﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  279 
  

  

  few 
  years. 
  Some 
  attempts 
  liave 
  l)een 
  made 
  nt 
  jilantiiig 
  oysters 
  about 
  

   the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Mauatee 
  Eiver, 
  but, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  any 
  

   protection 
  from 
  the 
  State, 
  the 
  matter 
  was 
  not 
  gone 
  into 
  very 
  extensively. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  some 
  native 
  oysters 
  about 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Anclote 
  Eiver, 
  and 
  

   Mr. 
  II. 
  A. 
  Smeltz, 
  of 
  Tarpon 
  Springs, 
  has 
  done 
  something 
  toward 
  

   improving 
  and 
  increasing 
  the 
  supply. 
  Mr. 
  Smeltz's 
  experiments 
  were 
  

   carried 
  on 
  between 
  the 
  I'ithlachascootie 
  and 
  Anclote 
  rivers, 
  whose 
  

   mouths 
  are 
  about. 
  5 
  miles 
  apart. 
  In 
  1892 
  he 
  planted 
  several 
  bushels 
  of 
  

   Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  oysters, 
  scattering 
  tliem 
  among 
  the 
  native 
  oysters. 
  

   To 
  facilitate 
  the 
  fixation 
  of 
  spat, 
  he 
  drove 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  stakes 
  at 
  differ- 
  

   ent 
  places 
  on 
  and 
  about 
  the 
  beds. 
  These 
  stakes 
  were 
  of 
  yellow 
  pine, 
  

   cedar, 
  and. 
  palmetto, 
  one 
  inch 
  thick 
  and 
  of 
  various 
  widths, 
  and 
  were 
  

   placed 
  upright, 
  generally 
  on 
  mud 
  bottom. 
  About 
  400 
  stakes 
  were 
  set 
  

   at 
  various 
  times 
  from 
  April 
  to 
  July, 
  1893. 
  Those 
  set 
  in 
  May 
  and 
  June 
  

   collected 
  the 
  largest 
  number 
  of 
  spat; 
  about 
  equal 
  numbers 
  were 
  col 
  

   lected 
  ])y 
  those 
  put 
  down 
  in 
  April 
  and 
  July, 
  but 
  considerably 
  less 
  than 
  

   by 
  those 
  set 
  out 
  in 
  May 
  and 
  June. 
  Si>at 
  collected 
  upon 
  these 
  stakes 
  in 
  

   April 
  grew 
  to 
  good-sized 
  edible 
  oysters 
  by 
  the 
  February 
  following. 
  

  

  Besides 
  making 
  the 
  small 
  plant 
  of 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  oysters," 
  Mr. 
  

   Smeltz 
  transplanted 
  to 
  his 
  grounds 
  the 
  native 
  oyster 
  from 
  several 
  

   different 
  places 
  along 
  the 
  Florida 
  coast, 
  and 
  was 
  suri)ri8ed 
  to 
  ftjid 
  that 
  

   the 
  seed 
  oysters 
  frt)m 
  the 
  Chesapeake 
  proved 
  the 
  more 
  hardy. 
  The 
  

   topography 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  with 
  which 
  Mr. 
  Smeltz 
  has 
  been 
  experimenting, 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  salinity 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  seem 
  (|uite 
  favorable, 
  and 
  with 
  

   j)roper 
  protection 
  these 
  grounds 
  Avould 
  be 
  very 
  productive. 
  Stealing 
  

   oysters 
  from 
  the 
  beds 
  has 
  been 
  of 
  such 
  fre(pient 
  occurrence 
  that 
  Mr. 
  

   Smeltz 
  has 
  practically 
  discontinued 
  his 
  attempts 
  to 
  improve 
  the 
  beds. 
  

  

  Small 
  beds 
  of 
  native 
  oysters 
  are 
  found 
  at 
  various 
  places 
  ou 
  this 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  coast. 
  They 
  were 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  very 
  extensive 
  beds, 
  but 
  are 
  now 
  

   l^ractically 
  depleted. 
  The 
  oysters 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  of 
  good 
  shape 
  

   and 
  excellent 
  quality. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  beds 
  above 
  Anclote 
  Keys 
  are 
  about 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Crj-stal 
  

   Eiver, 
  some 
  40 
  miles 
  up 
  the 
  coast. 
  These 
  beds 
  are 
  not 
  of 
  great 
  extent, 
  

   but 
  have 
  long 
  been 
  noted 
  for 
  the 
  good 
  (piiility 
  of 
  tlieir 
  oysters. 
  They 
  

   have 
  been 
  worked 
  so 
  assiduously 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  years 
  that 
  they 
  

   are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  showing 
  signs 
  of 
  depletion. 
  They 
  are 
  worked 
  chiefly 
  

   by 
  people 
  living 
  at 
  the 
  towns 
  of 
  Crystal 
  Eiver 
  and 
  Ilomosassa. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Levy 
  County 
  oyster 
  beds 
  of 
  considerable 
  imi)ortance 
  

   are 
  found. 
  The 
  best 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  Xo. 
  4 
  Channel, 
  between 
  Cedar 
  

   and 
  Derrick 
  keys, 
  connecting 
  Wacsassassee 
  and 
  Suwanee 
  bays; 
  on 
  

   Pelican 
  Eeef 
  Bar, 
  which 
  runs 
  from 
  just 
  above 
  No. 
  4 
  Bar 
  up 
  Suwanee 
  

   Bay 
  about 
  2 
  J 
  miles; 
  on 
  Fishbone 
  Bar, 
  which 
  extends 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  

   side 
  of 
  Suwanee 
  Eiver 
  up 
  the 
  coast 
  several 
  miles; 
  on 
  Corrigau 
  Eeef, 
  

   which 
  runs 
  for 
  4 
  miles 
  soutli 
  of 
  Cedar 
  Ivey, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  Wacassassee 
  

   Bar, 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  name. 
  The 
  best 
  of 
  all 
  of 
  

   these 
  are 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  No. 
  4 
  Channel. 
  

  

  