﻿OYSTERS 
  AND 
  METHODS 
  OF 
  OYSTER-CULTURE. 
  313 
  

  

  untoward 
  conditions. 
  In 
  many 
  cases 
  it 
  will 
  pay 
  the 
  planters 
  to 
  spe- 
  

   cialize, 
  some 
  raising 
  seed 
  for 
  sale 
  to 
  others 
  who 
  devote 
  their 
  capital 
  and 
  

   enterprise 
  to 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  raising 
  the 
  oysters 
  to 
  a 
  marketable 
  size. 
  

  

  Even 
  if 
  the 
  oysters 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  left 
  upon 
  the 
  spatting-bed, 
  it 
  is 
  often 
  

   better 
  to 
  work 
  over 
  the 
  ground 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  year, 
  removing 
  the 
  

   debris 
  and 
  breaking 
  up 
  the 
  clusters 
  of 
  young 
  oysters, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  insure 
  a 
  

   greater 
  survival 
  and 
  superior 
  shape. 
  As 
  has 
  been 
  already 
  mentioned 
  

   in 
  treating 
  of 
  the 
  planting 
  of 
  seed, 
  it 
  is 
  often 
  advisable 
  to 
  shift 
  the 
  

   oysters 
  to 
  other 
  ground 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  months 
  before 
  marketing 
  

   in 
  order 
  to 
  fatten 
  them, 
  improve 
  the 
  flavor, 
  and 
  cause 
  the 
  gradual 
  dis- 
  

   gorgement 
  of 
  mud 
  from 
  the 
  intestine 
  and 
  mantle 
  chamber. 
  

  

  A 
  keen 
  watch 
  should 
  be 
  kept 
  at 
  all 
  times 
  to 
  detect 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  

   enemies, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  with 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  success 
  combated 
  by 
  

   the 
  methods 
  mentioned 
  on 
  pp. 
  313-311>. 
  The 
  spatting-beds 
  are 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  subject 
  to 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  various 
  enemies 
  which 
  find 
  in 
  the 
  vast 
  

   numbers 
  of 
  thin-shelled 
  young 
  an 
  abundant 
  and 
  readily 
  obtained 
  food 
  

   supply. 
  The 
  starfish, 
  esiiecially, 
  at 
  times 
  appear 
  in 
  vast 
  schools 
  or 
  

   swarms, 
  and 
  often 
  a 
  bed 
  is 
  almost 
  completely 
  destroyed 
  before 
  the 
  

   planter 
  is 
  aware 
  of 
  what 
  is 
  taking 
  place. 
  

  

  PROTECTION 
  FROM 
  ENEMIES. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  enemies 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  

   indicate 
  efficient 
  means 
  of 
  protecting 
  the 
  beds 
  from 
  their 
  inroads. 
  The 
  

   impossibility 
  of 
  knowing 
  at 
  all 
  times 
  the 
  exact 
  conditions 
  prevailing 
  

   upon 
  the 
  bottom, 
  the 
  suddenness 
  with 
  which 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  enemies 
  

   appear 
  upon 
  the 
  beds, 
  and 
  the 
  insidious 
  character 
  of 
  their 
  attacks 
  all 
  

   add 
  to 
  the 
  difficulty 
  which 
  the 
  planter 
  finds 
  in 
  preventing 
  the 
  destruc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  his 
  property. 
  

  

  PROTECTION 
  FROM 
  FISH. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  protect 
  oysters 
  in 
  shallow 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  

   fishes 
  by 
  surrounding 
  the 
  beds 
  with 
  palisades 
  of 
  stakes 
  driven 
  into 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  at 
  sufficiently 
  close 
  intervals 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  fish 
  

   between. 
  Upon 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  the 
  inroads 
  of 
  fish 
  are 
  not 
  suffi- 
  

   ciently 
  formidable 
  to 
  require 
  such 
  protection, 
  although 
  the 
  drumfish 
  

   causes 
  some 
  loss 
  to 
  planters 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  Upon 
  the 
  

   Pacitic 
  coast, 
  however, 
  and 
  especially 
  in 
  San 
  Francisco 
  Bay, 
  stockades 
  

   are 
  necessary 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  absolute 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  planted 
  beds 
  

   by 
  the 
  stingray, 
  the 
  stakes 
  being 
  driven 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  about 
  4 
  inches. 
  

   It 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  iuclosure 
  in 
  good 
  repair, 
  as 
  a 
  school 
  of 
  rays 
  

   entering 
  through 
  a 
  small 
  breach 
  may 
  utterly 
  ruin 
  the 
  bed. 
  

  

  PROTECTION 
  FROM 
  STARFISH. 
  

  

  Many 
  methods 
  have 
  been 
  suggested 
  for 
  combating 
  this 
  destructive 
  

   enemy 
  of 
  the 
  oyster, 
  most 
  of 
  theni 
  being 
  of 
  no 
  practical 
  utility. 
  Bar- 
  

   riers 
  are 
  utterly 
  useless, 
  for 
  the 
  very 
  small 
  starfish 
  are 
  among 
  the 
  most 
  

   destructive 
  and 
  the 
  largest 
  ones 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  pass 
  through 
  an 
  orifice 
  of 
  

  

  