(Loosanoff and Engle, 1947). A large-scale 

 "natural" experiment along the same line took 

 place in Great South Bay where unbalanced fer- 

 tilization of sea water by manure from the duck 

 farms located along the banks of the bay boosted 

 such reproduction of Chlorella-like organisms that 

 the heretofore prosperous shellfish industry of the 

 bay suffered a serious setback (Redfield, 1952). 



Nelson (1934) made a series of tests of several 

 substances as artificial foods for oysters. He 

 used corn starch, ground alfalfa, soybean meal, 

 and ground meat of the king crab. It is not clear 

 in his report if the criterion of results was the 

 weight of the oyster meat. Nelson states that 

 only with corn starch "was any success obtained." 

 The details of these experiments have not been 

 disclosed. 



In spite of doubtful results the artificial feeding 

 of oysters appears to be a definite possibility which 

 should be carefully investigated. Since oysters 

 are able to absorb glucose dissolved in sea water 

 (Yonge, 1928), it seems desirable to explore more 

 thoroughly this method of feeding. Furthermore, 

 the diet of the oyster and the nutritive value of 

 different diatoms and flagellates should be investi- 

 gated together with the methods of their cultiva- 

 tion. It is reasonable to expect that certain forms 

 richer in protein, may be more useful for obtaining 

 better growth of oysters; others, richer in car- 

 bohydrates, may prove more valuable for their 

 fattening. Research along these lines offers 

 many interesting possibilities that may prove 

 useful in the artificial culture of oysters. 



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1914. Food and conditions of nourishment among 

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1949. Some studies of the digestive enzymes of the 

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ORGANS OF DIGESTION AND FOOD OF THE OYSTER 



235 



