﻿310 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  t)F 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

   SUMMARY 
  OF 
  AVORK 
  AND 
  RESULTS. 
  

  

  In 
  all, 
  31 
  beds 
  were 
  made, 
  IS 
  in 
  Newport 
  River 
  and 
  13 
  in 
  North 
  

   River, 
  representing 
  five 
  methods 
  of 
  planting. 
  On 
  9 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  shells 
  

   in 
  various 
  quantities 
  were 
  first 
  evenly 
  scattered 
  over 
  the 
  bottom, 
  

   upon 
  which 
  seed 
  oysters 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  planted. 
  The 
  seed 
  oysters 
  were 
  

   obtained 
  in 
  different 
  localities 
  and 
  represented 
  various 
  conditions 
  of 
  

   growth. 
  Some 
  were 
  taken 
  from 
  reefs, 
  and 
  were 
  "coony; 
  " 
  some 
  were 
  

   tonged 
  from 
  beds 
  known 
  to 
  produce 
  the 
  best 
  marketable 
  oysters 
  of 
  the 
  

   section; 
  some 
  were 
  obtained 
  from 
  localities 
  where 
  the 
  water 
  usuall}^ 
  

   has 
  a 
  higher 
  specific 
  gravit}' 
  than 
  that 
  over 
  the 
  experimental 
  beds, 
  

   and 
  some 
  came 
  from 
  beds 
  over 
  vvdiich 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  fresher 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  

   planted 
  beds. 
  In 
  one 
  instance 
  seed 
  o^^sters 
  were 
  planted 
  on 
  an 
  unpre- 
  

   pared 
  bottom. 
  

  

  The 
  results 
  from 
  planting 
  seed 
  o^^sters 
  are 
  as 
  follows 
  (an 
  average 
  

   from 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  plants 
  made): 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  season 
  

   78 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  03^sters 
  were 
  living, 
  but 
  ver}" 
  few 
  were 
  in 
  a 
  growing 
  

   condition. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  season 
  41 
  per 
  cent 
  only 
  remained 
  

   alive. 
  Those 
  planted 
  in 
  North 
  River 
  showed 
  no 
  growth 
  and 
  were 
  verj^ 
  

   poor; 
  those 
  in 
  Newport 
  River, 
  however, 
  had 
  been 
  growing 
  nicely. 
  At 
  

   the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  third 
  season 
  no 
  estimate 
  could 
  be 
  made, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  

   possible 
  to 
  distinguish 
  between 
  the 
  03'sters 
  which 
  were 
  planted 
  and 
  

   those 
  which 
  had 
  grown 
  from 
  spat 
  on 
  the 
  beds. 
  The 
  "coon'' 
  oysters, 
  

   planted 
  on 
  5 
  of 
  the 
  beds, 
  showed 
  no 
  improvement 
  in 
  shape, 
  and 
  a 
  larger 
  

   per 
  cent 
  of 
  them 
  died 
  than 
  of 
  the 
  better 
  shaped 
  seed. 
  

  

  Should 
  the 
  same 
  number 
  of 
  new 
  plantings 
  be 
  made, 
  with 
  the 
  methods 
  

   used 
  in 
  -l, 
  9, 
  and 
  22, 
  there 
  is 
  ever}- 
  reason 
  to 
  believe 
  the 
  result 
  would 
  

   be 
  much 
  more 
  favorable. 
  The 
  per 
  cents 
  given 
  above 
  are 
  cut 
  down 
  

   very 
  considerably 
  by 
  the 
  results 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  which 
  were 
  total 
  failures. 
  

  

  Shells 
  were 
  planted 
  in 
  an 
  even 
  la3^er 
  from 
  1 
  to 
  4 
  shells 
  in 
  thickness 
  

   on 
  6 
  beds 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  catching 
  spat. 
  To 
  this 
  number 
  nmj 
  be 
  

   added 
  the 
  9 
  beds 
  which 
  were 
  hardened 
  with 
  shells 
  as 
  a 
  foundation 
  

   before 
  planting 
  seed 
  oysters, 
  for 
  spat 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  shells 
  of 
  these 
  

   beds, 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  regularl}' 
  examined. 
  The 
  average 
  number 
  of 
  

   spat 
  counted 
  on 
  a 
  hundred 
  shells 
  tonged 
  from 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  15 
  beds 
  at 
  

   the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  season 
  was 
  97. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  spat 
  and 
  oysters 
  on 
  

   the 
  same 
  number 
  of 
  shells 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  

   beds 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  season 
  was 
  157. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  

   of 
  1902, 
  a 
  majorit}^ 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  were 
  2 
  or 
  more 
  inches 
  in 
  length, 
  the 
  

   total 
  number 
  per 
  hundred 
  shells 
  being 
  58. 
  

  

  On 
  9 
  beds 
  shells 
  wel'e 
  planted 
  in 
  ridges 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  currents 
  flow- 
  

   ing 
  over 
  them, 
  and 
  on 
  G, 
  ridges 
  of 
  shells 
  were 
  made 
  across 
  the 
  currents. 
  

   Examination 
  of 
  the 
  shells 
  from 
  the 
  beds 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  ridges 
  were 
  

   placed 
  across 
  the 
  currents 
  showed 
  that 
  each 
  hundred 
  shells 
  had 
  caught 
  

   303 
  spat 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  season. 
  (In 
  all 
  the 
  figures 
  none 
  but 
  

  

  