﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  CLXXI 
  

  

  relating 
  to 
  his 
  efforts 
  iu 
  oyster-culture 
  in 
  Hawaii, 
  Mr. 
  Oolburn 
  wrote 
  

   as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  October, 
  1893, 
  I 
  imported 
  from 
  Mr. 
  M. 
  B. 
  Moraghan, 
  of 
  Sau 
  Fran- 
  

   cisco, 
  three 
  cases 
  of 
  oysters 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  planting. 
  Two 
  of 
  tho 
  cases 
  contained 
  

   about 
  1,000 
  eastern 
  transplanted, 
  and 
  one 
  case 
  contained 
  about 
  3,000 
  of 
  the 
  native 
  

   California. 
  They 
  were 
  brought 
  down 
  on 
  the 
  steamship 
  Australia, 
  in 
  the 
  ice-house, 
  

   and 
  arrived 
  in 
  apparently 
  good 
  order. 
  I 
  at 
  once 
  had 
  them 
  removed 
  to 
  my 
  pond 
  at 
  

   Manana 
  Ewa, 
  ;ind 
  planted 
  in 
  a 
  depth 
  ranging 
  from 
  1 
  foot 
  to 
  2 
  feet 
  of 
  water. 
  

  

  Some 
  three 
  months 
  after 
  I 
  made 
  a 
  thorough 
  search 
  of 
  different 
  places 
  where 
  I 
  had 
  

   planted 
  oysters, 
  and 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  native 
  California 
  were 
  all 
  dead, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   transplanted 
  about 
  50 
  per 
  cent 
  were 
  still 
  living, 
  though 
  considerably 
  suuk 
  into 
  the 
  

   soft 
  mud 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  pond. 
  I 
  had 
  these 
  taken 
  up 
  and 
  put 
  down 
  again, 
  and 
  

   some 
  three 
  months 
  afterward 
  I 
  examined 
  them 
  again 
  and 
  found 
  they 
  had 
  started 
  to 
  

   grow 
  ; 
  the 
  new 
  shell 
  forming 
  was 
  easily 
  noticeable. 
  I 
  continued 
  my 
  practice 
  of 
  taking 
  

   them 
  up 
  at 
  diflerent 
  intervals 
  of 
  time 
  until 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  1895, 
  when 
  I 
  was 
  so 
  

   elated 
  with 
  the 
  prospect 
  of 
  my 
  success 
  that 
  I 
  made 
  arrangements 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Moraghan 
  

   to 
  send 
  me 
  down 
  more 
  eastern 
  transplanted, 
  with 
  two 
  objects 
  in 
  view 
  : 
  (1) 
  To 
  have 
  

   fresh 
  eastern 
  oysters 
  to 
  supply 
  the 
  oyster-eaters 
  of 
  our 
  city, 
  and 
  (2) 
  to 
  have 
  them 
  

   answer 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  seed 
  for 
  propagating. 
  

  

  I 
  imported 
  38,614 
  from 
  San 
  Francisco 
  by 
  the 
  steam.ship 
  Australia, 
  having 
  them 
  

   come 
  in 
  five 
  different 
  trips 
  of 
  the 
  vessel. 
  About 
  two-thirds 
  were 
  brought 
  down 
  on 
  

   the 
  open 
  deck 
  iu 
  boxes, 
  and 
  were 
  wet 
  down 
  every 
  morning 
  when 
  decks 
  were 
  being 
  

   washed 
  down. 
  The 
  balance 
  came 
  in 
  the 
  ice-house. 
  With 
  the 
  former 
  way 
  my 
  loss 
  

   was 
  more 
  in 
  number, 
  but 
  the 
  latter 
  way 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  expensive. 
  On 
  deck 
  I 
  could 
  

   get 
  the 
  oysters 
  landed 
  for 
  about 
  $10 
  a 
  ton 
  measurement, 
  but 
  through 
  the 
  ice-house 
  

   the 
  charges 
  were 
  5 
  cents 
  a 
  pound 
  for 
  freight. 
  

  

  As 
  fast 
  as 
  the 
  oysters 
  would 
  arrive 
  I 
  would 
  have 
  them 
  sent 
  down 
  to 
  my 
  pond 
  and 
  

   laid 
  out. 
  In 
  a 
  month 
  or 
  so 
  afterwards 
  they 
  would 
  get 
  very 
  thin 
  and 
  be 
  unfit 
  for 
  

   the 
  market. 
  However, 
  I 
  allowed 
  them 
  to 
  recuperate 
  by 
  getting 
  acclimated 
  to 
  the 
  

   conditions 
  of 
  my 
  pond<as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  food. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  1895 
  I 
  discovered 
  young 
  oysters 
  clinging 
  to 
  stones 
  and 
  dead 
  

   oyster 
  shells. 
  I 
  have 
  watched 
  them 
  very 
  carefully 
  and 
  at 
  different 
  intervals 
  of 
  this 
  

   year 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  more 
  young 
  ones. 
  Of 
  course 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  not 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  I 
  

   would 
  like 
  to 
  see, 
  still 
  I 
  trust 
  that 
  in 
  time 
  I 
  will 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  boast 
  of 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  

   Hawaiian 
  oysters 
  reared 
  from 
  the 
  seed 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  eastern 
  oyster. 
  From 
  those 
  

   I 
  have 
  imported 
  I 
  am 
  in 
  a 
  position 
  to 
  furnish 
  to 
  those 
  desiring 
  oysters 
  a 
  mess 
  of 
  them 
  

   fresh 
  from 
  the 
  water. 
  The 
  last 
  lot 
  have 
  been 
  now 
  about 
  eighteen 
  months 
  in 
  my 
  pond 
  

   and 
  are 
  in 
  fine 
  and 
  fat 
  condition, 
  having 
  grown 
  twice 
  their 
  original 
  size. 
  

  

  Fresh 
  sea 
  water 
  empties 
  into 
  my 
  fish-pond 
  through 
  gates 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  spring 
  of 
  

   fresh 
  water 
  also 
  runs 
  into 
  it, 
  thereby 
  making 
  the 
  water 
  a 
  little 
  brackish. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  oyster-culture 
  in 
  Hawaii 
  is 
  of 
  very 
  modern 
  date 
  

   and 
  in 
  an 
  experimental 
  stage. 
  There 
  is 
  scarcely 
  any 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  

   waters 
  are 
  suitable 
  for 
  oyster-culture 
  ; 
  the 
  ancient 
  beds 
  and 
  the 
  experi- 
  

   ence 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Colburn 
  attest 
  it, 
  but 
  further 
  investigation 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   discover 
  the 
  proper 
  conditions 
  for 
  a 
  commercial 
  enterprise. 
  

  

  I 
  went 
  over 
  the 
  oyster-beds 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Colburn 
  and 
  we 
  took 
  from 
  the 
  

   water 
  both 
  transplanted 
  oysters 
  and 
  those 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  propagated 
  

   in 
  tho 
  pond. 
  When 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  water 
  they 
  have 
  a 
  brownish 
  appear- 
  

   ance, 
  which 
  upon 
  inspection 
  proves 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  mossy 
  growth 
  on 
  the 
  shell. 
  

   They 
  are 
  large, 
  well 
  rounded, 
  and 
  when 
  opened 
  beautiful 
  in 
  appearance 
  

   and 
  of 
  good 
  flavor. 
  They 
  are 
  planted 
  in 
  a 
  fish-pond 
  which 
  is 
  stocked 
  

   with 
  mullet. 
  The 
  bottom 
  is 
  soft, 
  and 
  I 
  believe 
  covered 
  with 
  grass. 
  The 
  

   gratings 
  for 
  tidal 
  access 
  are 
  very 
  small. 
  

  

  