THE OYSTER. 95 



The oyster is well known to be enormously prolific, 

 a single one giving birth in one season to many million 

 young ; and it is obvious that the annual supply would 

 be enormously increased if all the young which are 

 born could be reared to maturity. 



Unfortunately, this is not the case, and under a 

 state of nature millions of oysters are born for each 

 one which grows to maturity. Mobius has shown 

 that in Europe each oyster which is born has only one 

 chance in one million one hundred and forty-five 

 thousand of reaching maturity ; I have shown that the 

 chances of each American oyster are very much less. 



One of the most important discoveries of the last 

 fifty years is, that it is quite possible to save many of 

 these oysters by artificial means ; and experiments 

 which have been carried on in France, as well as in 

 many parts of our own country, prove that this can be 

 done, successfully and economically, on a very large 

 scale. 



Soon after it is born the young oyster fastens itself 

 to some solid body. It is at first so small that it is 

 smothered and killed at once if it falls upon a muddy 

 or slimy bottom, and its only chance for life is in the 

 discovery of some perfectly clean, hard body to which 

 it may fasten itself. Many young oysters are killed 

 by accidents or enemies after they have fastened them- 

 selves, but by far the greater number perish through 

 failure to find proper places for attachment; and the 

 whole secret of oyster culture is to furnish proper 

 bodies for the attachment of the young. 



