The Pacific Field 275 



bottoms. In many cases, after the manner of modern 

 business, stock in these companies has been greatly 

 over-capitalized. Some companies have sold stock and 

 have failed even to begin to operate. Most failures have 

 resulted from the fact that no attention has been given 

 to the habits of the oysters, or to biological conditions 

 existing over the bottoms purchased. 



But where intelligence has united with an honest desire 

 to succeed, large dividends have been paid to stockhold- 

 ers by many companies, and the time probably is not far 

 distant when the available bottoms will be made to pro- 

 duce a large harvest. 



Several years ago the important suggestion was made 

 that the large oyster cultivated in Japan might be intro- 

 duced on our Pacific coast. It is a larger and better 

 oyster than the native form. Neither state nor federal 

 authorities have performed the experiment, but in- 

 dividuals have made several attempts in the state of 

 Washington. What successes they have attained, how- 

 ever, have not been made public. 



