45 



SO\VL\G I HE SEED. 



The seed oysters nie scattered uver tlie beds by beiii^- tliruwii 

 from boats moored over the area to be planted. The greatest 

 eare should be used to get tliem as evenly distributed as possible 

 as only by this means can the best results be obtained. When 

 the seed oysters are deposited in heaps many of them are pre- 

 vented from getting a proper food supply, while the crowding 

 will cause in-egularities which will lessen their market value. 



In r)rder to assure an equal distribution of the seed, the bed 

 may be n)arked oil' into areas of equal size and the same amount 

 of seed distributed over each of the subdivisions. Another 

 method is to anchor the boat over the bed and to scatter the 

 seed over an area which can be conveniently covered by throw- 

 ing the oysters from the boat with a shovel. The boat is then 

 moved to another station and the process repeated. The oysters 

 should not be deposited very thickly, five hundred (500) to 

 eight hundred (800) bushels to the acre being the amount that 

 seems to give the best results. There would of course be room 

 for a much larger amount of seed without danger of much 

 crowding while the oysters are young; but as they grow larger 

 the extra space will be taken up and the demand for food will 

 be greater. When the oysters are sown too thickly on a bed it 

 will be found that they will not grow nor fatten so rapidly, 

 besides the trouble from crowding. 



WORKJXCr THE BEDS. 



When seed oysters of good quality, that is pi-operly selected 

 and separated, have been used and the quantity used not too 

 large, it is not usually necessary to work the beds. 



When the oysters are grown in the neighborhood of very 

 muddy bottoms, it is frequently advisable to tran.sfer them to 

 some other locality where the bottom is hard, so that the muddy 

 matter in the gills and mantle cavity of the oysters may be 

 washed out and the objectionable appearance and flavor cor- 

 rected before they are sent to the market. 



In this connection reference may be made to the practice 

 of plumping or floatinsr. frequently called fattening by the 

 oyster men. which will be treated in another .section of thi? 

 report. 



