﻿382 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [2] 
  

  

  and 
  while 
  this 
  is 
  true, 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  fact 
  that 
  observations 
  and 
  results 
  

   were 
  obtained 
  which 
  indicate 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  feasible 
  method 
  of 
  almost 
  

   unlimited 
  productiveness 
  ; 
  all 
  that 
  is 
  needed 
  being 
  the 
  proper 
  combina- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  conditions 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  proposed 
  to 
  describe 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  

   well-known 
  facts 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  verified 
  by 
  any 
  one 
  who 
  will 
  take 
  the 
  

   trouble 
  to 
  do 
  so. 
  

  

  Besides 
  devising 
  the 
  various 
  forms 
  of 
  incubating 
  apparatus, 
  during 
  

   the 
  interval 
  of 
  time 
  mentioned, 
  the 
  writer, 
  in 
  conjunction 
  with 
  others, 
  

   used 
  in 
  his 
  experiments 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  eighteen 
  forms 
  of 
  collectors 
  or 
  

   cultch 
  in 
  coves, 
  ponds, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  incubating 
  apparatus, 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  

   of 
  affording 
  the 
  free-swimming 
  fry 
  surfaces 
  to 
  which 
  itcould 
  affix 
  itself. 
  

   Some 
  of 
  these 
  forms 
  of 
  collectors 
  were 
  previously 
  used 
  in 
  France, 
  Hoi 
  

   land, 
  England, 
  Portugal, 
  and 
  Italy, 
  to 
  obtain 
  the 
  spat 
  of 
  Ostrea 
  edulis, 
  

   and 
  long 
  before 
  any 
  one 
  had 
  thought 
  of 
  introducing 
  them 
  into 
  our 
  own 
  

   country 
  ; 
  indeed, 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  cultch 
  or 
  collectors 
  of 
  various 
  kinds 
  has 
  

   been 
  in 
  vogue 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  period, 
  in 
  fact, 
  if 
  historical 
  records 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  

   trusted, 
  since 
  the 
  days 
  of 
  the 
  Caesars. 
  The 
  practice 
  of 
  strewing 
  oyster 
  

   shells 
  upon 
  the 
  sea 
  bottom 
  as 
  cultch, 
  to 
  which 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  many 
  bill- 
  

   ions 
  of 
  fry 
  diffused 
  through 
  the 
  water 
  could 
  become 
  affixed, 
  seems 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  inaugurated 
  by 
  the 
  French 
  Government 
  about 
  1851, 
  under 
  

   the 
  direction 
  of 
  Professor 
  Coste, 
  the 
  distinguished 
  embryologist 
  of 
  the 
  

   College 
  de 
  Prance. 
  This 
  practice 
  seems 
  since 
  then 
  to 
  have 
  fallen 
  into 
  

   disrepute 
  or 
  partial 
  neglect 
  abroad, 
  but 
  has 
  been 
  practiced 
  with 
  such 
  

   magnificent 
  results 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  that 
  the 
  method 
  is 
  now 
  applied 
  in 
  

   Long 
  Island 
  Sound, 
  in 
  the 
  deeper 
  water, 
  on 
  a 
  scale 
  which 
  is 
  without 
  an 
  

   approach 
  or 
  parallel 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  world. 
  The 
  principal 
  in- 
  

   augurator 
  of 
  this 
  system 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  C. 
  Eowe, 
  of 
  New 
  

   Haven, 
  Conn., 
  who, 
  about 
  twelve 
  years 
  ago, 
  began 
  sowing 
  shellsin 
  deep 
  

   water. 
  Ridiculed 
  at 
  first, 
  Mr. 
  Eowe 
  has 
  finally 
  made 
  such 
  a 
  splendid 
  

   success 
  of 
  his 
  system 
  that 
  he 
  sows 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  100,000 
  bushels 
  of 
  shells 
  

   annually 
  upon 
  what 
  is 
  now 
  probably 
  the 
  most 
  colossal 
  oyster-farm 
  in 
  

   the 
  world, 
  embracing 
  as 
  it 
  does 
  about 
  15,000 
  acres 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  

   sound, 
  off 
  the 
  city 
  and 
  vicinity 
  of 
  New 
  Haven. 
  

  

  While 
  this 
  system 
  is 
  eminently 
  successful, 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  attended 
  with 
  

   considerable 
  risk, 
  great 
  quantities 
  of 
  shells 
  being 
  sometimes 
  wasted 
  in 
  

   consequence 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  in 
  some 
  seasons 
  no 
  set 
  of 
  spat 
  whatever 
  

   becomes 
  attached 
  over 
  large 
  areas, 
  owing 
  to 
  adverse 
  conditions 
  of 
  

   weather, 
  currents, 
  or 
  the 
  inroads 
  of 
  sediment, 
  which 
  coats 
  the 
  surfaces 
  

   of 
  the 
  shells 
  and 
  asphyxiates 
  the 
  minute 
  embryos 
  which 
  have 
  recently 
  

   become 
  adherent 
  to 
  this 
  kind 
  of 
  cultch. 
  The 
  same 
  objection 
  holds 
  in 
  ref- 
  

   erence 
  to 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  kinds 
  of 
  collectors 
  hitherto 
  used. 
  Strewing 
  shells 
  

   on 
  the 
  bottom 
  renders 
  only 
  their 
  upper 
  surfaces 
  available, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  

   amount 
  of 
  spatting 
  surface 
  is 
  meager 
  to 
  begin 
  with. 
  The 
  under 
  convex 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  shells 
  is 
  partly 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  bottom, 
  and 
  is 
  largely 
  

   useless, 
  while 
  the 
  upper 
  or 
  smooth 
  side 
  soon 
  becomes 
  coated 
  with 
  sedi- 
  

   ment, 
  unless 
  the 
  currents 
  are 
  quite 
  strong 
  over 
  the 
  bottom. 
  Other 
  col- 
  

  

  