﻿340 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  l^ee-ausc 
  they 
  have 
  the 
  .same 
  forms 
  and 
  proportions 
  of 
  much 
  older 
  

   normal 
  oysters 
  they 
  ma}' 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  premature 
  old 
  age. 
  

  

  The 
  crowded 
  condition 
  of 
  these 
  prematurely 
  old 
  oysters 
  makes 
  it 
  

   impossible 
  for 
  them 
  to 
  expand 
  and 
  grow 
  to 
  a 
  width 
  normal 
  for 
  their 
  

   ag-e. 
  They 
  have 
  the 
  power 
  to 
  expand, 
  however, 
  when 
  removed 
  from 
  

   this 
  crowded 
  condition, 
  and 
  this 
  expansion 
  takes 
  place 
  so 
  rapidly 
  that 
  

   for 
  the 
  periods 
  during 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  under 
  observation 
  the}^ 
  grew 
  

   more 
  in 
  width 
  than 
  in 
  length. 
  This 
  is 
  exact!}' 
  what 
  happens 
  in 
  very 
  

   young 
  oysters 
  that 
  have 
  settled 
  where 
  they 
  have 
  abundant 
  room. 
  

   Under 
  such 
  favorable 
  conditions 
  the 
  growth 
  in 
  width, 
  for 
  a 
  period 
  at 
  

   least, 
  is 
  equal 
  to 
  the 
  gTowth 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  at 
  times 
  the 
  former 
  meas- 
  

   urement 
  may 
  even 
  exceed 
  the 
  hitter. 
  After 
  this 
  period 
  in 
  early 
  youth 
  

   the" 
  growth 
  in 
  width 
  steadily 
  decreases 
  until 
  the 
  oyster 
  reaches 
  old 
  

   age. 
  Under 
  unfavorable 
  crowded 
  conditions 
  the 
  growth 
  in 
  width 
  is 
  

   inhibited 
  immediately 
  after 
  the 
  period 
  during 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  equal 
  to 
  or 
  

   greater 
  than 
  the 
  growth 
  in 
  length. 
  If 
  the 
  hindrance 
  is 
  removed, 
  a 
  

   growth 
  in 
  width 
  exceeding 
  the 
  growth 
  in 
  length 
  nevertheless 
  takes 
  

   place. 
  It 
  seems 
  as 
  though 
  the 
  shell 
  made 
  up 
  the 
  loss 
  v.hich 
  is 
  the 
  

   result 
  of 
  the 
  crowding. 
  

  

  If 
  we 
  were 
  to 
  represent 
  the 
  normal 
  growth 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  width 
  by 
  

   two 
  curves, 
  the 
  width 
  curve 
  would, 
  in 
  the 
  beginning, 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  

   or 
  to 
  a 
  greater 
  height 
  than 
  the 
  length 
  curve, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  shell 
  grew 
  

   older 
  the 
  width 
  curve 
  would 
  descend 
  and 
  the 
  length 
  curve 
  rise 
  until 
  

   the 
  original 
  condition 
  was 
  reversed. 
  In 
  the 
  elongated 
  oysters, 
  the 
  

   width 
  curve 
  would 
  have 
  an 
  early 
  rise 
  corresponding 
  to 
  the 
  rise 
  in 
  the 
  

   normal 
  width 
  curve, 
  then 
  a 
  sudden 
  fall, 
  and, 
  after 
  isolation, 
  another 
  

   rise 
  which 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  normal 
  curve. 
  After 
  this 
  second 
  

   rise 
  the 
  width 
  curve 
  would 
  descend 
  and 
  correspond, 
  in 
  all 
  probability, 
  

   to 
  the 
  normal 
  width 
  curve 
  for 
  corresponding 
  ages. 
  The 
  length 
  curve 
  

   of 
  the 
  elongated 
  oysters 
  would 
  probably 
  correspond 
  stage 
  for 
  stage 
  

   with 
  the 
  normal 
  length 
  curve, 
  because 
  the 
  elongated 
  oysters 
  owe 
  their 
  

   condition, 
  not 
  to 
  excessive 
  length, 
  but 
  to 
  excessive 
  narrowness. 
  

  

  The 
  recuperative 
  power 
  of 
  oysters 
  that 
  have 
  lived 
  under 
  oppressive 
  

   conditions 
  varies 
  with 
  their 
  age. 
  Young 
  individuals 
  recover 
  much 
  

   more 
  rapidly 
  than 
  old 
  ones, 
  though 
  these 
  too 
  improve 
  to 
  a 
  marked 
  

   degree. 
  The 
  latter, 
  however, 
  seem 
  less 
  able 
  to 
  adapt 
  themselves 
  to 
  a 
  

   sudden 
  and 
  violent 
  change 
  of 
  environment, 
  and 
  the 
  moi-tality 
  among 
  

   them 
  is 
  nuich 
  greater 
  than 
  among 
  younger 
  ones. 
  

  

  These 
  facts 
  have 
  a 
  decided 
  economic 
  bearing. 
  The 
  experience 
  of 
  

   oystermen, 
  in 
  Northern 
  watei's 
  especially, 
  has 
  shown 
  that 
  oysters 
  can 
  

   be 
  transplanted 
  with 
  great 
  profit. 
  At 
  present 
  millions 
  of 
  young 
  spat 
  

   settle 
  on 
  the 
  shells 
  fringing 
  the 
  marshes 
  and 
  reefs, 
  and 
  there, 
  under 
  

   unfavorable 
  conditions, 
  grow 
  into 
  the 
  elongated 
  forms 
  which 
  have 
  no 
  

   market 
  value. 
  In 
  this 
  paper 
  evidence 
  is 
  brought 
  forward 
  which 
  shows 
  

   that 
  these 
  oysters, 
  when 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  oppressive 
  conditions 
  

  

  