﻿OYSTERS 
  AND 
  METHODS 
  OF 
  OYSTER-CULTURE. 
  293 
  

  

  thoy 
  are 
  discharged 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  countless 
  ntimbera, 
  to 
  be 
  swept 
  away 
  to 
  great 
  

   distances 
  by 
  the 
  currents. 
  As 
  they 
  are 
  too 
  small 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  at 
  this 
  tim(^ 
  without 
  a 
  

   microscope 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  trace 
  their 
  wanderings 
  directly, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  

   show 
  indirectly 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  carried 
  to 
  great 
  distances 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  water 
  for 
  miles 
  

   around 
  the 
  natural 
  bed 
  is 
  full 
  of 
  them. 
  They 
  serve 
  as 
  food 
  for 
  other 
  marine 
  animals, 
  

   and 
  when 
  the 
  contents 
  of 
  the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  these 
  animals 
  are 
  carefully 
  examined 
  with 
  

   a 
  microscope 
  the 
  shells 
  of 
  the 
  little 
  oysters 
  are 
  often 
  found 
  in 
  abundanct;. 
  While 
  

   examining 
  the 
  contents 
  of 
  the 
  stomach 
  of 
  lingula 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  hundreds 
  

   of 
  the 
  shells 
  of 
  the 
  yonug 
  oysters 
  in 
  the 
  swimming 
  stage 
  of 
  growth, 
  although 
  the 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  lingula 
  were 
  captured 
  several 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  nearest 
  oyster-bed. 
  As 
  

   lingula 
  is 
  a 
  fixed 
  animal 
  the 
  oysters 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  brought 
  to 
  the 
  spot 
  where 
  the 
  

   specimens 
  were 
  found, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  lingula 
  has 
  no 
  means 
  of 
  captnriug 
  its 
  food, 
  and 
  

   snbsists 
  upon 
  what 
  is 
  swept 
  within 
  its 
  reach 
  by 
  the 
  water, 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  so 
  many 
  

   inside 
  its 
  stomach 
  shoAvs 
  that 
  the 
  water 
  musl 
  have 
  contained 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  clear, 
  then, 
  that 
  the 
  sharp 
  limitation 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  a 
  natural 
  oyster 
  bed 
  is 
  not 
  

   due 
  to 
  the 
  absence 
  in 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  the 
  power 
  to 
  reach 
  distant 
  points. 
  There 
  is 
  

   another 
  proof 
  of 
  this, 
  which 
  is 
  familiar 
  to 
  all 
  oystermen 
  — 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  estab- 
  

   lishing 
  new 
  beds 
  without 
  transplanting 
  any 
  oysters. 
  The 
  following 
  illustration 
  of 
  

   this 
  was 
  observed 
  bj' 
  one 
  of 
  your 
  commissioners: 
  On 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  mud 
  flat 
  which 
  

   was 
  bare 
  at 
  low 
  tide 
  there 
  were 
  no 
  oysters, 
  although 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  natural 
  bed 
  upon 
  

   the 
  same 
  flats, 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  away. 
  A 
  wharf 
  was 
  built 
  from 
  high-tide 
  mark 
  

   across 
  the 
  flat 
  out 
  to 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  channel, 
  and 
  the 
  shells 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  oysters 
  which 
  

   were 
  consumed 
  in 
  the 
  house 
  were 
  thrown 
  onto 
  the 
  mud 
  alongside 
  the 
  wharf. 
  lu 
  the 
  

   third 
  summer 
  the 
  flat 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  wharf 
  had 
  become 
  converted 
  into 
  au 
  

   oyster-bed, 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  medium-sized 
  oysters 
  and 
  very 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  young, 
  and 
  

   the 
  bottom, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  rather 
  soft, 
  had 
  become 
  quite 
  hard 
  ; 
  in 
  fact, 
  the 
  spot 
  

   presented 
  all 
  the 
  characteristics 
  of 
  a 
  natural 
  bed. 
  Changes 
  of 
  this 
  sort 
  are 
  a 
  

   matter 
  of 
  familiar 
  experience, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  plain 
  that 
  something 
  else 
  besides 
  the 
  absence 
  

   in 
  the 
  oyster 
  of 
  locomotiAe 
  power 
  determines 
  the 
  size 
  and 
  position 
  of 
  a 
  bed. 
  

  

  Now, 
  what 
  is 
  this 
  somethim/ 
  else? 
  If 
  the 
  planting 
  of 
  dead 
  shells 
  will 
  build 
  up 
  a 
  

   new 
  bed, 
  may 
  we 
  not 
  conclude 
  that 
  a 
  natural 
  bed 
  tends 
  to 
  retain 
  its 
  position 
  and 
  

   size 
  because 
  the 
  shells 
  are 
  there? 
  This 
  conclusion 
  may 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  import- 
  

   ant, 
  but 
  I 
  hope 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  really 
  of 
  fundamental 
  importance 
  and 
  is 
  essential 
  

   to 
  a 
  correct 
  conception 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  problem. 
  

  

  Why 
  should 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  shells, 
  which 
  are 
  dead 
  and 
  have 
  no 
  power 
  to 
  multiply, 
  

   have 
  anything 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  perpetuation 
  of 
  a 
  bed? 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  already 
  called 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  oysters 
  are 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  hard 
  

   bottom 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  channel, 
  while 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  soft 
  mud 
  of 
  the 
  

   channel 
  itself, 
  and 
  it 
  may 
  at 
  first 
  seem 
  as 
  if 
  there 
  were 
  some 
  direct 
  connection 
  

   between 
  a 
  hard 
  bottom 
  and 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  oysters, 
  but 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  no 
  oysters 
  are 
  

   found 
  upon 
  the 
  hard, 
  firm 
  sand 
  of 
  the 
  ocean 
  beach 
  shows 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  case. 
  

   As 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact, 
  they 
  thrive 
  best 
  upon 
  a 
  soft 
  bottom. 
  They 
  feed 
  upon 
  the 
  floating 
  

   organic 
  matter 
  which 
  is 
  brought 
  to 
  them 
  by 
  the 
  water, 
  and 
  this 
  food 
  is 
  most 
  abun- 
  

   dant 
  where 
  the 
  water 
  flows 
  in 
  a 
  strong 
  current 
  over 
  soft 
  organic 
  mud. 
  When 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  is 
  hard 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  food, 
  and 
  this 
  little 
  is 
  not 
  favorably 
  placed 
  for 
  diflusion 
  

   by 
  the 
  water, 
  while 
  the 
  water 
  which 
  flows 
  over 
  soft 
  mud 
  is 
  rich 
  in 
  food. 
  

  

  The 
  young 
  oysters 
  which 
  settle 
  upon 
  or 
  near 
  a 
  soft 
  bottom 
  are 
  therefore 
  most 
  

   favorably 
  placed 
  for 
  procuring 
  i'ood, 
  but 
  the 
  young 
  oyster 
  is 
  very 
  small 
  — 
  so 
  small 
  

   that 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  mud 
  as 
  deep 
  as 
  the 
  thickness 
  of 
  a 
  sheet 
  of 
  paper 
  would 
  smother 
  and 
  

   destroy 
  it. 
  Hence 
  the 
  young 
  oysters 
  have 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  fastening 
  themselves 
  to 
  solid 
  

   bodies, 
  such 
  as 
  shells, 
  rocks, 
  or 
  piles, 
  or 
  floating 
  bushes, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  enabled 
  to 
  

   profit 
  by 
  the 
  soft 
  bottoms 
  without 
  danger. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  peculiar 
  shape 
  of 
  an 
  oyster 
  shell, 
  some 
  portions 
  usually 
  project 
  above 
  

   the 
  mud 
  long 
  after 
  most 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  buried, 
  and 
  its 
  rough 
  surface 
  furnishes 
  an 
  excellent 
  

   basis 
  for 
  attachment. 
  It 
  forms 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  very 
  best 
  supports 
  for 
  the 
  young, 
  and 
  a 
  

   little 
  swimming 
  oyster 
  is 
  especially 
  fortunate 
  if 
  it 
  finds 
  a 
  clean 
  shell 
  to 
  adhere 
  to 
  

   when 
  it 
  is 
  ready 
  to 
  settle 
  down 
  for 
  life. 
  Then, 
  too, 
  the 
  decaying 
  and 
  crumbling 
  

  

  