﻿OYSTEE 
  BOTTOMS 
  OF 
  LAVACA 
  BAY, 
  TEX. 
  43 
  

  

  OYSTER 
  CULTURE. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  primary 
  purposes 
  of 
  the 
  survey 
  was 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  

   reasons 
  for 
  the 
  unsatisfactory 
  results 
  heretofore 
  attained 
  in 
  oyster 
  

   cuhure 
  in 
  tlie 
  bay 
  and 
  to 
  suggest 
  measures 
  to 
  alleviate 
  the 
  difficulties 
  

   enumerated. 
  The 
  reasons 
  are 
  apparent, 
  the 
  principal 
  if 
  not 
  the 
  sole 
  

   difficulty 
  being 
  that 
  the 
  bay 
  is 
  already 
  much 
  overstocked 
  with 
  oysters 
  

   on 
  the 
  natural 
  reefs. 
  

  

  In 
  summarizing 
  the 
  conditions 
  on 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  shown 
  

   that 
  they 
  bear, 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  nearly 
  1, 
  ()()() 
  bushels 
  of 
  

   oysters 
  per 
  acre, 
  about 
  equally 
  divided 
  between 
  small 
  and 
  market 
  

   stock. 
  

  

  The 
  beds 
  are 
  also 
  uimsually 
  extensive 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  barren 
  

   bottoms, 
  and 
  this, 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  their 
  productiveness, 
  produces 
  

   a 
  condition 
  of 
  overpopulation 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Bureau 
  has 
  not 
  encountered 
  

   in 
  any 
  other 
  region 
  of 
  even 
  approximately 
  such 
  largo 
  extent. 
  The 
  

   survey 
  showed 
  that 
  for 
  each 
  acre 
  of 
  Lavaca 
  Bay's 
  area 
  of 
  about 
  60 
  

   square 
  miles 
  there 
  were 
  upward 
  of 
  165 
  bushels 
  of 
  oysters, 
  large 
  and 
  

   small. 
  In 
  some 
  localities 
  this 
  would 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  good 
  average 
  

   productiveness 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  themselves, 
  which 
  would 
  be 
  surrounded 
  

   by 
  large 
  areas 
  of 
  barren 
  bottom 
  serving 
  as 
  food 
  reservoirs. 
  

  

  The 
  important 
  effects 
  of 
  this 
  overpopulation 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  are 
  two- 
  

   fold. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  place 
  any 
  circumscribed 
  bay 
  or 
  estuary 
  can 
  produce 
  

   but 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  definite 
  maximum 
  quantity 
  of 
  oyster 
  food, 
  and, 
  

   theoretically 
  at 
  least, 
  there 
  will 
  be 
  a 
  definite 
  limited 
  quantity 
  available 
  

   for 
  each 
  oyster 
  living 
  therein. 
  As 
  a 
  fact, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  oysters, 
  by 
  

   virtue 
  of 
  their 
  more 
  favorable 
  location 
  on 
  the 
  bottom, 
  will 
  probably 
  

   get 
  much 
  more 
  than 
  their 
  fellows, 
  but 
  if 
  there 
  be 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  times 
  

   as 
  many 
  oysters 
  as 
  there 
  should 
  be, 
  few 
  or 
  none 
  will 
  get 
  enough 
  to 
  

   eat 
  and 
  all, 
  or 
  practically 
  all, 
  will 
  be 
  poor 
  and 
  of 
  little 
  value 
  in 
  the 
  

   markets. 
  Under 
  the 
  conditions 
  prevailing 
  in 
  Lavaca 
  Bay 
  this 
  will 
  

   obtain 
  not 
  only 
  with 
  the 
  oysters 
  on 
  the 
  densely 
  crowded 
  beds, 
  but 
  

   also 
  to 
  a 
  slightly 
  reduced 
  extent 
  with 
  such 
  oysters 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  laid 
  

   down 
  on 
  the 
  barren 
  bottoms. 
  The 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  consists 
  of 
  

   minute 
  plants 
  and 
  finely 
  divided 
  organic 
  matter 
  generally, 
  and 
  as 
  it 
  

   is 
  water-borne, 
  carried 
  from 
  place 
  to 
  place 
  by 
  the 
  currents, 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   cessive 
  consumption 
  of 
  food 
  in 
  one 
  place 
  must 
  make 
  itself 
  felt 
  in 
  other 
  

   places 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  remote. 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  prodigious 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  beds 
  

   on 
  planted 
  oysters 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  latter 
  become 
  overburdened 
  and 
  even- 
  

   tually 
  overgrown 
  with 
  young 
  oysters; 
  6,500,000 
  bushels 
  of 
  oysters 
  in 
  

   the 
  circumscribed 
  limits 
  of 
  Lavaca 
  Bay 
  must 
  produce 
  spawn 
  in 
  such 
  

   volume 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  there 
  are 
  hundreds 
  of 
  oyster 
  

   embryos 
  in 
  each 
  quart 
  of 
  water. 
  As 
  the 
  region 
  is 
  not 
  subject 
  to 
  the 
  

   cold 
  rains 
  and 
  sudden 
  chilling 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  which 
  is 
  so 
  destructive 
  to 
  

  

  