﻿274 
  

  

  EEPOKT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  planted 
  twice. 
  The 
  work 
  was 
  carefully 
  done, 
  but 
  no 
  estimate 
  was 
  

   made 
  of 
  the 
  amount 
  planted 
  per 
  acre. 
  The 
  bottom 
  was 
  in 
  no 
  way 
  pre- 
  

   pared 
  for 
  the 
  oysters. 
  They 
  were 
  placed 
  directly 
  upon 
  it, 
  the 
  expec- 
  

   tation 
  being- 
  that 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  shells 
  would 
  be 
  sufficient 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  

   oysters 
  from 
  sinking 
  too 
  deeph' 
  into 
  the 
  mud. 
  It 
  is 
  evident, 
  however, 
  

   that 
  the 
  o3^sters 
  were 
  as 
  likel}' 
  to 
  support 
  the 
  shells 
  as 
  were 
  the 
  shells 
  

   to 
  support 
  the 
  oysters, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  black 
  mud 
  blisters 
  

   which 
  mark 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  shells 
  and 
  the 
  frequent 
  occurrence 
  of 
  

   completely 
  "mudded-up-' 
  oysters, 
  it 
  seems 
  that 
  the 
  bottom 
  was 
  too 
  

   soft 
  and 
  should 
  have 
  been 
  hardened 
  before 
  the 
  planting. 
  

   . 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  survey, 
  however, 
  there 
  were 
  not 
  onlj^ 
  on 
  Mr. 
  

   Ireland's, 
  but 
  on 
  man}" 
  of 
  the 
  planted 
  grounds, 
  numerous 
  places 
  where 
  

   03'sters 
  were 
  growing. 
  The 
  condition 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Ireland's 
  beds 
  in 
  two 
  

   places 
  is 
  shown 
  b}' 
  the 
  following 
  table, 
  in 
  which 
  is 
  given 
  the 
  amount 
  

   of 
  cullings 
  taken 
  -while 
  tonging 
  1 
  peck 
  of 
  salable 
  oysters 
  from 
  each: 
  

  

  Amount 
  of 
  cullings 
  wldle 
  tomjing 
  1 
  peck 
  of 
  salable 
  ogslers 
  on 
  J. 
  TI'. 
  Ireland's 
  bed. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  November 
  the 
  oysters 
  were 
  water}" 
  and 
  poor, 
  

   but 
  in 
  December 
  they 
  became 
  plump 
  and 
  white, 
  and 
  until 
  April 
  were 
  

   in 
  a 
  marketable 
  condition, 
  although 
  early 
  in 
  December 
  those 
  on 
  Mr. 
  

   Ireland's 
  bed, 
  as 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  natural 
  and 
  planted 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  river, 
  became 
  affected 
  with 
  the 
  "green 
  gill" 
  (see 
  below). 
  The 
  

   amount 
  of 
  food 
  available 
  for 
  the 
  oystei's 
  on 
  this 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  planted 
  

   beds 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  tables 
  on 
  page 
  290, 
  but 
  

   it 
  compares 
  unfavorably 
  with 
  the 
  amount 
  available 
  for 
  oysters 
  on 
  

   the 
  natural 
  beds, 
  as 
  will 
  bo 
  seen 
  by 
  comparison 
  of 
  this 
  table 
  with 
  the 
  

   one 
  on 
  page 
  207. 
  

  

  "green 
  gill." 
  

  

  Soon 
  after 
  beginning 
  work 
  in 
  North 
  River 
  in 
  1899, 
  the 
  "coon" 
  

   oysters 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Goose 
  Creek 
  Bay 
  began 
  to 
  show 
  a 
  green 
  color 
  

   in 
  their 
  gills. 
  In 
  a 
  week 
  or 
  so 
  this 
  was 
  noticed 
  in 
  the 
  oysters 
  in 
  Wards 
  

   Creek 
  also, 
  and 
  shortly 
  afterwards 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  planted 
  beds 
  in 
  Roberts 
  

   Bay 
  began 
  to 
  be 
  affected. 
  The 
  color 
  was 
  very 
  faint 
  at 
  first, 
  but 
  gradu- 
  

   ally 
  deepened 
  until 
  the 
  gills 
  were 
  the 
  exact 
  shade 
  of 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  Oscil- 
  

   laria 
  filaments 
  (a 
  blue-green 
  alga). 
  Examination 
  showed 
  that 
  among 
  

   the 
  cilia 
  of 
  the 
  gill 
  filaments 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  interfilamentary 
  spaces, 
  enor- 
  

   mous 
  numbers 
  of 
  a 
  small, 
  disk-shaped, 
  granular, 
  single-celled, 
  blue-green 
  

   alga 
  were 
  crowded. 
  In 
  this 
  position 
  they 
  were 
  growing 
  and 
  multiply- 
  

  

  