46 



PLANTING WITH CLUTCH. 



This method of oyster culture is the one which has been, 

 the longest in use in this country, and it offers the most en- 

 couragement for the future giowth of the oyster industry. The 

 method of planting seed oysters improves the quality of the 

 oysters available for market at any time, and, perhaps, utilizes 

 some which would otherwise never reach a salable condition: 

 but nevertheless many of the oysters used as seed would have 

 reached the marketable size if left on the natural reefs. Mor- 

 over, the natural reefs are being rapidly depleted by the drains 

 made on them by taking the adult oysters for market and the 

 young for seed. 



As the number of the sexually mature oysters on the beds 

 are being reduced, and the remainder are becoming scattered, 

 the reproductive capacity of the beds is being lowered; while the 

 removal of the shells as well as the oysters leaves much less 

 chance of the spat becoming attached. Since the seed-produc- 

 ing powers of the natural reefs are beinsj reduced, the planter 

 must look elsewhere for his supply of seed or take up some 

 other method of culture which will release him from his depend- 

 ence on the natural increase. Both these ends, the lessening 

 of the drain on the natural reefs, and the independence of the 

 oyster planter, are brought about by use of the method of 

 planting clutch. Moreover, there is brought about an actual 

 increase in the number of oysters growing in any body of water 

 where this method of culture is practiced. 



It has been known for a long time that not only natural 

 objects in the water near oyster reefs, but also any clean, hard 

 body which was dropped into the water in these regions at the 

 breeding season, would, after a short time, become covered witli 

 a dense growth of spat. Naturally this method of procedure 

 began to be practiced with the definite intention of catching 

 spat and thus increasing the amount of seed. From this begin- 

 ning the present system of planting clutch has been developed. 



PREPARATION OF THE BOTTOM. 



The bottom used for this method of culture must be firmer 

 than that which was required for the bedding of seed, and 

 there must not be anv danger of a deposition of sediment at the 



