268 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



Mr. H. J. Lewis, an extensive and experienced oyster-culturist of New Haven, 

 Conn., and president of the Oyster Cultivation and Canning- Company, of Brunswick, 

 Ga., dredged this river carefully with a view to taking it up, actually began negotia 

 tions to that end, and pronounced it the best river in Georgia. Its depth of from 20 

 to 35 feet was not considered objectionable, in view of the fact that some of the best 

 grounds in Long Island Sound have 14 fathoms over them. 



In March, 1890, the Oemler Oyster Company planted 11,520 bushels of oysters on 

 the upper end of its territory in deepest water of midstream, which the expert, Ensign 

 Drake, had pronounced the most promising; and partly along shore in close proximity, 

 and partly near the middle of the river, the depth ranging from 20 to 35 feet, it put 

 down in May 18,500 bushels of shells. On the shore area spawners were distributed 

 with the shells. At the first examination the oysters were found to be perishing, and 

 in a few months hardly a living specimen could be discovered, yet not a starfish nor 

 drill had appeared, nor did the oysters suffer for food. 



The compauy then discarded all its midstream grounds, but planted, between 

 November, 1800, and April, 1891, 111,158 bushels within the 1,000 -feet limit, opposite 

 Wilmington Island and opposite and below Skidaway Island, a portion being virtually 

 over 2 miles from any habitable highland. These were examined several times and 

 always seemed promising. When they had been down about sixteen months 400 

 bushels were dredged up in the presence of the directors, myself being one of them, 

 from different portions of the ground for the purpose of determining whether we would 

 utilize them at once for canning or not. They seemed to be still prosperous and came 

 up perfectly free from silt; in fact all the oysters on the lower surface of large heavy 

 bunches, upon which they had rested, were as sound as any, indicative of a very hard 

 bottom, free of silt or sand. The superintendent of the company wished to use 

 some of them, but the board unanimously voted they should remain longer for the 

 anticipated improvement in growth and condition, and in the meantime we would 

 depend upon other sources. Two very small starfish were found on this occasion near 

 the lowest part of the ground. When, eight months later, we proceeded to dredge 

 them, so many had perished that the entire planting of 123,500 bushels had to be 

 considered a total loss, as it would not pay to take up the survivors with the much 

 greater mass of dead oysters. Thus, instead of an increase of at least 50 per cent in 

 two years, or about 200,000 bushels, the company got virtually nothing. Full grown 

 starfish were now found, but still exclusively on the lowest end of the territory, and 

 their presence could not account for the death of the oysters. 



On the other hand, the company planted 55,311 bushels of oysters in the spring 

 of 1892, and 10,500 bushels of shells in May, 1892, on a part of its 180 acres in the 

 shallower and fresher waters of Oyster Creek, the latter being about and above low- 

 water mark. The depth of the creek nowhere exceeds 15 feet. The shells put down 

 here, and elswhere, in shallow water in 1891 and 1892, of high or low density, secured 

 an astonishing set, and if left undisturbed would have supplied nuclei for coou-oyster 

 ledges in both densities alike. When recently examined the oysters seemed in a 

 prosperous condition. At the time the first shells were deposited I was aware of the 

 failure at Brunswick, the year previous, to secure a set in deep water, and subsequently 

 learned that the absence of a set in the deep waters of the south was being investi- 

 gated by the U. S. Fish Commission. My opinion, therefore, is that the deficient set, 

 the death of the spat, and the destruction of mature oysters in Wilmington Kiver, at 



