lOO THE OYSTER. 



that the half-sedimentary, half-vegetable deposit of the 

 water, coating any submerged object with a slippery 

 film, was formed with marvelous speed. Thus shells 

 laid down a very few days before the spawning-time 

 of the oysters sometimes become so slimy as to catch 

 little or no spawn, no matter how much of it is floating 

 in the water above them. This taught the oystermen 

 that they must not spread their shells until the midst 

 of the spawning season ; that one step was gained 

 when they ceased spreading in May and waited until 

 July. Now, from the 5th to 15th of that month is 

 considered the proper time, and no shell-planting is 

 attempted before or after." 



These dates are for the waters of New York. In 

 Maryland, the month of June is most favorable for the 

 attachment of spat. The date varies, however, accord- 

 ing to the locality, the depth of water, the character 

 of the season and other influences. Good judgment 

 as to the proper time for shelling the bottom caif 

 be acquired only by experience, but a series of exact 

 experiments in different parts of the bay would be of 

 great value, as they would afford data for the guidance 

 of private cultivators. 



" The knowledge of the speed with which the shells 

 become slimy was turned to account in another way. 

 It was evident that the swifter the current the less 

 would there be a chance of rapid fouling. Planters, 

 therefore, chose their ground in the swiftest tideways 

 they could find." 



" The mere manner of spreading the shells was also 

 found to be important. If they are rudely dumped 

 over, half their good is wasted, for they lie in heaps. 



