OYSTER CULTUEE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. 



47 



seasonal differences in its quantity. It may be confessed at once that 

 the results lead to no satisfactory conclusions, owing to the neces- 

 sarily limited number of observations in most places and the acci- 

 dental fluctuations introduced by the factor just discussed, though 

 the data gathered will probably assist to a solution of the problem 

 when considered in relation to experimental work now being carried 

 on at other places. The accumulation of data is probably the most 

 that can be attempted for several years to come. 



During a period of thirty-three months 498 food determinations 

 were made at 61 different stations. At most places observations were 

 made but once or twice in each year, but at the experimental plants 

 they were made more frequently. In the case of the latter there is 

 perhaps some basis for comparison, but in most other places the num- 

 ber of observations was too small to be assumed to represent anything 

 approaching average conditions. The following table shows the 

 average quantity of food and the salinity of the water at all places 

 in which five or more observations were made : 



Average Quantity of Oyster Food in Various Louisiana Localities, Based 

 ON Five or More Determinations. 



Locality. 



Number 



of 

 observa- 

 tions. 



Average 



specific 



gravity of 



water. 



Food organisms per 

 liter of water. 



Number. Volume 



Three-mile Bay 



Falsemouth Bay 



Nine-mile Bay, south end 



Treasure Bay 



Big Mussel Bay 



Saw Bay 



Blind Bay 



Caligo Bay 



Black Bay 



Long Bay 



Cock Bay 



Amoricah Bay 



Calilornia Bay 



Quarantine Bay ; 



Bastien Bay 



Bayou Cook 



Bay Adam 



Crand Bayou 



Bay Sans-bois 



Bay Baptiste 



Bayou St. Denis 



Barataria Bay (Quartelle) 



Bayou Bruleau 



Bayou Rigault 



Grand Lsle 



Bay Tambour 



Lake Raccoisi 



Timbalier Bay 



Lake Felicity 



Seabreeze Factory 



Lake Pelto 



Pelican Lake 



1.0064 

 1.0050 

 1.0076 

 1.0102 

 1.0119 

 1. 0162 

 1.0174 

 1.0181 

 LOKM 

 1.0160 

 1.0170 

 1.0184 

 1.0195 

 1.0190 

 1.0117 

 1.0112 

 1.0115 

 1.0123 

 1.0095 

 1.0107 

 1.0090 

 1.0151 

 1.0120 

 1.0157 

 1.0127 

 1.0147 

 1.0148 

 1. 0160 

 1.0169 

 1.0164 

 1.0182 

 1. 0167 



5,675 

 9,000 

 7,200 

 6, 630 

 7.000 

 5,230 

 4,270 



10, 160 

 7,900 

 6, 725 

 6,350 

 6,900 

 5.540 

 8,640 

 4,890 

 7,0(>0 

 6,000 

 4,275 



12,522 

 7,525 



10, 460 



17,363 

 9,675 

 9,250 

 5,090 



10,200 



17,500 

 7,000 

 6,600 

 5,675 

 5.600 



12,600 



Cu. mm. 

 0.177 

 .,342 

 .217 

 .169 

 .185 

 .192 

 .172 

 .252 

 .237 

 .219 

 .166 

 .248 

 .189 

 .329 

 .155 

 .222 

 !l20 

 .126 

 .320 

 .230 

 .337 

 .580 

 .241 

 .235 

 .195 

 .295 

 .211 

 .264 

 .193 

 .169 

 .188 

 .252 



As the salinity depends upon the relative proportions of the ad- 

 mixture of fresh and salt waters, the specific gravity may be taken 

 as an index of the degree to which a locality is influenced by the 



