22 



OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. 



Food is abundantly produced in the waters of the vicinity, and 

 although there is considerable fluctuation in the supply, the average 

 of a number of observations made on the planted grounds is higher 

 than was attained in most parts of the state. The food production 

 in the adjacent parts of Barataria Bay is very high, and there would 

 therefore appear to be an abundant reserve supply. The seed oysters, 

 originally planted as brood stock, which were rough and unculled as 

 taken from the reefs, about 2| inches long, and .planted at the rate of 

 about 800 bushels per acre, grew rapidly and were always fat and in 

 good condition. The various observations of the salinities, tempera- 

 tures, and food production of the water are show^n in the following 

 table : 



Food Content, Specific Gravity, and Temperature of Water in Bay Tambour. 



About 50 barrels of rough unculled oysters from the natural beds 

 were planted in January, 1906, and in the latter part of the follow- 

 ing April oyster and clam shells were planted after the manner of 

 those deposited at Bayou St. Denis, followed by two similar plants 

 in the latter parts of May and June, respectively. In all these the 

 apparent set of spat was light, the number of shells bearing young 

 oysters ranging between 15 and 35 per cent of those examined, the 

 average of all plants being about 22 per cent. By the following 

 spring all of these young oysters had disappeared. The results of 

 the second year's experiments were even more unfavorable, and 

 spat transplanted from Bayou St. Denis were also killed within a 

 fcAv weeks. 



