OYSTER-BEDS OF T.OUISIANA. 79 



lie in the fact that the oysters here become fat earlier tnan those on the 

 west side of the river, and they are, therefore, more in demand in the 

 markets of New Orleans npou the opening of the season in September. 

 In 1807 the oysters at Salt Works were found to be through spawning 

 and quite fat during the last week of August, while many of those 

 examined at Baj'ou Cook the day before were still spawning and inferior 

 as to condition. 



The oysters now (March, 1898) on the private beds in Quarantine 

 Bay were obtained from the vicinity of Mozambique Point and Riviere 

 aux Chenes, and were planted during the. summer of 1897. During the 

 spring of that year all of the private and natural beds in California 

 Bay and Quarantine Bay were destroyed by the fresh water discharged 

 from the Mississippi Kiver by the crevasses occurring at Bohemia and 

 at the several canals opening into the bays under discussion. 



The princii^al enemy with which the planters here have to contend is 

 the drumfish, which has become so troublesome as to compel the erec- 

 tion of close and rather expensive stockades for the protection of the 

 bedding-grounds. Formerly these protections were built with rails 

 about 6 inches apart, but they are now constructed of pickets close 

 together, entering the mud at the bottom and nailed to stringpieces 

 at the top. 



Whale Bay and Grand Pass. — Oyster-planting began here about 

 1885, the pioneer and most successful operator being Louis Espougar, 

 who in that year began to transplant oysters from the natural beds in 

 Garden Island Bay, between South Pass and Southeast Pass. He 

 appears to have been the first man to appreciate jthe importance of 

 planting cultch to catch the spat, and carefully collected oyster shells 

 and other suitable materials for that purpose, even, it is stated, stipu- 

 lating the return of shells when he sold his oysters unopened to the 

 residents of Port Eads. 



After some years others began to establish private beds in Whale 

 Bay, until 1892 depending for their seed oysters upon the natural beds 

 existing in Garden Island Bay. In 1892, however, the water from the 

 Mississippi River broke into the head of Garden Island Bay at what 

 is known as the Pass a Loutre crevasse, flooding the bay with fresh 

 water and killing the oysters. This gap has until the present time 

 resisted all attempts at its closure, and the oysters have never reestab- 

 lished themselves. Deprived thus of the only extensive near-by source 

 from which to obtain their seed oysters, the planters had to choose 

 between establishing spatting-grounds and depending upon the young 

 oysters attaching to the cultch, or making the long and sometimes 

 stormy trip to Timbalier or the coast north of Bird Island Sound, the 

 nearest places in which seed oysters could be obtained in sufficient 

 quantities for their purpose. 



It was fouiul that the destruction of the oysters in Garden Island 

 Bay had left large quantities of shells avaihible for use as cultch, and 

 the experience of Mr. Espougar dictated the use of these as the easiest 



