﻿OYSTERS 
  AND 
  METHODS 
  OF 
  OYSTER-CULTURE. 
  311 
  

  

  equal 
  amoant 
  of 
  care 
  has 
  beea 
  expended, 
  will 
  prove 
  utterly 
  sterile. 
  

   While 
  in 
  many 
  such 
  cases 
  the 
  causes 
  are 
  not 
  known, 
  yet 
  the 
  exi)erience 
  

   of 
  plantinj^ 
  has 
  thrown 
  some 
  light 
  upon 
  the 
  matter. 
  It 
  is 
  known 
  that 
  

   cultch 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  thrown 
  down 
  at 
  random 
  with 
  any 
  strong- 
  exi)ectation 
  

   of 
  success. 
  The 
  water 
  is 
  not 
  everywhere 
  charged 
  with 
  the 
  swimming 
  

   fry, 
  and 
  the 
  experience 
  of 
  planters 
  has 
  shown 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  often 
  dis- 
  

   tributed 
  in 
  streaks 
  or 
  belts, 
  which 
  appear, 
  to 
  some 
  extent, 
  at 
  least, 
  to 
  

   be 
  conditioned 
  by 
  the 
  currents. 
  If 
  cultch 
  be 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  current 
  it 
  will, 
  

   other 
  things 
  being 
  equal, 
  be 
  more 
  likely 
  to 
  catch 
  a 
  set 
  than 
  when 
  in 
  

   still 
  water. 
  Even 
  a 
  strong 
  current 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  interfere 
  with 
  

   the 
  fixation 
  of 
  the 
  young, 
  and 
  as 
  it 
  brings 
  a 
  greater 
  body 
  of 
  water 
  into 
  

   contact 
  with 
  the 
  collecting 
  surface, 
  some 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  likely 
  to 
  contain 
  

   fry 
  at 
  the 
  stage 
  for 
  fixation. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  also 
  obvious 
  that 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  not 
  likely 
  to 
  contain 
  many 
  fry 
  

   unless 
  there 
  are 
  spawning 
  oysters 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity, 
  and 
  it 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  

   the 
  part 
  of 
  wisdom 
  to 
  locate 
  the 
  collectors 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  natural 
  

   or 
  artificial 
  beds 
  containing 
  mature 
  oysters. 
  Even 
  where 
  the 
  oysters 
  

   are 
  so 
  scattered 
  as 
  to 
  hardly 
  pay 
  for 
  working, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  usually 
  found 
  

   that 
  there 
  is 
  suflflcient 
  spawn 
  fertilized 
  to 
  provide 
  considerable 
  seed 
  if 
  

   it 
  be 
  given 
  proper 
  facilities 
  for 
  attachment. 
  For 
  reasons 
  readily 
  seen, 
  

   it 
  will 
  be 
  advantageous 
  to 
  locate 
  the 
  collectors 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  predominating 
  

   current 
  sweeps 
  from 
  the 
  spawning 
  oysters 
  toward 
  the 
  collectors. 
  In 
  

   some 
  localities 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  entire 
  set 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  tidal 
  

   zone; 
  that 
  is, 
  in 
  the 
  area 
  between 
  low 
  and 
  high 
  water. 
  The 
  reason 
  for 
  

   this 
  is 
  not 
  yet 
  fully 
  understood, 
  but 
  if 
  it 
  should 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  because 
  the 
  

   embryo 
  oyster 
  is 
  lighter 
  than 
  the 
  dense 
  sea 
  water, 
  and 
  therefore 
  can 
  

   not 
  sink 
  to 
  the 
  bottom, 
  or 
  because 
  the 
  sedimentation 
  is 
  too 
  rapid 
  

   below 
  low-water 
  mark, 
  or 
  almost 
  any 
  other 
  reason 
  except 
  the 
  softness 
  

   of 
  the 
  bottom, 
  then 
  the 
  cultch 
  must 
  be 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  area 
  between 
  

   tides 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  etfectual 
  as 
  a 
  collector 
  of 
  spat. 
  The 
  most 
  careful 
  and 
  

   uniformly 
  successful 
  oyster-culturists 
  do 
  not 
  depend 
  entirely 
  upon 
  the 
  

   spawn 
  derived 
  from 
  neighboring 
  beds, 
  but 
  usually 
  distribute 
  over 
  the 
  

   spatting-beds 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  mature 
  spawning 
  oysters 
  in 
  the 
  proportion 
  

   of 
  30 
  to 
  GO 
  bushels 
  per 
  acre, 
  these 
  being 
  usually 
  put 
  down 
  before 
  the 
  

   cultch, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  oysters 
  wiU 
  becou. 
  : 
  ^'^ 
  •^'ome 
  extent 
  acclimated 
  before 
  

   the 
  spawning 
  season. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  cultivated 
  area 
  increases 
  it 
  becomes 
  unnecessary 
  to 
  use 
  so 
  

   many 
  brood 
  oysters, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  formerly 
  used 
  

   reliance 
  is 
  now 
  placed 
  solely 
  upon 
  the 
  floating 
  fry* 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  

   mature 
  oysters 
  on 
  neighboring 
  beds. 
  Upon 
  theoretical 
  grounds 
  it 
  would 
  

   api)ear 
  to 
  be 
  preferable 
  not 
  to 
  scatter 
  these 
  " 
  mother 
  oysters" 
  too 
  widely. 
  

   There 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  greater 
  certainty 
  of 
  fertilization 
  when 
  the 
  

   oysters 
  are 
  grouped, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  ample 
  time 
  and 
  superior 
  facilities 
  

   for 
  securing 
  distribution 
  over 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  embryonic 
  condition. 
  

   The 
  embryo 
  exists 
  for 
  a 
  period 
  as 
  a 
  free-swimming 
  form, 
  and 
  during 
  

   that 
  time 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  carried 
  considerable 
  distances 
  by 
  its 
  own 
  exertions 
  

  

  