﻿OYSTERS 
  AND 
  METHODS 
  OF 
  OYSTER-CULTURE. 
  325 
  

  

  These 
  baskets 
  or 
  receptacles 
  are 
  open 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  and 
  are 
  intended 
  to 
  be 
  filled 
  with 
  

   clean 
  oyster 
  or 
  clam 
  shells 
  as 
  cultch 
  for 
  the 
  spat. 
  They 
  are 
  each 
  to 
  hold 
  about 
  3 
  

   bushels 
  of 
  shells, 
  a 
  quantity 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  can 
  be 
  conveniently 
  handled 
  by 
  two 
  men. 
  

   One 
  hundred 
  of 
  these 
  will 
  therefore 
  contain 
  300 
  bushels 
  of 
  cultch, 
  though 
  I 
  actually 
  

   believe 
  that 
  400 
  such 
  boxes, 
  or 
  1,200 
  bushels 
  of 
  cultch, 
  through 
  which 
  sea 
  water 
  

   charged 
  with 
  fry 
  thrown 
  oft' 
  by 
  100 
  bushels 
  of 
  spawning 
  oysters 
  would 
  pass, 
  would 
  

   not 
  afford 
  too 
  great 
  an 
  amount 
  of 
  spatting 
  surface, 
  because 
  we 
  have 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  

   basis 
  of 
  actual 
  observation 
  tliiit 
  a 
  body 
  of 
  water 
  adapted 
  to 
  oyster-culture 
  is 
  capable 
  

   of 
  yielding 
  spat 
  throughout 
  all 
  of 
  its 
  three 
  dimeusious. 
  

  

  Tliese 
  boxes 
  or 
  frames, 
  after 
  tliey 
  are 
  filled 
  with 
  the 
  cultch, 
  are 
  suspended 
  in 
  the 
  

   canals, 
  the 
  cross 
  section 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  should 
  nearly 
  fill 
  at 
  low 
  tide. 
  They 
  are 
  placed 
  

   with 
  their 
  widest 
  dimension 
  across 
  the 
  canal, 
  so 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  rise 
  and 
  fall 
  of 
  the 
  

   tide 
  the 
  water 
  has 
  to 
  rush 
  through 
  them 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  four 
  times 
  daily, 
  aud 
  as 
  the 
  

   water 
  is 
  thoroughly 
  charged 
  with 
  embryos, 
  the 
  greatest 
  possible 
  opportunity 
  is 
  

   afforded 
  the 
  young 
  fry 
  to 
  affix 
  itself. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  still 
  further 
  guard 
  against 
  the 
  accumulation 
  of 
  sediment 
  it 
  is 
  proposed 
  

   to 
  place 
  jetties 
  across 
  the 
  canals. 
  These 
  may 
  consist 
  of 
  boards, 
  forming 
  a 
  frame, 
  

   which 
  may 
  slide 
  into 
  or 
  be 
  secured 
  by 
  vertical 
  ledges 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  

   canal. 
  These 
  jetties 
  may 
  have 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  wide 
  vertical 
  slots 
  in 
  them, 
  through 
  

   which 
  the 
  tide 
  will 
  be 
  compelled 
  to 
  flow 
  with 
  augmented 
  velocity, 
  and 
  thus 
  scour 
  

   the 
  sediment 
  off 
  of 
  the 
  cultch 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  suspended 
  boxes 
  or 
  frames 
  on 
  either 
  

   side 
  of 
  them. 
  Such 
  jetties 
  may 
  be 
  placed 
  at 
  intervals 
  along 
  the 
  canal, 
  aud 
  they 
  

   might 
  be 
  made 
  movable, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  bo 
  changed 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  affect 
  other 
  sets 
  of 
  boxes 
  of 
  

   cultch 
  at 
  other 
  points 
  along 
  the 
  sluice. 
  

  

  The 
  system 
  of 
  canals, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  plans, 
  should 
  hold 
  about 
  400 
  receptacles 
  filled 
  

   with 
  shells, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  1,200 
  bushels 
  of 
  cultch. 
  In 
  practice 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  probable 
  that 
  

   even 
  a 
  longer 
  system 
  of 
  canals 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  available; 
  but 
  it 
  must 
  always 
  be 
  borue 
  

   in 
  mind 
  that 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  pond 
  must 
  not 
  very 
  greatly 
  exceed 
  the 
  total 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  

   system 
  of 
  canals, 
  or 
  else 
  so 
  much 
  more 
  water 
  will 
  run 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  pond 
  at 
  every 
  ebb 
  

   of 
  the 
  tide 
  that 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  embryos 
  will 
  be 
  carried 
  past 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  collectors 
  

   in 
  the 
  canals 
  into 
  the 
  open 
  water 
  and 
  be 
  entirely 
  lost. 
  There 
  is, 
  consequently, 
  a 
  

   very 
  good 
  reason 
  for 
  having 
  the 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  nearly 
  equal. 
  

  

  The 
  preceding 
  system 
  of 
  culture, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  obvious, 
  is 
  only 
  an 
  application 
  of 
  

   principles 
  well 
  established 
  and 
  based 
  upon 
  the 
  observation 
  of 
  the 
  actual 
  behavior 
  of 
  

   oysters 
  under 
  natural 
  conditious, 
  as 
  observed 
  at 
  Fortress 
  Monroe, 
  St. 
  Jerome 
  Creek, 
  

   Woods 
  Hole, 
  Cohasset, 
  and 
  Long 
  Island 
  Sound, 
  

  

  The 
  spawning 
  ponds, 
  after 
  the 
  season 
  is 
  over, 
  may 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  fattening 
  choice 
  

   oysters 
  for 
  market, 
  as 
  they 
  will 
  actually 
  hold 
  about 
  the 
  quantity 
  stated 
  at 
  the 
  outset 
  

   of 
  this 
  chapter. 
  They 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  used 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  another 
  modification 
  of 
  

   the 
  method 
  of 
  using 
  cultch 
  much 
  crowded 
  together 
  or 
  condensed, 
  to 
  be 
  described 
  

   later 
  on. 
  

  

  The 
  cultch 
  may, 
  without 
  harm 
  to 
  the 
  spat, 
  be 
  allowed 
  to 
  remain 
  in 
  the 
  suspended 
  

   receptacles 
  in 
  the 
  canals 
  until 
  the 
  first 
  or 
  middle 
  of 
  October, 
  when 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  taken 
  

   out 
  and 
  spread 
  upon 
  the 
  bottom 
  on 
  the 
  open 
  beds 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  grow 
  larger. 
  The 
  

   reason 
  for 
  allowing 
  the 
  cultch 
  to 
  remain 
  so 
  long 
  in 
  the 
  boxes 
  is 
  because 
  spatting 
  

   under 
  favorable 
  conditions 
  continues 
  for 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  ninety 
  days, 
  or 
  from 
  July 
  1 
  to 
  

   October 
  1, 
  so 
  that 
  all 
  of 
  this 
  plant 
  should 
  be 
  in 
  working 
  order 
  by 
  the 
  1st 
  of 
  July. 
  

   ******* 
  

  

  What 
  we 
  must 
  do 
  to-day 
  is 
  to 
  adapt 
  such 
  means 
  to 
  the 
  solution 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  prob- 
  

   lem 
  as 
  will 
  render 
  them 
  applicable 
  in 
  practice. 
  The 
  American 
  cultivator 
  does 
  not 
  

   get 
  the 
  price 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  French 
  or 
  Dutch 
  oyster-farmer, 
  nor 
  can 
  he 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  

   time 
  to 
  come 
  expect 
  to, 
  for 
  the 
  reason 
  that 
  the 
  aggregate 
  area 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  Ameri- 
  

   can 
  oyster 
  is 
  cultivated 
  or 
  indii^enous 
  exceeds 
  by 
  many 
  times 
  that 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  

   European 
  8i)ecie8 
  is 
  either 
  native 
  or 
  cultivated. 
  The 
  European 
  methods 
  of 
  using 
  

   cultch, 
  such 
  as 
  tiles, 
  slates, 
  brush, 
  fagots, 
  etc., 
  are 
  too 
  expensive, 
  too 
  elaborate, 
  for 
  

   our 
  practical 
  people. 
  We 
  must 
  reap 
  in 
  quantity 
  what 
  they 
  reap 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  high 
  

  

  