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A good farm pond is a magnificent micro-ecosystem, but the newer ones,
built in the last fifty years or more do not seem to possess all the
features necessary for the natural cycling of this. These ponds are
usually a cone shaped hole in the ground. They seldom have an expanse of
shallow water. In our old farm ponds, dug with a slip shovel and pulled by
a team of horses or mules, the water would taper off into shallows as the
expanse reached toward the shoreline. The water adjoining the dam was much
deeper, giving access to a continuing cycle of natural life for other
creations of nature. This created a wonderful ecosystem. The deeper waters
provided homes for fish, both large and small, and could sustain more
oxygen for their existence. The shallow waters provided the right habitat
for spawning. Life cycles occurring here were among the best of the food
chain.
The food chain expanded greatly from the pond when
waterfowl and other creatures including people came to enjoy the fruits of
this system. Livestock, wild birds and other wildlife would drink from and
bathe in these refreshing waters. There were Willows for the shelter and
housing of wildlife. There were reeds and cattails for the protection of
pond life and for the attachments of avian nests, where they could lay
their eggs, hatch their young and grow them into full flight. And as my
good friend Clayton Adair, who helped me on this mentioned, at times they
were food for predators such as snakes and others. Yes, there were
predators to keep nature in balance. In the shallows, cranes, ducks,
geese, herons, egrets and other wading birds could trek through and feed
from the bottom, getting the food needed to sustain and propagate life.
There were hawks and wild animals that preyed on these birds. If a hunter,
when approaching a pond, should notice hawks diving toward the pond, they
could be aware that there were ducks and determine their location by the
nature of the dive. The hawks would be trying to frighten the ducks into
flight, enabling them to dive on them in the air and with a closed fist,
rendering them unconscious, so they could follow them to the ground and
enjoy a meal. Crayfish [crawdads] abounded in the shallows. Mussels
obtained their food in the muck here, by slowly filtering nutrients from
the muck, while leaving their slicing tracks in the bottom.
The pond was also infested with heavy-bodied water
snakes. These were predators and in turn were preyed upon. At times a mud
dog, or developing Salamander would be found. The seeds of grasses and
other foliage grew abundantly surrounding the pond for the wildlife to
feed upon. The ducks, the geese, the waders all deposited droppings,
thereby increasing the fertility of the pond and keeping the oxygen giving
plant life healthy and proliferate. Ducks and geese benefited mankind by
providing food for the table and down for warmth and comfort. Raccoons
benefited from the pond, as they washed their food in the water before
consuming it. One theory as to why they do this is cleanliness, another is
that the increased moisture in their mouths is an assist in consumption.
Trees would grow healthily around the pond, giving
cooling shade to animals, while producing such nutritional fruits as
Persimmons nuts and seeds. All good for wildlife and people. Dewberries
and Blackberries were abundant on the dams and banks for all of us. It
could also be used for bathing and for baptizing. When the rims of a
wagon's wooden wheels became loosened by evaporation, the wagon could be
backed into the pond to absorb the healing water and expand the wooden
wheels to hold the rims snugly in place. Canoes and small fishing boats
could be propelled across the surface just for fun or food gathering such
as fishing, changing in the winters into an ice skating rink. bullfrogs
were plentiful along the banks and shallows to be taken for a scrumptious
meal. And if the tendons were not removed before frying, they might jump
out of the pan. Frogs of many kinds many kinds also spawned in the shallow
water, as evidenced by the little tadpoles hatched from their myriads of
eggs. These too provided food for the larger pond life. For some unknown
reason, possibly diseases, frog life is suffering from a continuing
declination in population worldwide. Also the toad has now gained it's
rightful place and is now identified as being among the frog species.
Squirrels would plant nuts in the vicinity of the pond, thus
ensuring the continuance of future shelter and food. Turtles were a part
of the system as a link in the food chain. These were predators and were
also preyed upon. They are also food for human beings. Water Cress and
other edible plants are a part of this domain. Some of the birds will
reach down into the shallows and pull up the plants and dine on their
succulent roots.
The Willow trees can be used for building and weaving
into furniture. They are used in crating, slack cooperage, artificial
limbs and pulpwood. Excelsior is made from them. A high grade of charcoal
made from the wood has been used in the manufacture of gun powder. The
Indians here were using a substance from the inner bark of the willow
called acetylsalicylic acid for a pain reliever. Therefore, the Indians
were using aspirin long before the white man arrived. If a
cutting is taken from a plant to be placed in water for rooting, the
rooting process may be aided greatly by cutting a twig of Willow and
placing it in the water for several days, letting the water absorb the
nutrients from the twig before placing the cutting in the water.
Honey bees make their way to the pond to drink from the
water, and while there, may pollinate plants for the further propagation
of the species, Willow pollen being of much importance in their production
of honey. In detecting the direction of the bees' hives, thereby availing
oneself of their delicious honey, one can take advantage of a practice
called coursing. Wait and watch for the incoming honeybees and when they
have taken their fill, note the direction in which they leave. They will
fly a beeline in the direction of their hive. Butterflies abound there
adding to the beauty, while performing some of the same tasks. Water bugs
of different varieties, along with spiders that skate on water are there
to help the chain by providing protein for the fish. This is only a small
portion of the ecosystem.
The old farm pond was nature at it's acme, a source of
calmness for the spirit and a source of beauty for the eye to behold. A
builder of pleasant dreams, creation in continuous progress. Even the
spillways sometimes echoed the past, as erosion etched the soil, exposing
layers laid down in former years. Of course, at the top of the food chain
is the human being We benefit vastly from this marvelous little ecosystem
by taking advantage of the complete food chain in place there. It seems
that with the cone shaped ponds, we no longer have the advantage of the
shallows and many other features that promote the necessary habitat for as
complete an ecosystem as the good old original down-home farm pond.
One of the most important aspects of the pond and another furnished
by Clayton Adair, one that I had forgotten to mention. That of swimming in
it. Clayton's comments are: farm pond fishing used to be the best fishing
in the world. I spent lots of Sunday afternoons swimming naked [and we
sure did] in these old ponds, diving for mussel shells and jumping out of
trees on the banks. I think it's sad that kids today do not know how to
have fun like that. The world of the farm pond. Maybe only a few will
remember.
Harry Shumard and Clayton Adair |
