FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 17 



few years. Some attempts have been made at planting oysters about 

 the month of the Manatee Eiver, but, owing to the absence of any 

 protection from the State, the matter was not gone into very extensively. 



There are some native oysters about the mouth of Anclote Eiver, and 

 Mr. H. A. Sineltz, of Tarpon Springs, has done something toward 

 improving and increasing the supply. Mr. Smeltz's experiments were 

 carried on between the Pithlachascootie and Anclote rivers, whose 

 mouths are about 5 miles apart. In 1892 he planted several bushels of 

 Chesapeake Bay oysters, scattering them among the native oysters. 

 To facilitate the fixation of spat, he drove a number of stakes at differ- 

 ent places on and about the beds. These stakes were of yellow pine, 

 cedar, and palmetto, one inch thick and of various widths, and were 

 placed upright, generally on mud bottom. About 400 stakes were set 

 at various times from April to July, 1S03. Those set in May and June 

 collected the largest number of spat: about equal numbers were col- 

 lected by those put down in April and July, but considerably less than 

 by those set out in May and June. Spat collected upon these stakes in 

 April grew to good-sized edible oysters by the February following. 



Besides making the small plant of Chesapeake Bay oysters, Mr. 

 Smeltz transplanted to his grounds the native oyster from several 

 different places along the Florida coast, and was surprised to find that 

 the seed oysters from the Chesapeake proved the more hardy. The 

 topography of the beds with which Mr. Smeltz has been experimenting, 

 as well as the salinity of the water, seem quite favorable, and with 

 proper protection these grounds would be very productive. Stealing 

 oysters from the beds has been of such frequent occurrence that Mr. 

 Smeltz has practically discontinued his attempts to improve the beds. 



Small beds of native oysters are found at various places on this part 

 of the coast. They were at one time very extensive beds, but are now 

 practically depleted. The oysters are said to have been of good shape 

 and excellent quality. 



The next beds above Anclote Keys are about the mouth of Crystal 

 Eiver, some 40 miles up the coast. These beds are not of great extent, 

 but have long been noted for the good quality of their oysters. They 

 have been worked so assiduously during the last few years that they 

 are said to be showing signs of depletion. They are worked chiefly 

 by people living at the towns of Crystal Eiver and Homosassa. 



On the coast of Levy County oyster beds of considerable importance 

 are found. The best are said to be in Xo. 4 Channel, between Cedar 

 and Derrick keys, connecting Wacassassee and Suwanee bays; on 

 Pelican Beef Bar, which runs from just above No. 4 Bar up Suwanee 

 Bay about 2i miles; on Fishbone Bar, which extends from the north 

 side of Suwanee Eiver up the coast several miles; on Corrigan Beef, 

 which runs for 4 miles south of Cedar Key, and on the Wacassassee 

 Bar, near the mouth of the river of the same name. The best of all of 

 these are the beds in No. 4 Channel. 

 S. Doc. 100 2 



