﻿OYSTERS 
  AND 
  METHODS 
  OF 
  OYSTER-CULTURE. 
  337 
  

  

  GREENING. 
  

  

  Notwithstanding 
  that 
  almost 
  every 
  recent 
  writer 
  u])on 
  the 
  subject 
  

   has 
  insisted 
  upon 
  the 
  harinlessness 
  of 
  tlie 
  green 
  cok>ration 
  which 
  is 
  

   frequently 
  observed 
  in 
  certain 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  oysters, 
  there 
  is 
  still 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  misapprehension 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  by 
  consumers 
  and 
  oystermen 
  

   alike. 
  The 
  prejudice 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  America, 
  in 
  Europe 
  such 
  oysters 
  

   being 
  regarded 
  as 
  superior, 
  and 
  nuich 
  trouble 
  being 
  taken 
  to 
  impart 
  to 
  

   them 
  their 
  peculiar 
  viridity. 
  In 
  our 
  waters 
  the 
  greening 
  is 
  liable 
  to 
  

   occur 
  in 
  certain 
  localities 
  and 
  at 
  irregular 
  times. 
  Kather 
  shallow 
  

   waters 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  suscei^tible 
  to 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  this 
  effect 
  

   than 
  the 
  greater 
  depths, 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  recently 
  appeared 
  on 
  the 
  deep-water 
  

   beds 
  of 
  Long 
  Island 
  S(mnd. 
  

  

  When 
  oysters 
  become 
  so 
  colored 
  the 
  oystermen 
  find 
  great 
  difficulty 
  

   in 
  disposing 
  of 
  them, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  i)oi)ular 
  belief 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  unfit 
  lor 
  

   food, 
  or 
  even 
  poisonous. 
  They 
  often 
  have 
  what 
  is 
  described 
  as 
  a 
  cop- 
  

   pery 
  taste, 
  and 
  uninformed 
  persons 
  usually 
  assume 
  that 
  the 
  green 
  color 
  

   is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  copper. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  careful 
  investigations 
  

   have 
  shown 
  that 
  such 
  oysters 
  contain 
  no 
  copper 
  whatever, 
  but 
  that 
  tbe 
  

   green 
  color 
  is 
  derived 
  from 
  a 
  harmless 
  blue 
  green 
  substance, 
  i)hyco- 
  

   cyanin, 
  which 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  certain 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  plants. 
  

  

  Under 
  proper 
  conditions 
  these 
  unicellular 
  vegetable 
  organisms 
  mul- 
  

   tiply 
  in 
  brackish 
  or 
  saline 
  water 
  with 
  great 
  rapidity 
  and 
  provide 
  an 
  

   important 
  item 
  of 
  food 
  to 
  the 
  oyster. 
  The 
  green 
  matter 
  is 
  soluble 
  in 
  

   the 
  juices 
  of 
  the 
  oj" 
  ster 
  and 
  passes 
  into 
  the 
  tissues, 
  affecting 
  princi])ally 
  

   the 
  blood 
  corpuscles. 
  

  

  An 
  oj^ster 
  usually 
  shows 
  the 
  first 
  indication 
  of 
  greening 
  in 
  the 
  gills 
  

   and 
  pali)s, 
  and 
  frequently 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  which 
  is 
  

   colored, 
  a 
  fact 
  which 
  is 
  explained 
  when 
  we 
  remember 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  

   most 
  highly 
  vascular 
  j)ortion. 
  When 
  the 
  supjily^of 
  greening 
  food 
  is 
  

   abundant 
  and 
  long 
  continued, 
  the 
  mantle, 
  liver, 
  and 
  eventually 
  the 
  

   entire 
  organism, 
  Avith 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  nuiscle, 
  acquire 
  a 
  gieen 
  

   hue. 
  Such 
  oysters 
  are 
  usually, 
  but 
  not 
  always, 
  fat 
  and 
  well 
  fed, 
  the 
  

   result 
  of 
  the 
  abundant 
  supply 
  of 
  nutritious 
  food, 
  and 
  such 
  a 
  condition 
  

   could 
  hardly 
  obtain 
  were 
  the 
  dye 
  a 
  copper 
  product, 
  such 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  

   popularly 
  supposed. 
  

  

  The 
  color 
  may 
  be 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  oysters 
  by 
  transferring 
  them 
  for 
  

   a 
  short 
  time 
  to 
  waters 
  iu 
  which 
  the 
  green 
  food 
  is 
  deficient, 
  a 
  fact 
  

   which 
  may 
  be 
  available 
  in 
  preparing 
  for 
  market 
  oysters 
  which 
  popular 
  

   prejudice 
  refuses 
  to 
  use 
  in 
  the 
  green 
  state. 
  

  

  In 
  conclusion, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  again 
  insisted 
  that 
  the 
  greening 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  

   disease, 
  nor 
  a 
  parasite, 
  nor 
  a 
  poisonous 
  material 
  in 
  any 
  sense. 
  

  

  F. 
  C. 
  R. 
  1897 
  22 
  

  

  / 
  

  

  