﻿312 
  REPOET 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONEE 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  will 
  become 
  valua])le, 
  for 
  when 
  cultch 
  is 
  exposed 
  a 
  good 
  catch 
  of 
  spat 
  

   is 
  almost 
  a 
  ee^taint3^ 
  

  

  The 
  upper 
  pai-ts 
  of 
  the 
  rivers, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  are 
  well 
  adapted 
  

   to 
  oyster 
  planting 
  and, 
  during 
  all 
  but 
  the 
  very 
  dry 
  seasons, 
  there 
  is 
  

   every 
  reason 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  planters 
  would 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  market 
  their 
  

   crop. 
  The 
  industry 
  could 
  never 
  be 
  extensive 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  

   amount 
  of 
  available 
  ground, 
  but 
  between 
  the 
  natural 
  beds 
  there 
  are 
  

   many 
  acres 
  that 
  might 
  be 
  utilized 
  for 
  purposes 
  of 
  planting. 
  The 
  

   natural 
  beds 
  themselves, 
  if 
  strewn 
  with 
  shells 
  at 
  some 
  time 
  during 
  the 
  

   summer 
  months, 
  could 
  easil}^ 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  yield 
  mau}^ 
  times 
  the 
  amount 
  

   of 
  oysters 
  that 
  is 
  annually 
  taken 
  from 
  them. 
  The}" 
  are 
  public 
  prop- 
  

   erty, 
  and 
  no 
  individual 
  can 
  be 
  expected 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  public 
  spirited 
  as 
  to 
  

   as 
  to 
  plant 
  the 
  shells, 
  but 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  done 
  l)y 
  the 
  State, 
  in 
  one 
  

   instance 
  at 
  least, 
  as 
  an 
  experiment. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  better 
  to 
  strew 
  shells 
  and 
  stock 
  beds 
  from 
  spat 
  than 
  to 
  plant 
  

   large 
  seed 
  oysters. 
  The 
  latter 
  do 
  not 
  recover 
  from 
  the 
  shock 
  they 
  

   have 
  undergone 
  in 
  the 
  rough 
  handling 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  sudden 
  change 
  in 
  their 
  

   habitat 
  until 
  spat 
  caught 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  planting 
  the 
  seed 
  o3^sters 
  have 
  

   attained 
  an 
  equal 
  size. 
  

  

  Under 
  favorable 
  conditions 
  some 
  oysters 
  ma}' 
  be 
  marketed 
  the 
  third 
  

   season 
  after 
  the 
  shells 
  are 
  put 
  down. 
  Oysters 
  of 
  excellent 
  shape, 
  2^ 
  

   inches 
  in 
  length, 
  can 
  be 
  raised 
  in 
  abundance 
  in 
  one 
  year 
  from 
  the 
  date 
  

   of 
  planting 
  shells. 
  Such 
  oysters 
  are 
  well 
  suited 
  to 
  the 
  half-shell 
  trade, 
  

   and 
  a 
  protitable 
  industrj^ 
  for 
  a 
  limited 
  number 
  of 
  planters 
  might 
  be 
  

   developed 
  along 
  this 
  line. 
  

  

  When 
  ovsters 
  are 
  planted, 
  the 
  stock 
  should 
  be 
  young, 
  as 
  it 
  then 
  

   more 
  readily 
  adapts 
  itself 
  to 
  new 
  conditions 
  than 
  does 
  old 
  seed. 
  Large 
  

   " 
  coony 
  " 
  oysters 
  are 
  worthless 
  as 
  seed, 
  since 
  they 
  are 
  incapable 
  of 
  

   improvement, 
  even 
  when 
  planted 
  in 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  environ- 
  

   ment. 
  Very 
  badly 
  shaped 
  young 
  oysters, 
  however, 
  soon 
  regain 
  their 
  

   normal 
  shape 
  when 
  placed 
  under 
  favorable 
  conditions, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  

   shown 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Glaser 
  in 
  some 
  experiments 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  1902, 
  and 
  

   which 
  are 
  described 
  by 
  him 
  on 
  page 
  329 
  of 
  this 
  report. 
  

  

  Shells 
  intended 
  as 
  spat 
  collectors 
  (in 
  Newport 
  and 
  North 
  rivers) 
  

   should 
  be 
  strewn 
  over 
  the 
  bottom 
  rather 
  than 
  planted 
  in 
  rows. 
  In 
  the 
  

   latter 
  case 
  too 
  much 
  spat 
  usually 
  becomes 
  attached, 
  and 
  " 
  coony 
  " 
  oysters 
  

   are 
  the 
  result. 
  The 
  proper 
  amount 
  of 
  shells 
  to 
  be 
  planted 
  should 
  be 
  

   determined 
  by 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  bottom. 
  The 
  softer 
  and 
  deeper 
  

   the 
  mud 
  the 
  more 
  shells 
  should 
  be 
  used. 
  In 
  no 
  case 
  should 
  less 
  

   than 
  2,000 
  bushels 
  per 
  acre 
  be 
  planted, 
  but 
  the 
  cases 
  are 
  few 
  where 
  

   more 
  than 
  5,000 
  bushels 
  would 
  be 
  needed. 
  Using 
  the 
  lirst 
  amount, 
  

   the 
  bottom 
  would 
  be 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  laj^er 
  one 
  shell 
  in 
  thickness. 
  The 
  

   aim 
  should 
  be 
  to 
  plant 
  enough 
  shells 
  to 
  prevent 
  those 
  on 
  top 
  from 
  set- 
  

   tling 
  below 
  the 
  surface. 
  In 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  experiments 
  

   the 
  results 
  shov*^ 
  that 
  too 
  man}' 
  shells 
  have 
  been 
  used. 
  

  

  