34 THE OYSTER AND THE OYSTER INDUSTRY. 



They are usually, however, small oysters attached to old shells or 

 other material upon which they originally caught. Sometimes, if 

 fairly large, the individual oysters are removed from the old shells 

 or the clusters broken up before planting. Seed may be bought or 

 taken by the planter from his own or natural beds. 



Very little seed is now taken from Chesapeake Bay and planted in 

 Long Island Sound, although the importation of "southern" oysters 

 and seed was formerly an extensive practice. The oyster beds of 

 Maurice Cove in Delaware Bay are kept up. by the planting of seed 

 taken from the natural beds in the bay. Seed oysters are planted 

 in Chesapeake Bay to some extent and in York River, Va. To a 

 lesser extent the planting of seed oysters is carried on in other States. 

 In many of the Southern States the clusters of small "coon" oysters 

 are broken apart and used for seed. Such coon oystere grow in 

 abundance along the shores and naturally are so thickly crowded 

 together that they acquire a long, narrow shape and are quite 

 indifferent oysters. If the clusters are brokeii apart and the oysters 

 put down on suitable beds when an inch or two long, they grow into 

 fair-shaped, marketal^le oysters in about a year in southern waters. 

 Seed oysters are planted at various times of tlie year, depending on 

 the local conditions, in some places in the fall, in others in the spring. 



A number of oystermen make a business of taking shells bearing 

 set from natural beds and selling it to the large planters to be placed 

 on their leased beds as seed. No shells are planted upon natural 

 beds, except by the State in certain cases, the set attaching to shells 

 left by the death of adult oysters, or to rocks, debris, etc. The 

 material bearing the set is taken from such natural beds l)y the use 

 of tongs (PI. XI) or l)y light dredges lifted by hand or hand wind- 

 lasses on a sailboat (PI. XV, fig. 1). 



In nearly aU States it is illegal to use other than a sailing vessel 

 on natural beds and in most instances the dredge must be lifted by 

 hand or by a hand wdndlass, although sometimes it is lawful to 

 lift the dredge -s^dth a donkey engine on deck of a sailing boat. The 

 purpose of restrictions on the use of steam and power in dredging 

 is to limit dredging on natural beds to the use of the less efficient 

 apparatus in order to conserve tlie supply of oysters. In most 

 States such "natural growth" may not be taken from the beds 

 during certain of the summer months, the purpose being not to 

 disturb the beds during spawTiing and setting time. 



In northern waters it requires from four to five years for an oyster 

 to reach marketable size (a length of from 4 to 5 inches, measured 

 in the shell). In Chesapeake Bay three years is sufficient, while 

 in the South marketable size may bo attained in two years. Oysters 

 grow more rapidly in the warmer waters. 



In oyster culture by the method of planting seed the main con- 

 siderations are the kind of seed, character of the water, food supply, 

 bottom, sowing the seed, and caring for the beds. 



Seed. — Seed oysters vary in size from the set just caught that 

 season and taken up in the fall, when it is about the size of a finger 

 nail, to oysters which will attain marketable size within a few months 

 after planting. The majority of the seed, however, is not more than 

 1^ inches long. It is obtained from " natural growthers" who make 

 a business, as stated above, of taking seed oysters from natural 

 beds and selling them to planters, or by the planter himself gather- 



