﻿OYSTERS 
  AND 
  METHODS 
  OF 
  OYSTER-CULTURE. 
  323 
  

  

  more 
  successful 
  years, 
  and 
  the 
  irregularity 
  of 
  his 
  croi^ 
  may 
  cost 
  the 
  

   planter 
  his 
  market. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  obvious 
  that 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  obtain 
  more 
  certain 
  results 
  the 
  con- 
  

   ditions 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  spatting 
  depends 
  should 
  be 
  subject 
  to 
  some 
  

   control. 
  It 
  is 
  useless 
  to 
  expect 
  such 
  control 
  in 
  any 
  adaptation 
  of 
  the 
  

   ordinary 
  method 
  of 
  planting 
  shells, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  direction 
  which 
  prom- 
  

   ises 
  success 
  in 
  such 
  an 
  attempt 
  is 
  some 
  modification 
  or 
  form 
  of 
  pond 
  

   culture. 
  The 
  culturists 
  of 
  Europe 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  a 
  very 
  considerable 
  

   control 
  can 
  be 
  exercised 
  over 
  the 
  conditions 
  in 
  parks 
  used 
  for 
  growing 
  

   03'sters 
  from 
  seed, 
  and 
  with 
  proper 
  modifications 
  the 
  same 
  success 
  

   could 
  doubtless 
  be 
  attained 
  with 
  breeding 
  ponds 
  for 
  raising 
  seed. 
  

   "To 
  actually 
  come 
  into 
  competition 
  with 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  shell 
  sowing 
  in 
  

   deep 
  water 
  we 
  must 
  proceed 
  to 
  abandon 
  all 
  old 
  methods, 
  condense 
  our 
  

   cultch 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  greatest 
  possible 
  quantity 
  over 
  the 
  smallest 
  

   possible 
  area, 
  and 
  finally 
  have 
  that 
  so 
  arranged 
  that 
  the 
  currents 
  devel- 
  

   oped 
  by 
  the 
  tides, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  peculiar 
  construction 
  of 
  a 
  sj'stem 
  

   of 
  spawning 
  ponds 
  and 
  canals, 
  will 
  keep 
  the 
  cultch 
  washed 
  clean 
  auto- 
  

   matically. 
  Unless 
  this 
  can 
  be 
  done, 
  all 
  systems 
  of 
  pond 
  or 
  cove 
  culture 
  

   for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  obtaining 
  spat 
  must 
  unhesitatingly 
  be 
  pronounced 
  

   failures."* 
  

  

  Impressed 
  by 
  these 
  facts. 
  Dr. 
  Ryder, 
  in 
  1885, 
  devised 
  a 
  very 
  ingenious 
  

   method 
  of 
  spat-culture, 
  which 
  he 
  described 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  (A) 
  Tlie 
  method 
  as 
  adapted 
  to 
  canals 
  or 
  sluices 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  cultch 
  is 
  placed, 
  in 
  masses, 
  

   ivith 
  jetties 
  at 
  intervals. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  form 
  in 
  which 
  I 
  propose 
  to 
  inaugurate 
  the 
  new 
  system 
  of 
  spat-culture 
  

   which 
  has 
  grown 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  principles 
  already 
  developed 
  consists, 
  essentially, 
  in 
  

   condensing 
  the 
  cultch 
  or 
  collecting 
  apparatus 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  way 
  as 
  to 
  expose 
  the 
  maxi- 
  

   mum 
  amount 
  of 
  collecting 
  surface 
  for 
  the 
  spat 
  to 
  adhere 
  to 
  within 
  the 
  least 
  possible 
  

   area. 
  This 
  may 
  be 
  achieved 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  manner 
  : 
  A 
  pond, 
  A', 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  plan 
  

   and 
  elevation 
  in 
  plate 
  in, 
  is 
  constructed 
  with 
  a 
  long 
  zigzag 
  channel, 
  s, 
  connecting 
  it 
  

   with 
  the 
  open 
  water. 
  The 
  pond 
  ought 
  to 
  be, 
  say, 
  40 
  to 
  60 
  feet 
  square 
  ; 
  the 
  channel, 
  

   8, 
  may 
  be, 
  say, 
  3 
  feet 
  3 
  inches 
  wide, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  diagram. 
  The 
  vertical 
  banks, 
  

   z, 
  between 
  the 
  zigzag 
  canals 
  running 
  to 
  the 
  open 
  water 
  might 
  be 
  3 
  feet 
  in 
  width. 
  

   The 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  canals 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  nearly 
  or 
  quite 
  vertical, 
  and 
  the 
  earth 
  held 
  in 
  

   place 
  with 
  piles 
  and 
  rough 
  slabs 
  or 
  planks. 
  The 
  direct 
  inlet 
  to 
  the 
  pond 
  at 
  I 
  might 
  

   be 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  gate, 
  and 
  the 
  outlet 
  of 
  tlie 
  canal, 
  where 
  the 
  latter 
  connects 
  with 
  

   the 
  open 
  water 
  at 
  0, 
  might 
  be 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  filter 
  of 
  moderately 
  fine 
  galvanized 
  

   wire 
  netting 
  and 
  a 
  gate; 
  the 
  first 
  answering 
  to 
  keep 
  out 
  large 
  fish 
  and 
  debris 
  and 
  

   the 
  latter 
  to 
  close 
  under 
  certain 
  circumstances, 
  or 
  when 
  violent 
  storms 
  develop 
  

   strong 
  breakers. 
  The 
  accompanying 
  plan 
  and 
  sectional 
  elevation, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  plate 
  

   III, 
  will 
  render 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  pond 
  and 
  system 
  of 
  collecting 
  canals 
  clear. 
  

  

  Into 
  the 
  pond. 
  A', 
  I 
  would 
  put 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  spawning 
  oystei's, 
  say 
  100 
  bushels, 
  

   if 
  the 
  pond 
  were 
  40 
  feet 
  square, 
  and 
  200 
  bushels 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  60 
  feet 
  square. 
  But 
  

   instead 
  of 
  throwing 
  the 
  oysters 
  directly 
  upon 
  the 
  bottom, 
  I 
  would 
  suggest 
  that 
  a 
  

   platform, 
  of 
  strong 
  slats 
  be 
  placed 
  over 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  pond 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  

   8 
  to 
  10 
  inches 
  from 
  the 
  earth 
  below, 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  oysters 
  should 
  bo 
  evenly 
  dis- 
  

   tributed. 
  This 
  arrangement 
  will 
  prevent 
  the 
  adult 
  oysters 
  from 
  being 
  killed 
  by 
  

   sediment, 
  and 
  also 
  afford 
  a 
  collector, 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  shells, 
  to 
  be 
  spread 
  

  

  * 
  Rept. 
  U. 
  S. 
  F. 
  C. 
  1885, 
  p. 
  392. 
  

  

  