Oyster Culture in America 127 



ditions that often call for labor. Two or three varieties 

 of sea-weeds frequently appear on the bottoms, often 

 attached to the oysters themselves. In a current, these 

 are matted down so as to interfere with the feeding pro- 

 cess, and if allowed to grow, may become a serious 

 menace. Strong currents frequently drag rubbish of 

 various kinds on to the beds, and waves from heavy 

 winds may cause the bottoms to shift. Oysters in this 

 way are frequently " sanded," but even if completely 

 covered, they would continue to live for some days, so 

 they may be saved if cared for in time. All of these 

 conditions the successful culturist must heed. There 

 is nothing to be done but to dredge the entire crop, scrap- 

 ing the bottom clean. Then sea-weed and rubbish are 

 removed, and the oysters are returned. 



For still another reason it is often of advantage to 

 disturb the oysters. There are bottoms on which they 

 increase in size, but fail to fatten. Indeed, on most of 

 the deep water beds, oysters do not attain so favorable 

 a condition as in fresher water. In order to improve 

 them as much as possible before marketing them, many 

 culturists remove their oysters in the spring from the 

 less favorable deep water to warmer and fresher shore 

 beds, where fattening rapidly takes place during the 

 summer. Such oysters are callel " harbor plants," and 

 though now often in a more favorable position for strain- 

 ing the bacillus of typhoid out of the water, they are 

 plump, and are sold for a higher price than that obtained 

 for the " sound stock." 



Perhaps it has appeared from these statements that 

 the oyster-culturist's year is not made up of days of idle 

 waiting for his crop to mature. He has his " slack sea- 

 son," to be sure. In some years starfish may give him 



