CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 5 



Geographical distribution 5 



Massachusetts 6 



Rhode Island 6 



Connecticut 6 



Xew York 6 



New Jersey f 6 



Delaware 6 



Marj'land 7 



Virginia 7 



North Carolina 7 



South Carolina 7 



Georgia 7 



Florida 7 



Alabama 8 



^Mississippi 8 



Louisiana 8 



Texas 8 



Output of various regions 8 



Description and anatomy 9 



Classification 9 



External appearance 9 



Anatomical features 9 



Life history 12 



Time of spawning 12 



Reproduction 12 



Growth 14 



Factors of environment 14 



Temperature of water 14 



Density of water 15 



Mud, silt, and suspended matter 15 



Tides and currents 16 



Depth of water 17 



Freshets, storms, and ice 17 



Food of the ovster 19 



Natural beds '. 20 



Development and description 20 



Depletion 24 



Cultivation 25 



Artificial propagation 25 



Legal considerations 26 



Procuring ground 26 



Marking beds 27 



Methods of oyster culture 27 



Catching of spat, or "set" 27 



Cultch 29 



Character and preparation of bottom 29 



Time for plantmg cultch 29 



Location of cullc-h beds 31 



Location of spawning beds 32 



General desirability of planting cultch 33 



Planting seed ovstcrs 33 



Seed ". 34 



Water 35 



Food 35 



Bottom 36 



Sowing the seed 36 



Care of beds 36 



3528b''— 21 21 3 



