49 



a place of attaehmeiit for a large uimiber of spat, aud as soon 

 as the young oysters begin to grow there is a tendency to crowd- 

 ing. The ordinary oyster shell is so thick and strong that the 

 pressure developed among the growing oysters is not sufficient to 

 break up the shell to wliieh they may be attached, so that unless 

 the clusters are broken up by hand, or by the use of a dredge, 

 the oysters will become badly misshapen and their market value 

 much reduced. In a region where the supply of food is abun- 

 dant and other conditions favorable so that growth is very rapid, 

 this factor becomes of vital importance to the oyster culturist 

 While the use of any form of clutch that will lessen the chance 

 of producing misshapen oysters and at the same time lessen 

 the amount of work necessary on the beds will bring about a 

 great saving in time and labor. 



CLAMS AND OTHER SHELLS. 



Immense banks of the shells of a small, claui-like mollusc 

 {Gnathodon cuneatus) occur at many points in the oyster-pro- 

 ducing section of this State. These shells are about as large 

 as a quarter or half dollar, and on account of their small size 

 make an especially good form of clutch. In practice it is found 

 that only a comparatively small number of spat will become 

 attached to one of these shells, and by the time when the young 

 oysters have reached a size when there is danger of crowding 

 only one or two of them will have survived, so that oysters of 

 good shape will be produced without the necessity of taking up 

 and separating the young growth. In sections where these 

 shells occur in abundance it will perhaps be found best to use 

 the smaller shells to make a surface on the bed after the bottom 

 has been prepared by the use of oyster shells, especially when 

 the bottom is very soft.^ The larger shells will harden the bot- 

 tom more surely than the smaller ones, and besides would leave 

 the latter free from any chance of becoming mudded up. 



In some of the Northern States the shells of the scallop 

 (Pecten), and some of the fragile snail shells, are used for 

 clutch in preference to the oyster shells. These shells are likely 

 to be broken up by the pressure developed by the growinnr 

 oysters, so that the question of culling is left to take care of 

 itself, and the oysters need no attention until they -.wo renrly 

 for the market. 



