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  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  advisable 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  to 
  reduce 
  the 
  density 
  in 
  the 
  ponds 
  

   below 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  open 
  waters, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  that 
  the 
  more 
  brack- 
  

   ish 
  waters 
  are 
  generally 
  most 
  favorable 
  to 
  the 
  rapid 
  multiplication 
  of 
  

   diatoms 
  and 
  other 
  minute 
  vegetable 
  forms 
  valuable 
  to 
  the 
  oyster- 
  grower. 
  

   Exi^eriment 
  could 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  demonstrate 
  approximately 
  the 
  best 
  

   density 
  for 
  the 
  jjurpose, 
  and 
  where 
  tlie 
  water 
  supply 
  is 
  under 
  control 
  

   the 
  pond 
  could 
  be 
  maintained 
  at 
  nearly 
  or 
  quite 
  the 
  degree 
  of 
  salinity 
  

   required. 
  The 
  ordinary 
  surface 
  drainage 
  into 
  many 
  natural 
  salt 
  ponds 
  

   is 
  sufficient 
  to 
  reduce 
  the 
  density 
  below 
  the 
  level 
  in 
  the 
  main 
  waters, 
  

   and 
  by 
  merely 
  regulating 
  the 
  inflow 
  of 
  sea 
  water 
  the 
  grower 
  will 
  prob- 
  

   ably 
  find 
  that 
  almost 
  any 
  degree 
  of 
  brackishness 
  may 
  be 
  maintained 
  at 
  

   will. 
  Such 
  ponds 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  to 
  possess 
  all 
  the 
  requirements 
  for 
  the 
  

   production 
  of 
  food 
  in 
  abundance, 
  the 
  density 
  will 
  be 
  favorable, 
  their 
  

   shallowness 
  will 
  cause 
  them 
  to 
  warm 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  season, 
  and 
  thus 
  

   stimulate 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  microscopic 
  vegetation, 
  and 
  their 
  immunity 
  

   from 
  the 
  influences 
  of 
  tides 
  will 
  prevent 
  the 
  carrying 
  away 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  

   which 
  they 
  produce. 
  

  

  There 
  are, 
  of 
  course, 
  many 
  places 
  where 
  the 
  natural 
  conditions 
  for 
  

   the 
  production 
  of 
  oyster 
  food 
  are 
  all 
  that 
  could 
  be 
  desired, 
  and 
  there 
  

   pond 
  culture 
  would 
  doubtless 
  be 
  unnecessary, 
  but 
  in 
  other 
  localities, 
  

   such 
  as 
  are 
  mentioned 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  this 
  section, 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  offer 
  

   the 
  most 
  promising 
  field 
  for 
  experiment. 
  

  

  BREEDING 
  OYSTERS 
  IN 
  PONDS. 
  

  

  While 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  most 
  important 
  planting 
  regions 
  there 
  is 
  rarely 
  

   any 
  difficulty 
  in 
  obtaining 
  seed 
  oysters, 
  there 
  are 
  places, 
  otherwise 
  

   admirably 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  industry, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  seed 
  is 
  

   extremely 
  precarious. 
  The 
  most 
  remarkable 
  fluctuations 
  in 
  the 
  set 
  of 
  

   spat 
  take 
  place, 
  and 
  often 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  one 
  year 
  an 
  abundance 
  the 
  

   following 
  season 
  may 
  exhibit 
  a 
  dearth. 
  In 
  certain 
  localities 
  on 
  Long 
  

   Island 
  a 
  set 
  of 
  spat 
  rarely 
  occurs, 
  and 
  the 
  planters 
  long 
  ago 
  abandoned 
  

   the 
  attempt 
  to 
  raise 
  seed 
  and 
  now 
  procure 
  it 
  from 
  some 
  other 
  region 
  

   more 
  favored 
  in 
  that 
  respect. 
  In 
  still 
  other 
  places, 
  as 
  over 
  the 
  larger 
  

   part 
  of 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay, 
  the 
  seed 
  oysters 
  are 
  obtained 
  mainly 
  from 
  

   the 
  natural 
  beds, 
  but 
  with 
  the 
  depletion 
  of 
  these 
  there 
  will 
  be 
  an 
  

   increasing 
  difficulty 
  in 
  obtaining 
  it, 
  and 
  before 
  long 
  it 
  will 
  no 
  doubt 
  be 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  derive 
  it 
  from 
  some 
  other 
  source. 
  There 
  is 
  an 
  increasing 
  

   tendency 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  last 
  mentioned 
  to 
  follow 
  more 
  closely 
  the 
  method 
  

   of 
  sowing 
  shells 
  practiced 
  in 
  Connecticut; 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  the 
  experi- 
  

   ment 
  has 
  met 
  with 
  great 
  success 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  procuring 
  of 
  a 
  set 
  is 
  con- 
  

   cerned, 
  but 
  in 
  other 
  localities 
  the 
  results 
  are 
  too 
  uncertain 
  to 
  permit 
  it 
  

   to 
  be 
  followed 
  with 
  profit. 
  

  

  Where 
  a 
  "strike" 
  occurs 
  each 
  year 
  with 
  tolerable 
  certainty 
  this 
  

   method 
  is 
  without 
  doubt 
  the 
  best 
  available 
  to 
  our 
  oystermen, 
  but 
  where 
  

   the 
  spat 
  may 
  fail 
  to 
  set 
  for 
  several 
  years 
  in 
  succession, 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  

   putting 
  down 
  the 
  shells 
  without 
  return 
  will 
  soon 
  eat 
  up 
  the 
  profits 
  of 
  

  

  