﻿320 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

   INCREASE 
  ON 
  PLANTED 
  BEDS. 
  

  

  The 
  percentage 
  of 
  seed 
  oysters 
  which 
  reach 
  maturity 
  depends 
  upon 
  

   local 
  and 
  seasonal 
  conditions, 
  upon 
  the 
  care 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  oysters 
  

   have 
  been 
  i)lanted 
  and 
  worked, 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  when 
  planted, 
  

   and 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  left 
  to 
  lie. 
  Under 
  the 
  

   very 
  best 
  conditions 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  considerable 
  mortality 
  among 
  the 
  plants, 
  

   and 
  while 
  the 
  individual 
  oysters 
  have 
  increased 
  greatly 
  in 
  size 
  the 
  loss 
  

   from 
  one 
  cause 
  or 
  another 
  is 
  such 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  a 
  corre- 
  

   sponding 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  total 
  quantity 
  as 
  measured 
  in 
  bushels. 
  In 
  some 
  

   places 
  the 
  planter 
  is 
  satisfied 
  if 
  he 
  can 
  market 
  a 
  bushel 
  for 
  each 
  bushel 
  

   planted, 
  depending 
  for 
  his 
  profit 
  u^jon 
  the 
  increased 
  price 
  brouglit 
  by 
  

   the 
  larger 
  growth, 
  but 
  the 
  usual 
  average 
  yield 
  in 
  many 
  localities 
  is 
  two 
  

   or 
  three 
  times 
  this 
  amount, 
  and 
  cases 
  are 
  known 
  where 
  500 
  bushels 
  of 
  

   shells 
  yielded 
  3,000 
  bushels 
  of 
  salable 
  oysters. 
  

  

  GROWING 
  OYSTERS 
  IN 
  PONDS. 
  

  

  In 
  Europe 
  pond 
  culture 
  has 
  been 
  commercially 
  successful 
  for 
  many 
  

   years, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  countries 
  practically 
  the 
  entire 
  product 
  of 
  oysters 
  

   has 
  been 
  derived 
  from 
  this 
  source. 
  Small 
  inclosed 
  ponds, 
  claires, 
  have 
  

   been 
  used 
  in 
  France 
  for 
  greening 
  and 
  flavoring 
  the 
  oysters 
  and 
  parks 
  

   or 
  partially 
  inclosed 
  ponds, 
  admitting 
  the 
  tides, 
  are 
  used 
  for 
  growing 
  

   the 
  oysters 
  from 
  seed, 
  but 
  all 
  experiments 
  heretofore 
  made 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  

   of 
  raising 
  the 
  seed 
  in 
  closed 
  ponds 
  have 
  been 
  attended 
  with 
  failure 
  or 
  

   scanty 
  success. 
  

  

  Over 
  a 
  large 
  area 
  of 
  our 
  oyster-producing 
  territory 
  the 
  difiiculty 
  of 
  

   obtaining 
  seed 
  is 
  usually 
  not 
  a 
  pressing 
  one 
  and 
  an 
  utter 
  failure 
  to 
  

   secure 
  a 
  set 
  is 
  rarely 
  confronted 
  upon 
  more 
  than 
  occasional 
  years. 
  

   Under 
  such 
  conditions, 
  in 
  several 
  regions, 
  the 
  practice 
  of 
  sowing 
  shells 
  

   has 
  grown 
  to 
  great 
  proportions, 
  but 
  with 
  the 
  vast 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  i)lanted 
  

   area 
  an 
  increasing 
  difficulty 
  has 
  arisen 
  in 
  preparing 
  the 
  oysters 
  for 
  

   market. 
  Growth 
  is 
  slower 
  than 
  formerly, 
  and 
  during 
  some 
  seasons 
  the 
  

   oysters 
  either 
  do 
  not 
  fatten 
  at 
  all 
  or 
  else 
  so 
  slowly 
  that 
  months 
  are 
  

   wasted 
  before 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  brought 
  into 
  proper 
  condition. 
  It 
  is 
  signifi- 
  

   cant 
  that 
  complaints 
  of 
  this 
  difficulty 
  come 
  from 
  regions 
  which 
  were 
  at 
  

   one 
  time 
  famous 
  for 
  the 
  fatness 
  and 
  flavor 
  of 
  their 
  product 
  and 
  that 
  

   the 
  trouble 
  was 
  not 
  manifested 
  until 
  the 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  far 
  

   outgrew 
  that 
  which 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  their 
  natural 
  condition. 
  The 
  causes 
  

   leading 
  to 
  the 
  difficulty 
  complained 
  of 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  studied, 
  but 
  

   the 
  exi)lanation 
  will 
  probably 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   oysters 
  in 
  such 
  regions 
  has 
  outgrown 
  the 
  ability 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  to 
  supjjly 
  

   them 
  with 
  food. 
  

  

  As 
  is 
  elsewhere 
  pointed 
  out, 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  the 
  growth 
  depends 
  primarily 
  

   upon 
  the 
  relative 
  richness 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  supply, 
  and 
  a 
  quantity 
  which 
  

   may 
  be 
  sufficient 
  to 
  cause 
  a 
  moderate 
  growth 
  may 
  still 
  be 
  inadequate 
  

   to 
  produce 
  the 
  degree 
  of 
  fatness 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  oyster's 
  toothsomeness 
  

   so 
  largely 
  depends. 
  

  

  