﻿310 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OP 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES 
  

  

  Apparently 
  this 
  metliod 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  used 
  in 
  our 
  waters, 
  but 
  wbere 
  

   it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  use 
  oyster 
  shells 
  for 
  cnltcli 
  it 
  might 
  perhaps 
  be 
  

   applied 
  to 
  advantage. 
  In 
  this 
  case 
  the 
  fry 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  economically 
  

   detached 
  by 
  hand, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  growing 
  oysters 
  

   would 
  automatically 
  liberate 
  themselves. 
  The 
  coating 
  used 
  in 
  France 
  

   consists 
  of 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  sea 
  water, 
  lime, 
  and 
  sand, 
  or 
  hydraulic 
  cement, 
  

   "stirred 
  to 
  the 
  consistency 
  of 
  thick 
  cream." 
  Various 
  formulai 
  are 
  used 
  

   by 
  different 
  culturists, 
  three 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  1. 
  One 
  part 
  quicklime, 
  3 
  parts 
  fine 
  sand. 
  

  

  2. 
  One 
  part 
  quicklime, 
  1 
  part 
  fine 
  gray 
  mud. 
  

  

  3. 
  First 
  a 
  light 
  coating 
  of 
  quicklime, 
  and, 
  after 
  drying, 
  a 
  coat 
  of 
  

   hydraulic 
  cement. 
  

  

  The 
  coating 
  should 
  be 
  such 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  readily 
  wash 
  off, 
  yet 
  sufiBciently 
  

   brittle 
  to 
  flake 
  under 
  the 
  mutual 
  pressure 
  exerted 
  between 
  the 
  growing 
  

   oysters, 
  and 
  about 
  -oVinch 
  in 
  thickness. 
  

  

  For 
  convenience 
  in 
  coating, 
  Dr. 
  Eyder 
  recommended 
  that 
  the 
  shells 
  

   be 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  wire 
  basket 
  and 
  dipped 
  into 
  the 
  cement 
  vat, 
  the 
  mixture 
  

   being 
  then 
  allowed 
  to 
  set 
  before 
  the 
  shells 
  are 
  used. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  CONSIDERATIONS 
  ON 
  SPAT- 
  COLLECTING. 
  

  

  Whatever 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  cultch, 
  it 
  should 
  invariably 
  

   be 
  clean 
  and 
  without 
  any 
  surface 
  deposits 
  which 
  might 
  tend 
  to 
  prevent 
  

   the 
  fixation 
  of 
  the 
  spat. 
  For 
  the 
  same 
  reason 
  the 
  cultch 
  should 
  not 
  

   be 
  placed 
  upon 
  the 
  beds 
  long 
  before 
  the 
  season 
  for 
  setting. 
  

  

  In 
  almost 
  any 
  body 
  of 
  water, 
  except 
  where 
  the 
  currents 
  are 
  swift, 
  

   there 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  sedimentation, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  obvious 
  that 
  the 
  shorter 
  

   the 
  time 
  that 
  a 
  body 
  is 
  exposed 
  to 
  such 
  action 
  the 
  thinner 
  must 
  be 
  the 
  

   deposit. 
  If 
  the 
  cultch 
  is 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  long 
  before 
  it 
  is 
  needed 
  

   the 
  deposit 
  of 
  sediment 
  is 
  often 
  so 
  thick 
  as 
  to 
  stifle 
  the 
  young 
  oyster, 
  

   but 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand 
  if 
  the 
  time 
  be 
  well 
  chosen 
  a 
  practically 
  clean 
  

   surface 
  is 
  presented 
  and 
  a 
  good 
  set 
  is 
  more 
  likely 
  to 
  reward 
  the 
  planter. 
  

   The 
  latter's 
  aim 
  should, 
  therefore, 
  be 
  to 
  determine 
  as 
  nearly 
  as 
  possible 
  

   the 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  maximum 
  amount 
  of 
  spawn 
  falls, 
  and 
  to 
  so 
  regulate 
  

   his 
  oi>erations 
  that 
  his 
  cultch 
  is 
  laid 
  down 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  before. 
  The 
  

   time 
  will 
  vary 
  somewhat 
  with 
  the 
  locality, 
  and 
  if 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  local 
  expe- 
  

   rience 
  to 
  guide 
  the 
  beginner 
  he 
  may 
  be 
  compelled 
  to 
  experiment 
  a 
  little 
  

   to 
  find 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  time 
  for 
  exposing 
  his 
  collectors. 
  It 
  should 
  

   be 
  remembered 
  that 
  while 
  the 
  spawning 
  season 
  in 
  any 
  given 
  locality 
  

   extends 
  over 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  months, 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  spawn 
  

   within 
  a 
  more 
  circumscribed 
  period, 
  usually 
  about 
  midway 
  between 
  the 
  

   two 
  extremes. 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  time 
  at 
  which 
  the 
  collectors 
  are 
  exposed 
  be 
  well 
  chosen, 
  and 
  

   the 
  location 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  properly 
  selected, 
  the 
  planter 
  may 
  or 
  may 
  not 
  

   obtain 
  a 
  good 
  set. 
  Sometimes 
  one 
  bed 
  will 
  show 
  a 
  strong 
  set, 
  while 
  its 
  

   neighbor 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  entirely 
  passed 
  over 
  by 
  the 
  fry. 
  Often 
  

   the 
  cultch 
  in 
  one 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bed 
  is 
  thickly 
  incrnsted 
  with 
  spat, 
  while 
  

   another 
  portion, 
  apparently 
  equally 
  well 
  located 
  and 
  upon 
  which 
  an 
  

  

  