﻿XII.-REPORT 
  OF 
  OPERATIONS 
  AT 
  SAINT 
  JEROME 
  OYSTER- 
  

   BREEDING 
  STATION 
  DURING 
  1885. 
  

  

  By 
  W. 
  deC. 
  Kavenel. 
  

  

  By 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  June 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  ponds 
  ready 
  for 
  the 
  reception 
  of 
  spawn 
  ? 
  

   but 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  the 
  20th 
  that 
  ripe 
  oysters 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  sufficient 
  

   numbers 
  to 
  commence 
  spawning 
  regularly. 
  From 
  then 
  until 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   August 
  oysters 
  were 
  opened 
  every 
  day, 
  and 
  when 
  ripe 
  oysters 
  were 
  

   found 
  the 
  fertilized 
  eggs 
  were 
  put 
  in 
  ponds 
  1, 
  2, 
  4, 
  and 
  5. 
  Although 
  

   young 
  oysters 
  were 
  found 
  twenty-eight 
  days 
  after 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  

   the 
  first 
  lot 
  of 
  spawn 
  into 
  the 
  ponds, 
  only 
  about 
  six 
  or 
  seven 
  hundred 
  

   oysters 
  were 
  on 
  the 
  collectors 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  taken 
  up 
  in 
  October. 
  

  

  The 
  variation 
  of 
  density 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  ponds 
  was 
  very 
  slight, 
  

   not 
  over 
  .0003; 
  and 
  under 
  ordinary 
  conditions 
  the 
  variation 
  between 
  the 
  

   bay 
  and 
  ponds 
  averaged 
  about 
  .0004. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  results 
  obtained 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  importance 
  that 
  

   the 
  pouds 
  used 
  in 
  artificial 
  oyster 
  culture 
  should 
  have 
  the 
  full 
  rise 
  and 
  

   fall 
  of 
  the 
  tide, 
  which 
  is 
  impossible 
  when 
  the 
  water 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  filtered 
  to 
  

   prevent 
  the 
  escape 
  of 
  the 
  artificial 
  spawn 
  and 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  nat- 
  

   ural 
  spawn. 
  

  

  Ponds 
  4 
  and 
  5, 
  from 
  which 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  spat 
  was 
  obtained, 
  were 
  the 
  

   only 
  ones 
  where 
  any 
  considerable 
  change 
  of 
  water 
  existed, 
  pond 
  4 
  being 
  

   directly 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  baj 
  T 
  , 
  and 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  around 
  

   pond 
  5 
  being 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  allow 
  the 
  water 
  to 
  pass 
  through 
  it 
  freely. 
  Evi- 
  

   dence 
  in 
  support 
  of 
  this 
  can 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  pond 
  3, 
  where 
  20 
  bushels 
  of 
  

   spawning 
  oysters 
  were 
  put, 
  and 
  where 
  poorer 
  results 
  were 
  obtained 
  than 
  

   in 
  any 
  other 
  pond 
  except 
  No. 
  1, 
  which 
  had 
  the 
  least 
  circulation 
  of 
  any. 
  

   water 
  having 
  to 
  pass 
  to 
  it 
  through 
  ponds 
  2, 
  3, 
  and 
  4. 
  

  

  The 
  sand 
  filters 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  flumes 
  became 
  so 
  foul 
  in 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  

   days 
  that 
  no 
  water 
  could 
  pass 
  through 
  them, 
  and 
  were 
  so 
  constructed 
  

   that 
  they 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  cleaned 
  ; 
  they 
  were 
  changed, 
  however, 
  several 
  

   times 
  during 
  the 
  season, 
  but 
  soon 
  became 
  clogged 
  again. 
  

  

  I 
  had 
  hoped 
  from 
  the 
  improved 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  ponds 
  that 
  the 
  col- 
  

   lectors 
  would 
  be 
  free 
  of 
  sediment, 
  but, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  pond 
  5, 
  

   their 
  condition 
  was 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  previous 
  season. 
  Those 
  

   in 
  pond 
  5 
  were 
  perfectly 
  clean, 
  which 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  free 
  circulation 
  

   and 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  soil. 
  

  

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