﻿OYSTEK 
  INPUSTBY 
  OF 
  NOKTH 
  CAROLINA. 
  339 
  

  

  their 
  original 
  ,size, 
  can 
  be 
  couipared 
  with 
  the 
  spat 
  and 
  normal 
  oysters 
  

   of 
  Tables 
  II 
  and 
  III. 
  Such 
  a 
  comparison 
  of 
  the 
  percentage 
  ratios 
  in 
  

   the 
  (hree 
  tables 
  shows 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  lot 
  A 
  was 
  29 
  per 
  cent 
  

   below 
  normal 
  and 
  lot 
  C 
  15 
  per 
  cent 
  below 
  normal, 
  whereas 
  after 
  

   60 
  days 
  of 
  improved 
  surroundings 
  lot 
  A 
  was 
  only 
  11 
  per 
  cent 
  below 
  

   normal 
  and 
  lot 
  C 
  9 
  per 
  cent 
  below 
  normal, 
  demonstrating 
  that 
  the 
  

   recuperative 
  power 
  of 
  lot 
  A 
  was 
  exactly 
  three 
  times 
  that 
  of 
  lot 
  C. 
  

  

  Without 
  attaching 
  too 
  much 
  weight 
  to 
  the 
  results, 
  it 
  is 
  interesting 
  

   to 
  note 
  in 
  what 
  time 
  these 
  two 
  lots 
  A 
  and 
  C 
  would 
  have 
  reached 
  the 
  

   normal 
  states 
  for 
  their 
  respective 
  ages, 
  if 
  the 
  rates 
  of 
  growth 
  had 
  con- 
  

   tinued 
  what 
  they 
  were 
  during 
  the 
  sixty 
  days 
  of 
  the 
  experiment. 
  In 
  lot 
  

   A, 
  in 
  sixty 
  days, 
  the 
  relation 
  between 
  the 
  width 
  and 
  the 
  length 
  changed 
  

   from 
  50 
  to 
  r»8 
  per 
  cent, 
  an 
  average 
  dail}' 
  change 
  of 
  three-tenths 
  per 
  c^nt. 
  

   According 
  to 
  Table 
  II 
  the 
  normal 
  condition 
  is 
  79 
  per 
  cent, 
  from 
  which 
  

   it 
  follows 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  three-tenths 
  per 
  cent 
  change 
  per 
  day, 
  

   it 
  would 
  have 
  taken 
  this 
  lot 
  of 
  oysters 
  ninetv-seven 
  daj-s 
  (probabl}' 
  less, 
  

   because 
  at 
  the 
  age 
  then 
  attained 
  the 
  normal 
  would 
  be 
  less 
  than 
  79 
  per 
  

   cent) 
  to 
  make 
  up 
  the 
  discrepanc}' 
  between 
  50 
  and 
  79 
  per 
  cent. 
  In 
  

   lot 
  C, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  relation 
  between 
  the 
  width 
  and 
  the 
  length 
  

   changed 
  in 
  sixty 
  days 
  from 
  11 
  to 
  47 
  per 
  cent, 
  a 
  daily 
  change 
  of 
  one- 
  

   tenth 
  per 
  cent. 
  According 
  to 
  Table 
  III, 
  the 
  normal 
  for 
  this 
  age 
  is 
  56 
  

   per 
  cent, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  follows 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  change 
  of 
  one-tenth 
  

   per 
  cent 
  per 
  day, 
  lot 
  C 
  would 
  have 
  taken 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  davs 
  

   to 
  attain 
  a 
  normal 
  condition. 
  The 
  recuperative 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  younger 
  

   03"sters 
  is 
  so 
  much 
  g-reater 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  older 
  ones, 
  that 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  much 
  further 
  below 
  normal, 
  they 
  are 
  nevertheless 
  

   capable 
  of 
  realizing 
  this 
  condition 
  in 
  much 
  less 
  time. 
  

  

  The 
  young 
  oysters, 
  besides 
  having 
  the 
  advantage 
  over 
  the 
  older 
  

   ones 
  of 
  possessing 
  greater 
  recuperative 
  power, 
  seem 
  also 
  to 
  possess 
  

   greater 
  resistance 
  to 
  the 
  ill 
  effects 
  almost 
  certainly 
  attendant 
  on 
  a 
  sud- 
  

   den 
  change 
  of 
  environment. 
  Not 
  enough 
  cases 
  have 
  been 
  noted^ 
  of 
  

   course, 
  to 
  establish 
  this 
  fact 
  with 
  a 
  great 
  degree 
  of 
  certainty, 
  but 
  a 
  

   glance 
  at 
  Table 
  IV 
  will 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  mortality, 
  in 
  lots 
  13 
  and 
  C 
  

   respectively 
  was 
  23 
  and 
  20 
  per 
  cent 
  while 
  it 
  was 
  onlv 
  7 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  

   lot 
  A. 
  

  

  CONCLUSIONS. 
  

  

  The 
  elongated 
  condition 
  which 
  many 
  oysters 
  exhibit 
  before 
  the}^ 
  

   have 
  attained 
  old 
  age 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  crowding. 
  A 
  great 
  increase 
  in 
  length 
  

   without 
  an 
  apparently 
  proportionate 
  increase 
  in 
  width 
  represents 
  the 
  

   normal 
  growth 
  of 
  an 
  03'ster, 
  and 
  the 
  so-called 
  "razor 
  blades," 
  much 
  

   narrower 
  than 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  elongated 
  marsh 
  and 
  reef 
  oysters, 
  exhibit 
  

   this 
  condition, 
  not 
  because 
  thej^ 
  have 
  grown 
  under 
  unfavorable 
  con- 
  

   ditions, 
  but 
  because 
  they 
  are 
  old. 
  The 
  elongated 
  oysters 
  which 
  have 
  

   been 
  considered 
  in 
  this 
  paper 
  are 
  young, 
  and 
  their 
  shape 
  is 
  abnormal. 
  

  

  