﻿328 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  bility 
  of 
  obtaining 
  spat 
  thi'ougli 
  the 
  tliree 
  dimensions 
  of 
  a 
  body 
  of 
  water 
  charged 
  

   with 
  embryo 
  oysters 
  in 
  their 
  veliger 
  condition. 
  These 
  are 
  good 
  and 
  sufidcient 
  

   reasons 
  for 
  my 
  assertion 
  that 
  cultchhas 
  hitherto 
  been 
  wastefully 
  and 
  unscientifically 
  

   applied. 
  With 
  this 
  I 
  must 
  conclude 
  this 
  exposition 
  of 
  the 
  principles 
  of 
  a 
  rational 
  

   theory 
  of 
  oyster-culture, 
  a 
  subject 
  which 
  has 
  received 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  many 
  investi- 
  

   gators, 
  none 
  of 
  whom 
  have, 
  however, 
  struck 
  at 
  the 
  root 
  of 
  the 
  question 
  and 
  allowed 
  

   themselves 
  to 
  be 
  guided 
  by 
  readily 
  verifiable 
  facts. 
  In 
  the 
  hope 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  made 
  

   both 
  the 
  theory 
  and 
  the 
  practice 
  of 
  my 
  new 
  method 
  clear 
  to 
  the 
  reader, 
  who, 
  if 
  he 
  

   should 
  happen 
  to 
  be 
  ah 
  oysterman, 
  will, 
  I 
  hope, 
  at 
  least 
  give 
  me 
  the 
  credit 
  of 
  being 
  

   honest 
  and 
  sincere 
  in 
  my 
  intentions, 
  and, 
  whether 
  he 
  feels 
  inclined 
  to 
  ridicule 
  or 
  to 
  

   adopt 
  my 
  conclusions, 
  I 
  feel 
  Aery 
  certain 
  that 
  what 
  I 
  have 
  formulated 
  in 
  the 
  preced- 
  

   ing 
  pages 
  will 
  become 
  the 
  recognized 
  doctrine 
  of 
  the 
  future. 
  * 
  

  

  A 
  trial 
  of 
  this 
  method 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  at 
  St. 
  

   Jerome 
  Creek, 
  Maryland, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  Dr. 
  Eyder's 
  expecta- 
  

   tions 
  regarding 
  the 
  freedom 
  of 
  his 
  apparatus 
  from 
  sedimentation 
  were 
  

   unfounded. 
  St. 
  Jerome 
  Creek 
  is 
  admirably 
  adapted, 
  from 
  its 
  rich 
  food 
  

   supply, 
  to 
  growing 
  oysters 
  from 
  seed, 
  but 
  its 
  very 
  advantages 
  in 
  this 
  

   respect 
  militated 
  against 
  the 
  success 
  of 
  the 
  experiment 
  of 
  spat-raising. 
  

   A 
  small 
  set 
  was 
  obtained 
  upon 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  cultch 
  exposed, 
  but 
  the 
  

   deposit 
  of 
  sediment 
  was 
  so 
  rapid 
  that 
  the 
  young 
  oysters 
  were 
  unable 
  

   to 
  fix 
  in 
  quantities 
  sufficient 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  experiment 
  a 
  commercial 
  

   success. 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  under 
  more 
  favorable 
  conditions 
  with 
  respect 
  

   to 
  sedimentation 
  the 
  apparatus 
  would 
  prove 
  a 
  useful 
  one, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  

   be 
  hoped 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  given 
  a 
  further 
  trial. 
  The 
  writer 
  witnessed 
  

   Dr. 
  Ryder's 
  experiment 
  at 
  Sea 
  Isle 
  City, 
  N 
  . 
  J., 
  with 
  a 
  modification 
  of 
  

   this 
  arrangement, 
  and, 
  although 
  the 
  trial 
  was 
  made 
  on 
  a 
  scale 
  too 
  

   small, 
  the 
  results 
  were 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  imijress 
  him 
  with 
  the 
  feasibility 
  of 
  

   the 
  device 
  under 
  more 
  favorable 
  conditions 
  than 
  existed 
  at 
  St. 
  Jerome 
  

   Creek. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  defects 
  in 
  Dr. 
  Ryder's 
  apparatus 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  

   the 
  lack 
  of 
  suitable 
  arrangements 
  for 
  flushing 
  the 
  cultch 
  with 
  currents 
  

   of 
  water 
  sufficiently 
  strong 
  to 
  scour 
  away 
  any 
  sediment 
  which 
  may 
  accu- 
  

   mulate. 
  It 
  was 
  supposed 
  that 
  this 
  could 
  be 
  accomplished 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  

   jetties, 
  but 
  the 
  current 
  induced 
  in 
  the 
  long 
  canal 
  by 
  the 
  ebb 
  and 
  flow 
  

   of 
  the 
  tide 
  is 
  apparently 
  too 
  gentle 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  effect 
  sought. 
  This 
  end 
  

   might 
  be 
  gained 
  by 
  providing 
  the 
  inner 
  loops 
  of 
  the 
  canal 
  with 
  gates 
  

   communicating 
  with 
  the 
  pond, 
  the 
  outer 
  loops 
  having 
  similar 
  means 
  

   of 
  communication 
  with 
  the 
  exterior 
  waters, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  plate 
  in, 
  

   which 
  is 
  adapted 
  from 
  Dr. 
  Eyder's 
  plans. 
  If 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  i)ond 
  at 
  

   high 
  tide 
  be 
  held 
  back 
  until 
  the 
  canal 
  has 
  nearly 
  emptied, 
  a 
  strong 
  cur- 
  

   rent 
  could 
  be 
  directed 
  into 
  any 
  loop 
  by 
  opening 
  the 
  ai)propriate 
  gates. 
  

   On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  if 
  the 
  gates 
  at 
  the 
  outer 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  loops 
  be 
  closed 
  at 
  

   low 
  water, 
  a 
  strong 
  current 
  could 
  be 
  thrown 
  into 
  the 
  canals 
  by 
  opening 
  

   them 
  at 
  high 
  water. 
  By 
  thus 
  occasionally 
  flushing 
  each 
  pair 
  of 
  loops 
  

   in 
  succession 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  injurious 
  collection 
  of 
  sediment 
  

   can 
  be 
  prevented 
  in 
  even 
  quite 
  muddy 
  water. 
  The 
  end 
  is 
  accomplished, 
  

  

  * 
  Kept. 
  U. 
  S. 
  F. 
  C. 
  1885, 
  i)p. 
  381-423, 
  pis. 
  i-iv. 
  

  

  