10 



With the small shell the crowding begins early, and soon all 

 but one or two have perished, leaving good opportunity for 

 those that survive to grow. Yet granting that better results may 

 be gotten by the use of small shells for spat collecting, it must 

 .be understood that just as good results can be gotten by using 

 dried oyster shells and "working" the beds, that is, breaking 

 up the clusters in one way or another. 



It has been previously stated, that shells cleaned and dried 

 by the action of the waves and sun, make ideal spat collectors. 

 There is a reason for this. There are many places along the 

 Gulf where, at one time, there have been large oyster beds. 

 But due to the excessive tonging these have become extinct, and 

 although the bottom is covered with .shells, there are no oysters, 

 have been none, and will probably not be any until some arti- 

 ficial means are taken to restock the place. On these extinct 

 beds there are quantities of old oyster shells, but the spat will 

 not settle. The reason for this is that all of these old shells 

 are covered with a growth of some kind. The special kind of 

 growth varies in localities, sometimes animal, sometimes plant, 

 and again it may be a combination of both plant and ani- 

 mal. In the lower end of the Grand Caillou when examined 

 in the spring of 1909. the growth consisted almost exclusively of 

 small sea anemone (Aiptasia pallida) ; while in Bayou Rose only 

 a short distance away, the growth was mostly tunicates. Other 

 growths that prevent the settlement of spat are sponges, hydroids 

 and algae. Some of these forms are enemies of the oyster, in that 

 the oyster larvae forms a part of their food. Thus it is 

 that so long as all the available space for spat to settle is al- 

 ready occupied with mucus and other forms of growth, there 

 is little or no chance for the young larvae to get a start. 



This then is the great advantage of clean shells. Shells, of 

 any kind, if used as spat collectors, must be clean. Slimy, 

 mucus shells are but little more apt to collect spat than the 

 leaves on a tree. One great consideration then is to have the 

 material used for spat collection, clean from any foreign growth. 

 If oyster shells are used, be sure that they have been exposed 

 to the sun for a considerable length of time. If either the 

 Gnathadon or Area clam shells are available, and these are bet- 



