39 



hand each fisherman was inten steel in ijettin^ the greatest 

 amount of oysters possible before the supply was depleted. 

 When one hcd was clciuied up another was resorted to, until 

 the best oystei-s had been taken from all the reefs. In this 

 way the beds were being constantly depleted without any provi- 

 sion being made for their restocking, and the supply of oysters 

 were reduced from year to year. No serious thought was given 

 to the question of artificial means for increasing the supply of 

 03'sters in any region until there was appai-ent danger of the 

 supply from the natural reefs. 



As is always the ease when any natural source of income 

 and gratification has reached a state of depletion so that there 

 seems to be danger of the product being denied, there was at 

 once great activity in the line of experimentation looking to 

 The discovery of methods to make good the loss which had been 

 'orought about through carelessness and ignorance. In this in- 

 stance it was found that the necessary remedies were of easy 

 {ipplication and the results were such as to assure a supi)ly much 

 in excess of anything that could have been expected under 

 natural conditions. By the use of artificial methods the oyster 

 beds were extended into the water of nnich greater depth than 

 tliat in which any of the natural reefs were known, if indeed any 

 existed at the greater depths. By establishing in a short time, 

 by the use of cultural methods, conditions which under natural 

 causes alom- would have been centuries in cojiiing about, it has 

 been po.ssible to change the entire aspect of the oyster indu.stry. 

 Instead of falling off each year the production of oysters i^ 

 steadily increasing, while considerable sums of money are 

 turned into the State treasuries as the result of leasing the 

 bottoms to fiersons engaged in oyster .-"ulture. 



The means which are used to assist nature in bringing 

 about ail inci-ease in the production of oysters will, of necessity, 

 differ to some extent under the influence of local conditions: but 

 in general it may be said that the success of the artificial meth- 

 rds depends on modifying natural conditions in such a manner 

 ap to bring about one or several of the following results: 



1. An increase in the number of the eggs successfully 

 fertilized. 



