LXXXIV KEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AIs^D FISHERIES. 



o. The Oyster {Ostrea virgmica). 



Saint Jerome Station. — The work of experimenting with the artificiiil 

 incubation of the eggs of Ostrea virginica was carried on at the Saint Je- 

 rome Creek Station during the summer of 1882, under the direction of 

 Mr. John A. Ryder. These researches have been discussed at some 

 length in a paper by Mr. Eyder, entitled "An account of the experi- 

 ments in Oyster Culture, and observations relating thereto, second se- 

 ries" in the present report (pages 763-778), to which the reader is re- 

 ferred for further details. 



The following brief summary of the results obtained may, however, 

 not be out of place. All of the experiments were conducted with a view 

 to keeping the artificially fertilized eggs of the oyster in receptacles of 

 moderate capacity and under cover, so as to be readily accessible, while 

 the water was either renewed on the embryo by hand or was aerated 

 and kept in continuous circulation through an endless chain of vessels. 

 Various forms of filters were tried without much success in the efforts 

 to renew the water on the minute and delicate embryos, but these were 

 unsatisfactory, and finally gave place to a system of vessels in which 

 the same water was kept in continuous movement. On the 22d of July 

 a, lot of embryos placed in such an apparatus were found to have be- 

 come attached to the sides of the vessels by the next day. This is 

 apparently the first brood of artificially fertilized oyster embryos which 

 are reported to have attached themselves, though it was not found prac- 

 ticable to keep them alive beyond a period of about three days. 



It proved that it was not safe to alter the specific gravity of the water 

 which was normal to the eggs and spermatozoa by artificial means, as 

 such changes seemed to kill both. Putrescent action was prevented by 

 using large volumes of water, into which a moderate proportion of eggs 

 was introduced. 



These developments, together with what had been learned during the 

 seasons of 1879, 1880, and 1881, lead up to the attempt to utilize artificial 

 fertilization with jiractical success in 1883. 



In order to enable Mr. Eyder to investigate the alleged differences in 

 the anatomy of the American oyster and the several European species 

 and varieties. Mr. Blackford provided a quite complete collection of the 

 latter, which furnished the basis of some important researches. Mr. 

 Blackford also furnished several barrels of small seed-oysters to Mr. 

 House, of Corinne, Utah, to be planted as an experiment in Great Salt 

 Lake. No report of the result has, however, been furnished. 



