OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. 35 



tion one year after the shells were jDlanted and it was found that these 

 oysters, broken in small clusters, improved somewhat in shape and 

 yielded a larger return of meats per bushel, though they were not 

 any fatter than the unculled oysters on the adjoining bottom. 



Owing to their shape, clustering, and poor condition, the oysters 

 raised at this place were useless except for steaming. Planted 03'sters 

 in other parts of the bay were found to be almost as poor in most 

 respects, although perhaps a little fatter. These results are un- 

 doubtedly due in part to the crowding of the oysters, and for that 

 reason the breaking ujd of the clusters at the end of about nine or ten 

 months would be advantageous, but more important factors are the 

 sluggish currents in the places more remote from the discharges into 

 Mississippi Sound and the general paucity of the microscojDic lite on 

 which the oysters feed. 



So far as we have been able to learn the natural oysters in Three- 

 mile Bay and immediately adjacent waters are never more than 

 moderately fat and are often poor as measured by what is attained 

 elsewhere, and it is evident that if oyster culture in this region is tO' 

 be successful it must be prosecuted with caution. Care must be exer- 

 cised to locate the planted beds in those places where the currents are 

 strongest, as in the waters near Three-mile Bayou and the eastern 

 fork of Nine-mile Bayou. Oysters and shells should be planted 

 rather sparsely and eifort made to prevent the formation of large 

 clusters, or if they are formed they should be broken up as soon as 

 the individuals attain a size and strength of shell to permit culling. 



Not only must an excessive density of oyster grow^th be guarded 

 against but the total area planted should not be allowed to become so 

 great as to overtax the powers of the water to produce food organ- 

 isms. The authors do not regard this localit}^ as a very promising 

 field for oyster culture, though, undoubtedly, large quantities of 

 oysters of rather poor quality can be produced. It may be that the 

 place will prove valuable for the raising of seed oysters for transport 

 to localities more favorable for fattening. 



TERREBONNE PARISH. 



Terrebonne Parish includes practically the whole oyster-producing 

 region between Barataria Bay and the mouth of the Atchafalaya 

 River, the product of Lafourche Parish, which adjoins the west side 

 of Jefferson Parish, being insignificant. Several large bodies of 

 water, the western part of Timbalier Bay, Terrebonne Bay, locally 

 known as Cat Island or Wine Island Lake, Lake Pelto, Lake Barre, 

 and Lake Felicity, are included within the limits of the parish, 

 and there are numerous smaller bays, lakes, and bayous which now 

 yield or have yielded oysters. The parish is the westernmost in 



