﻿OYSTERS 
  AND 
  METHODS 
  OF 
  OYSTER-CULTURE. 
  299 
  

  

  Food. 
  — 
  The 
  question 
  of 
  food 
  is 
  a 
  sine 
  qua 
  non 
  iu 
  oyster-culture. 
  

   Without 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  suitable 
  and 
  proper 
  food 
  it 
  is 
  useless 
  to 
  attempt 
  the 
  

   growth 
  of 
  oysters. 
  As 
  a 
  general 
  rule, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  that 
  where 
  the 
  

   proper 
  conditions 
  of 
  temperature 
  obtain 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  a 
  muddy 
  bottom 
  

   will 
  be 
  well 
  stocked 
  with 
  the 
  minute 
  organisms 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  oyster 
  

   feeds. 
  Keliance 
  upon 
  this 
  fact, 
  however, 
  is 
  placing 
  dependence 
  upon 
  a 
  

   "rule 
  of 
  thumb," 
  never 
  a 
  profitable 
  method 
  where 
  more 
  accurate 
  and 
  

   scientific 
  information 
  can 
  be 
  obtained. 
  Oystermen 
  usually 
  determine 
  

   the 
  best 
  growing 
  and 
  fattening 
  grounds 
  by 
  actual 
  experiment, 
  a 
  pro- 
  

   ceeding 
  often 
  entailing 
  the 
  wasteful 
  exi)enditure 
  of 
  time 
  and 
  capital, 
  

   and 
  the 
  small 
  cost 
  which 
  would 
  be 
  involved 
  in 
  making 
  a 
  preliminary 
  

   biological 
  survey 
  would 
  be, 
  in 
  most 
  cases, 
  well 
  expended. 
  The 
  currents 
  

   may 
  be 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  carry 
  the 
  food 
  organisms 
  away, 
  or 
  for 
  other 
  reasons 
  

   beds, 
  apparently 
  well 
  situated, 
  may 
  be 
  lacking 
  in 
  food, 
  a 
  fact 
  usually 
  not 
  

   discovered 
  until 
  time 
  and 
  money 
  have 
  been 
  wasted 
  in 
  experimental 
  

   planting. 
  

  

  Marking 
  bed, 
  etc. 
  — 
  The 
  boundaries 
  of 
  the 
  planting-grounds 
  should 
  be 
  

   marked 
  with 
  stakes 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  way 
  that 
  each 
  planter 
  will 
  have 
  no 
  diffi- 
  

   culty 
  in 
  distinguishing 
  his 
  own 
  ground 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  his 
  neighbor. 
  In 
  

   order 
  to 
  recover 
  the 
  boundary, 
  should 
  the 
  stakes 
  be 
  carried 
  away 
  by 
  

   storms 
  or 
  ice, 
  it 
  is 
  usual 
  to 
  have 
  ranges 
  locating 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  

   marks, 
  such 
  as 
  those 
  at 
  the 
  corners 
  of 
  the 
  beds, 
  these 
  ranges 
  being 
  

   either 
  conspicuous 
  natural 
  objects, 
  buildings, 
  etc., 
  or, 
  preferably, 
  signals 
  

   erected 
  especially 
  for 
  the 
  purpose. 
  In 
  deep 
  water, 
  or 
  upon 
  bottoms 
  

   where 
  stakes 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  driven 
  or 
  held, 
  buoys 
  are 
  commonly 
  used 
  for 
  

   locating 
  the 
  beds. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  States 
  have 
  laws 
  regulating 
  more 
  or 
  

   less 
  strictly 
  the 
  manner 
  of 
  describing 
  and 
  marking 
  the 
  private 
  oyster- 
  

   grounds, 
  and 
  to 
  avoid 
  trouble 
  and 
  disputes 
  these 
  should 
  be 
  strictly 
  

   complied 
  with. 
  

  

  It 
  should 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  difficult 
  to 
  lay 
  out 
  and 
  mark 
  

   areas 
  beneath 
  the 
  water 
  than 
  upon 
  the 
  land. 
  It 
  sometimes 
  happens 
  

   that 
  the 
  planter 
  is 
  able 
  to 
  get 
  control 
  of 
  an 
  entire 
  cove 
  or 
  brackish- 
  

   water 
  creek, 
  in 
  which 
  case 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  marking 
  the 
  beds 
  and 
  of 
  

   protecting 
  them 
  from 
  poachers 
  is 
  much 
  simi>lified. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  it 
  is 
  

   customary 
  for 
  owners 
  to 
  subdivide 
  their 
  beds 
  for 
  purposes 
  hereafter 
  

   mentioned, 
  and 
  such 
  subdivisions 
  may 
  be 
  marked 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  adopted 
  

   for 
  indicating 
  the 
  boundary 
  of 
  the 
  right. 
  

  

  PREPARING 
  BOTTOM. 
  

  

  Having 
  located 
  and 
  marked 
  the 
  beds, 
  the 
  ground 
  should 
  be 
  prepared 
  

   for 
  planting. 
  In 
  places 
  such 
  as 
  San 
  Francisco 
  Bay, 
  where 
  the 
  oysters 
  

   are 
  placed 
  on 
  beds 
  which 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  exposed 
  at 
  low 
  tide, 
  this 
  

   usually 
  consists 
  of 
  clearing 
  away 
  the 
  snags 
  and 
  other 
  debris 
  at 
  low 
  

   water 
  aud 
  leveling 
  oft 
  the 
  mounds 
  and 
  filling 
  up 
  the 
  hollows. 
  If 
  it 
  is 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  build 
  stockades 
  to 
  protect 
  the 
  oysters 
  from 
  fish, 
  this 
  should 
  

   also 
  be 
  done 
  before 
  ])lanting 
  is 
  begun, 
  as 
  otherwise 
  the 
  bed 
  may 
  be 
  

   ruined 
  before 
  it 
  is 
  fairly 
  planted. 
  

  

  