260 Our Food Mollusks 



a century ago the terror of the Gulf. These bays are 

 now the busy scene of a rapidly growing oyster industry. 



The most important oyster grounds of the state are 

 found west of the river in Terrebonne Parish, but nearly 

 everywhere in this region they are becoming depleted, and 

 are giving way to the more productive cultivated beds. 



The first move toward true oyster culture has always 

 been the transplanting of culled oysters from natural 

 beds to prepared bottoms where they may grow. This 

 was practised many years ago in Louisiana by the lugger- 

 men, and has been continued by others, often on leased 

 ground. But true oyster culture — the capture of spat 

 that would otherwise perish — is very easily accomplished 

 in these waters, and since about 1885 a large number 

 who have rented grounds from the state, have learned to 

 spread oyster shells for this purpose. With the decrease 

 of the natural beds, this practice is growing, and prom- 

 ises much for the near future. 



To the present time, little effort has been made to cul- 

 tivate oysters on very soft bottoms, of which there are 

 great numbers situated where other conditions are favor- 

 able for oyster growth. Such bottoms have been re- 

 claimed in Long Island Sound by the use of sand and 

 gravel. But the bottoms here are often so soft and oozy 

 that it is the common belief among oystermen that even 

 shells would sink out of sight in them. 



Experiments conducted on these bottoms in 1904 by 

 the writer, proved that this is not true, and that a firm 

 pavement may be constructed on the softest silt. In the 

 open waters of the Gulf, where the mud was so soft and 

 deep that a sounding pole was thrust into it to a depth of 

 many feet with no effort, and from a boat under way, an 

 extensive foundation of shells was prepared for an oyster 



