﻿304 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  and 
  that 
  the 
  oysters 
  were 
  planted 
  at 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  and 
  upon 
  

   simihir 
  bottoms. 
  The 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  plants, 
  however, 
  are 
  very- 
  

   different. 
  Ten 
  per 
  cent 
  only 
  of 
  those 
  planted 
  in 
  North 
  River 
  Avere 
  

   living- 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  season, 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  growth 
  having 
  taken 
  

   place, 
  while 
  68 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  those 
  planted 
  in 
  Newport 
  liiver 
  w^ere 
  grow- 
  

   ing 
  nicely 
  when 
  the 
  examination 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  September, 
  1902. 
  The 
  

   difference 
  in 
  the 
  food 
  supply 
  on 
  the 
  two 
  beds 
  was 
  not 
  great 
  enough 
  to 
  

   account 
  for 
  the 
  difference 
  in 
  result, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  by 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  

   tables 
  on 
  pages 
  289-90. 
  The 
  principal 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  conditions 
  was 
  

   that 
  in 
  the 
  tirst 
  instance 
  the 
  oysters 
  were 
  transplanted 
  to 
  a 
  locality 
  in 
  

   which 
  the 
  density 
  is 
  not 
  usually 
  much 
  higher 
  than 
  that 
  over 
  their 
  native 
  

   rock, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  a 
  considerable 
  change 
  was 
  experienced 
  in 
  

   this 
  respect, 
  the 
  North 
  River 
  experimental 
  bed 
  usuall}' 
  being 
  covered 
  

   with 
  water 
  having 
  a 
  much 
  higher 
  density 
  than 
  the 
  Cross 
  Rock 
  beds. 
  

  

  Area 
  ^Yo. 
  1'2. 
  — 
  The 
  twelfth 
  planting 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  North 
  River 
  June 
  

   13, 
  1900, 
  with 
  60 
  bushels 
  of 
  shells 
  in 
  two 
  rows 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  currents. 
  

   The 
  area 
  is 
  small, 
  covei'ing 
  but 
  200 
  square 
  feet. 
  As 
  was 
  usual 
  with 
  

   shells 
  planted 
  in 
  rows, 
  either 
  parallel 
  or 
  at 
  right 
  ang'les 
  to 
  the 
  flow 
  of 
  

   the 
  currents, 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  spat 
  became 
  attached 
  and 
  the 
  oysters 
  

   showed 
  rapid 
  growth, 
  but 
  as 
  they 
  grew 
  larger 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  tendency 
  

   to 
  become 
  long 
  and 
  narrow. 
  The 
  spat 
  becomes 
  attached 
  principally 
  

   to 
  the 
  shells 
  at 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  the 
  ridges, 
  as 
  these 
  offer 
  the 
  cleanest 
  sur- 
  

   faces 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  feeding 
  conditions. 
  Those 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  

   of 
  the 
  ridges 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  soon 
  become 
  coated 
  with 
  sediment. 
  

   The 
  conditions 
  on 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  the 
  ridges 
  are 
  in 
  reality 
  too 
  well 
  suited 
  

   to 
  the 
  needs 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  fry; 
  too 
  many 
  spat 
  usually 
  become 
  attached, 
  

   so 
  that 
  as 
  they 
  increase 
  in 
  size 
  they 
  interfere 
  with 
  each 
  other, 
  becom- 
  

   ing 
  "coony" 
  as 
  the 
  result. 
  This 
  method 
  of 
  planting 
  might 
  be 
  used 
  

   to 
  advantage 
  in 
  localities 
  where 
  oyster 
  try 
  are 
  scarce 
  or 
  in 
  cases 
  in 
  

   which 
  the 
  shells 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  transplanted 
  not 
  later 
  than 
  one 
  ye&v 
  from 
  

   the 
  time 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  ffrst 
  exposed. 
  

  

  Area 
  JVo. 
  22. 
  — 
  This 
  area 
  in 
  Newport 
  River 
  was 
  the 
  last 
  planted 
  in 
  

   1900. 
  No 
  shells 
  were 
  put 
  out, 
  but 
  on 
  July 
  20 
  10 
  bushels 
  of 
  small 
  but 
  

   nicely 
  shaped 
  03^sters, 
  gathered 
  at 
  low 
  tide 
  from 
  Turtle 
  Rock, 
  were 
  

   planted 
  on 
  the 
  unprepared 
  sticky 
  bottom. 
  The 
  area 
  covered 
  contained 
  

   400 
  square 
  feet, 
  but 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  were 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   half. 
  A 
  rapid 
  growth 
  took 
  place 
  from 
  the 
  beginning, 
  and, 
  contrary 
  

   to 
  what 
  was 
  expected, 
  very 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  died. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   the 
  third 
  season 
  71 
  per 
  cent 
  were 
  living. 
  Very 
  few 
  spat 
  attached 
  to 
  

   the 
  shells 
  of 
  the 
  oysters. 
  The 
  mud 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  plant 
  was 
  made 
  

   contained 
  considerable 
  sand 
  and 
  was 
  quite 
  firm 
  compared 
  with 
  that 
  found 
  

   on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  bed, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  03^sters 
  did 
  not 
  sink 
  below 
  the 
  

   surface, 
  although 
  they 
  became 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  thin 
  coat 
  of 
  sediment. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  noted, 
  by 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  table, 
  that 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  

   results 
  in 
  planting 
  seed 
  oysters, 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  mortality 
  l)eing 
  considered, 
  

  

  