﻿OYSTERS 
  AND 
  METHODS 
  OF 
  OYSTER-CULTURE. 
  305 
  

  

  but 
  other 
  objects 
  accidentally 
  dropped 
  overboard 
  would 
  often, 
  when 
  

   recovered 
  a 
  few 
  weeks 
  later, 
  show 
  a 
  heavy 
  set 
  of 
  spat. 
  Naturally 
  they 
  

   began 
  to 
  throw 
  objects 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  for 
  the 
  express 
  purpose 
  of 
  

   collecting 
  the 
  spat 
  and 
  thus 
  increasing 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  seed 
  available 
  

   and 
  from 
  this 
  beginning 
  the 
  present 
  system 
  of 
  spat-collecting 
  now 
  in 
  

   use 
  in 
  our 
  waters 
  was 
  developed. 
  

  

  For 
  this 
  method 
  of 
  planting 
  it 
  is, 
  of 
  course, 
  essential 
  that 
  there 
  

   should 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  spawning 
  oysters, 
  either 
  of 
  volun- 
  

   teer 
  growth 
  or 
  planted, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  should 
  

   be 
  between 
  68° 
  and 
  80° 
  F. 
  during 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  some 
  weeks' 
  duration. 
  

  

  PREPARING 
  EOTTOM. 
  

  

  The 
  bottom 
  used 
  for 
  this 
  method 
  of 
  cultivation 
  should 
  be 
  firmer 
  than 
  

   that 
  which 
  will 
  suffice 
  for 
  bedding 
  well-grown 
  seed, 
  though 
  soft 
  bottom 
  

   may 
  be 
  prepared 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  satisfactorily 
  used. 
  If 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  very 
  

   soft 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  overlaid 
  with 
  gravel 
  or 
  sand 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  before 
  

   described 
  (p. 
  300), 
  and 
  upon 
  this 
  the 
  collectors 
  or 
  cultch 
  maybe 
  depos- 
  

   ited. 
  In 
  a 
  moderately 
  soft 
  bottom 
  the 
  cultch 
  can 
  be 
  applied 
  without 
  

   previous 
  j)reparation 
  other 
  than 
  to 
  clear 
  the 
  ground 
  of 
  all 
  debris 
  which 
  

   would 
  interfere 
  with 
  working 
  it. 
  Hard, 
  gravelly 
  bottom 
  in 
  shoal 
  water, 
  

   which 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  little 
  use 
  for 
  the 
  raising 
  of 
  adult 
  oysters 
  on 
  account 
  

   of 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  food, 
  may 
  prove 
  an 
  excellent 
  place 
  for 
  the 
  collection 
  

   of 
  spat, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  of 
  some 
  places 
  with 
  a 
  stiff 
  clay 
  soil. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  difficulties 
  in 
  spat-collecting 
  is 
  to 
  avoid 
  the 
  deposit 
  

   of 
  sediment 
  upon 
  the 
  cultch, 
  as 
  an 
  amount 
  of 
  sedimentation 
  which 
  

   would 
  have 
  no 
  effect 
  whatever 
  upon 
  the 
  adult 
  oyster 
  would 
  prove 
  

   absolutely 
  fatal 
  to 
  the 
  young 
  spat. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  attachment 
  the 
  

   infant 
  oyster 
  is 
  about 
  one-ninetieth 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter, 
  and 
  the 
  

   deposit 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  slight 
  him 
  either 
  before 
  or 
  immediately 
  after 
  the 
  

   falling 
  of 
  the 
  spat 
  would 
  be 
  sufficient 
  to 
  cause 
  its 
  suffocation. 
  It 
  will 
  

   be 
  seen, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  a 
  soft 
  bottom 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  large 
  oysters 
  will 
  

   thrive', 
  or 
  an 
  amount 
  of 
  sedimentation 
  which 
  may 
  favor 
  the 
  ra])id 
  growth 
  

   of 
  the 
  adults 
  from 
  the 
  food 
  matter 
  whi'ch 
  it 
  contains, 
  will 
  effectually 
  

   prevent, 
  in 
  many 
  instances, 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  spat. 
  

  

  CULTCH, 
  COLLECTORS, 
  STOOL. 
  

  

  By 
  these 
  terms 
  is 
  understood 
  any 
  firm 
  and 
  clean 
  body 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  

   water 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  affording 
  attachm-ent 
  to 
  the 
  spat 
  or 
  young 
  

   oyster. 
  A 
  great 
  variety 
  of 
  objects 
  have 
  been 
  suggested 
  and 
  used 
  for 
  

   this 
  purpose, 
  both 
  here 
  and 
  abroad, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  will 
  be 
  now 
  

   discussed. 
  

  

  Oyster 
  shells. 
  — 
  In 
  this 
  country 
  oyster 
  shells 
  are 
  the 
  oldest 
  and 
  most 
  

   generally 
  used 
  form 
  of 
  cultch. 
  Th«y 
  are 
  usually 
  mereliy 
  spread 
  upon 
  

   the 
  bottom, 
  being 
  thrown 
  broadcast 
  from 
  boats 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  which 
  

   is 
  described 
  for 
  planting 
  seed 
  oysters 
  (p. 
  302), 
  When 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  

   sufficiently 
  hard 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  submergence 
  of 
  the 
  shells, 
  it 
  is 
  custom- 
  

   ary 
  to 
  spread 
  them 
  as 
  uniformly 
  as 
  possible 
  over 
  the 
  ground, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  

  

  r. 
  C. 
  K. 
  1897 
  20 
  

  

  