﻿XL-REPORT 
  ON 
  AN 
  OYSTER 
  INVESTIGATION 
  IN 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  

   WITH 
  THE 
  STEAMER 
  LOOKOUT. 
  

  

  Bt 
  Eugene 
  G. 
  Blackford. 
  

  

  The 
  steamer 
  Lookout 
  was 
  subject 
  to 
  my 
  orders 
  this 
  seasou 
  from 
  the 
  

   15th 
  to 
  the 
  26th 
  of 
  August, 
  1885, 
  inclusive, 
  aud 
  during 
  this 
  time 
  we 
  were 
  

   able 
  to 
  visit 
  seven 
  different 
  localities, 
  making 
  eight 
  trips, 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

   Montauk 
  Point, 
  Greenport, 
  the 
  Kills, 
  Execution 
  Light, 
  Port 
  Jefferson, 
  

   Prince's 
  Bay, 
  and 
  two 
  trips 
  up 
  the 
  Hudson 
  River. 
  

  

  Montauk 
  Point 
  and 
  Greenport. 
  — 
  The 
  first 
  trip 
  was 
  to 
  the 
  east- 
  

   ern 
  end 
  of 
  Long 
  Island, 
  for 
  which 
  locality 
  we 
  started 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  

   Saturday, 
  the 
  15th 
  of 
  August. 
  The 
  vessel 
  reached 
  Shelter 
  Island 
  late 
  

   in 
  the 
  evening 
  and 
  remained 
  at 
  anchor 
  in 
  Dering's 
  Harbor 
  until 
  Monday 
  

   morning, 
  the 
  17th 
  of 
  August, 
  when 
  a 
  visit 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  oyster 
  re- 
  

   gions 
  in 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  of 
  Montauk 
  Point. 
  I 
  had 
  been 
  informed 
  

   that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  ponds 
  near 
  the 
  Point 
  contained 
  quantities 
  of 
  oysters 
  

   of 
  fine 
  quality, 
  but 
  while 
  we 
  found 
  some 
  oysters 
  they 
  were 
  very 
  few 
  in 
  

   number 
  and 
  quite 
  flavorless. 
  And 
  we 
  were 
  not 
  even 
  able 
  to 
  find 
  old 
  

   shells 
  to 
  any 
  extent, 
  indicating 
  that 
  there 
  ever 
  had 
  been 
  oysters 
  there 
  

   in 
  any 
  quantity. 
  These 
  ponds 
  are, 
  with 
  hardly 
  an 
  exception, 
  cut 
  off 
  

   from 
  the 
  ocean, 
  except 
  during 
  great 
  storms, 
  when 
  the 
  waves 
  dash 
  across 
  

   the 
  intervening 
  sand 
  strips 
  and 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  cut 
  passage-ways 
  through, 
  

   so 
  that, 
  until 
  these 
  passage-ways 
  close 
  up 
  again, 
  there 
  is 
  communication 
  

   between 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  ponds 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  ocean. 
  The 
  waters 
  of 
  

   the 
  ponds 
  are 
  thus 
  at 
  times 
  quite 
  salt 
  and 
  then 
  again 
  only 
  slightly 
  brack- 
  

   ish, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  this 
  latter 
  condition 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  time, 
  depending 
  for 
  

   their 
  supply 
  of 
  water 
  upon 
  the 
  rain 
  shed 
  from 
  the 
  surrounding 
  sand- 
  

   hills 
  or 
  the 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  ocean 
  percolating 
  through 
  the 
  underlying 
  

   strata. 
  There 
  is 
  consequently, 
  in 
  all 
  probability, 
  very 
  little 
  food 
  in 
  these 
  

   ponds 
  of 
  a 
  proper 
  character 
  to 
  sustain 
  any 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  oysters, 
  aud 
  

   that 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  why 
  we 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  obtain 
  but 
  few 
  specimens. 
  

   What 
  might 
  be 
  accomplished 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  oyster 
  culture, 
  by 
  opening 
  

   permanent 
  water-ways 
  into 
  these 
  ponds, 
  is 
  of 
  course 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  mere 
  con- 
  

   jecture. 
  

  

  Early 
  on 
  Tuesday 
  morning 
  we 
  took 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  M. 
  Monsell, 
  of 
  Greenport, 
  

   on 
  board 
  as 
  pilot, 
  and 
  proceeded 
  to 
  examine 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  planted 
  beds 
  

   belonging 
  to 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Greenport 
  Oyster 
  Company. 
  The 
  land 
  

  

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