to establishing and
maintaining a successful pond
for fish. Good fish ponds which
provide a dependable, desirable
fish population year after year
don't jusl happen. They are the
Results of careful planning and
•fwork. The keys to farm pond
jmanagement are 1) proper
[construction 2) proper stocking
and population control 3)
"ization and 4)
fertilizing** pood properly is
a matter of when, what kind,
and how much, and how.
When to fertilize a pond
depends upon where you live
and the water temperature of
the pond you intend to fertilize.
In the southern sections of the
Allen Adcoek, Churchill
resident, is shown with a bass
weighing 12 pounds, 15 ounces
which he pulled from Gaston
Lake on Saturday.
Mike Stegall of the Oine
Community is shown holding
• 9 1/2 pound bass which he
caught in a private pond
Saturday.
United States such as in Florida
or Georgia, year round fertilization
can be made where the
water temperatures are always
moderate to warm. In Warren
County as in the rest of North
Carolina early March is usually
warm enough to start fertilizing.
Fertilization can be
continued through spring aijd
summer until cool weather in
October or November.
Many pond owners don't
realize that bluegills make most
of their growth in the cool
waters spring and fall and
actually grow very little, if at
all, during the summer
spawning season. You need to
begin fertilizing early and build
up your pond's fertility quickly
in the spring to take full
advantage of the fish growing
season.
New ponds should be
fertilized as soon as they begin
to fill with water so that a lot of
aquatic animal food can be
produced for the fish you intend
to stock.
Kinds of fertilizer used for
fish ponds vary but mineral
fertilizer is best. Organic
materials such as cotton seed
meal, manure, and leaves
encourage growth of filamentous
algae or "pond scum" which
are a nuisance in any pond. The
mineral fertilizer should be in a
ratio of 4:4:1 in nitrogen,
phosphate, and potash. Do not
dump large amounts of
fertilizer in a pond at one time.
Small applications at 7 to 10 day
intervals provide more efficient
use of your fertilizer. At each
application use 100 pounds of
8-8-2, 50 pounds of 16-16-4, or 40
pounds of 20-20-5 per surface
acre of pond.
The amount of fertilizer
necessary for optimum fish
production actually varies from
pond to pond. No one can
predict exactly how much
fertilizer a pond will require.
Ponds need less fertilizer in dry
years and more in rainy years.
An easy to make device called a
"Sechi Disc" can be used to
determine when you need to
fertilize your pond. This pond
testing device is made by
nailing a white disk on the end
of a stick and marking the stick
at 12 inches and 18 inches above
the disk. The fertility level of
your pond can then be
determined by submerging the
disk into the pond water and
observing at what depth the
disk is no longer visible. If the
disk goes out of sight' at 12
inches below the surface the
pond is fertile enough. If you
can see the disk at a depth of 18
inches or more, you need to
fertilize. Fertilize the pond at
intervals until the disk goes out
of sight at 12 inches. Then
check the pond periodically to
maintain the 1218 inch range of
fertility throughout the year.
In the spring usually 3 to 6
applications at 10 day intervals
are commonly required. The
fertilizer applied increases
COOK S
PUBLISHED by
SANFORD MILLING
COMPANY i\,
OF HENDERSON
THE AREA S FLOUR
AND FEED LEADER
CORNER
Spread-A-Bread
1 loaf
Enriched self-rising
Snowflake flour lets you
forget the salt and baking
powder. They are already
added, saving you measuring
and mixing steps.
2 cups enriched self-rising
Snowflake flour*
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
Vj cup milk
'/« cup oil
V* cup grated Cheddar
Cheese
1 can (4 oz.) deviled ham
2 tablespoons crunchy
peanut butter
1 teaspoon prepared
mustard
Stir together flour and
sugar. Beat eggs, milk and
oil together; stir in
cheese. Add all at once to
Snowflake flour mixture,
stiring until just moistened.
Spoon '/i of batter into
greased 8'/«x4-inch pan. In
small bowl, blend together
ham, peanut butter and
mustard. Mound filling
down lengthwise center of
batter. Spoon remaining
batter around filling to
cover top and sides. Bake
in preheated 360 degree
oven 1 hour. Cool 10
minutes. Remove from pan
and cool on wire racks.
♦Spoon flour into dry
measuring cup; level. Do
not scoop.
Half of a medium size
cantaloupe contains
about 60 calories.
Pres. Ford's food bill
averages $800 a month.
Sauerkraut is not a
native German food, as
many believe. It goes
back 2,000 years to the
days when Chinese,
building the Great Wall,
were fed it.
Lamb producers plan
to double production in
the next 10 years.
Eating chicken or
turkey on New Year's
Day in Poland is
considered a bad omen
on the belief that the
eater may have to
scratch for food during
the coming 12 months.
production of algae, plankton
and other small microscopic
plants. These plants multiply in
numbers which cause the water
to turn shades of brown or
green. The fish do not eat the
fertilizer nor the microscopic
plants. These plants are eaten
by small pond animals (snails,
insects, amphibians) which are
in turn eaten by bream and
bass, so that in the end the
largest fish in the pond is
dependant upon the "food
chain *»*un b* tk fertiliza
tion of tiny poad planta.
Fertilizing a pond ia not a
time consuming task. The
easiest way to fertili» ia from a
platform. Place the platform
about 12 inches below the pond
surface near the edge.
Fertilizer sacks can be placed
on the platform and slit open.
Wave action, water and wind
currents will mix the fertilizer
throughout the pond.
One platform is enough for 15
acre pond. If you do not have a
platform, you can pouc the
fertilizer from a boat or
broadcast-it by hand from the
bank. The fertilizer does not
need to be scattered over the
entire pond.
Fertilizing a farm pond is an
essential step in having a good
pond for fish but not any more
important than the other three
previously mentioned keys to
farm pond management. You
need to learn about these also
for best overall results. A
booklet entitled "Warm Wat*r
Fishponds" gives all the
complete information about
management farm ponds for
fish. This booklet is free and
available at your local Warren
Soil and Water Conservation
District office in the Agriculture
Building in Warrenton or
call 257-3836.
i*
Small Fish
x Small Pond Animals
* . v„ .
*">
Plonkton
X:-- <£> ^ *
*T\
Fertilizer ond Native'Elements
/
Sunlight
■ I i-'
O
Food pyramid showing how fertiliser is turned into fish
A scene from "The'Stolen Prince," a Chinese fairy tale presented Tuesday by Warren
Acadrmy Drama Club members, is shown above. Taking part in the play, which was done in
traditional Chinese theater style, were Cindy Connell, Paylor Spruill, Terry Edmonds, Jay
Royster, Miehele Ayscue, Claude Burrows. Susan Davis, Susan Gardner, Pam Haitheock, Donny
Bender and Elaine Bender. |Photo by Frank McLaurin)
A Paid Political Advertisement
Good reasons to vote
for President Ford in the
Republican
primary.
sw
Your vote on Tuesday, March 23, will help
keep President Ford on the road to victory
in November.
In the election of 1976, President Ford
is the best-qualified candidate in either party.
He understands the Presidency, and he has
the ability to get things done to meet the
needs of North Carolina and the nation.
There is ample proof of that in President
Ford's record.
He has started to turn the economy
around, put it on the road to recovery by
vetoing the big-spending bills passed by
Congress.
He has said "no" to those who want to
slash the military budget, calling a strong
defense the one sure way to keep the peace.
He is fighting for major changes in
Federal estate and inheritance tax laws to
help prevent the forced sale of family farms
and small businesses to pay taxes. He urges
that tax exemptions be raised from $60,000
to $150,000, and that tax payments be spread
out for as long as 25 years, with interest on
the unpaid balance reduced from 7% to 4%.
In the President's own words, "Too
much love and too much labor go into the
development of a paying farm to dismantle
it with every new generation."
He has proposed tough anti-crime
legislation, demanding more concern for the
safety of victims than the rights of criminals.
And he has, in his own common sense
way, restored public confidence in government
with his unquestioned character and his
frank, open honesty in the office of President.
That's why he has earned your support
... and your vote ... on Primary Day.
President Ford is your President. Keep him.
President Fbttl76
Paid For By The Warren Couty Coounittee For President Ford. T. T. Clayton , Chairman