OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. 



47 



seasonal differences in its quantity. It ma>' be confessed at once that 

 tlie results lead to no satisfactory conclusions, owing to the neces- 

 sarily limited number of observations in most places and the acci- 

 dental fluctuations introduced by the factor just discussed, though 

 the data gathered will probably assist to a solution of the problem 

 when considered in relation to experimental work now being carried 

 on at other places. The accumulation of data is probably the most 

 that can be attempted for several years to come. 



During a period of thirty-three months 498 food determinations 

 were uuide at Gl different stations. At most places observations were 

 made but once or twice in each year, but at the experimental plants 

 they were made more frequently. In the case of the latter there is 

 perhaps some basis for comparison, but in most other places the num- 

 ber of observations was too small to be assumed to represent anything 

 approaching average conditions. The following table shows the 

 average quantity of food and the salinity of the water at all places 

 in which five or more observations were made : 



Average Quantity of Oyster Food in Various Louisiana Localities. Based 

 ON Five or More Determinations. 



Locality. 



Three-mile Bay 



False mouth Bay 



Nine-mile Bay, south end 



Treasure Bav 



Big Musj5el fiay 



Saw Bay 



Blind Bay 



Caligo Bay 



Black Bay 



Long Bay 



Cock Bay 



American Bay 



Calilomia Bay 



Quarantine Bay 



Bastien Bay 



Bayou Cook 



Bay Adam 



Grand Bavou 



Bay Sans-bois 



Bay Baptiste 



Bayou St. Denis 



Barataria Bay (Quartelle) 



Bayou Bruleau 



Bayou Uigault 



Grand Isle 



Bay Tambour 



Lake Raccoisi 



Timbalier Bay 



Lake Felicity 



Seabreeze Factory , 



Lake Pelto 



Pelican Lake 



As the salinity depends upon the relative proportions of the ad- 

 mixture of fresh and salt waters, the specific gravity may be taken 

 as an index of the degree to which a locality is influenced by the 



