﻿[5] 
  A 
  SYSTEM 
  OF 
  OYSTER 
  CULTURE. 
  3$5 
  

  

  i 
  

   as 
  a 
  spat-collector; 
  in 
  fact, 
  the 
  greatest 
  number 
  of 
  spat 
  ever 
  observed 
  

   by 
  the 
  writer 
  per 
  square 
  inch 
  has 
  beeu 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  smoothest 
  possible 
  

   surfaces. 
  The 
  fundamentally 
  important 
  prerequisite 
  in 
  oyster 
  ^culture, 
  

   however, 
  is 
  that 
  all 
  spatting 
  surfaces 
  shall 
  remain 
  clean 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  enough 
  

   time 
  to 
  allow 
  the 
  spat 
  to 
  become 
  well 
  established 
  This, 
  I 
  would 
  say, 
  is 
  the 
  

   second 
  great 
  and 
  important 
  principle, 
  which 
  is 
  never 
  to 
  be 
  lost 
  sight 
  of 
  

   in 
  practical 
  oyster 
  culture. 
  

  

  3. 
  Artificial 
  fertilization. 
  — 
  A 
  third 
  erroneous 
  conclusion 
  is, 
  that 
  arti- 
  

   ficial 
  fertilization 
  is 
  impracticable, 
  and 
  can 
  yield 
  no 
  valuable 
  results. 
  

   Large 
  bodies 
  of 
  water 
  may 
  be 
  artificially 
  charged 
  in 
  all 
  three 
  dimen- 
  

   sions 
  with 
  embryos 
  as 
  effectually 
  as 
  a 
  small 
  body 
  of 
  water 
  used 
  in 
  tbe 
  

   closed-circuit 
  experiments. 
  It 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  found 
  that 
  pumping 
  sea- 
  

   water 
  which 
  is 
  charged 
  with 
  embryos 
  through 
  a 
  steam-pump 
  will 
  not 
  

   injure 
  the 
  oyster 
  fry. 
  Spat 
  was 
  obtained 
  from 
  water 
  into 
  which 
  oysters 
  

   had 
  spawned 
  and 
  which 
  had 
  passed 
  through 
  the 
  steam-pump 
  employed 
  

   to 
  fill 
  the 
  supply 
  tanks 
  with 
  the 
  sea-w 
  r 
  ater 
  used 
  in 
  incubating 
  fish 
  ova 
  at 
  

   Cherrystone 
  in 
  1881. 
  Several 
  young 
  oysters 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  tanks 
  

   at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  our 
  season's 
  operations, 
  and 
  doubtless 
  many 
  more 
  would 
  

   have 
  been 
  found 
  had 
  a 
  large 
  supply 
  of 
  cultch 
  been 
  put 
  into 
  the 
  tanks 
  

   when 
  our 
  work 
  began. 
  

  

  It 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  obvious 
  -that, 
  no 
  matter 
  in 
  what 
  way 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  

   charged 
  with 
  embryos 
  or 
  fry, 
  provided 
  plenty 
  of 
  cultch 
  is 
  used, 
  spat 
  

   will 
  be 
  obtained. 
  This 
  has 
  been 
  illustrated 
  by 
  the 
  abundant 
  set 
  of 
  spat 
  

   obtained 
  from 
  artificially 
  fertilized 
  eggs 
  on 
  the 
  cultch 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  closed- 
  

   circuit 
  experiments 
  of 
  1882, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  pond 
  system, 
  in 
  

   which 
  filters 
  were 
  used, 
  from 
  1882 
  to 
  1885 
  ; 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  spat 
  obtained 
  by 
  

   us 
  from 
  native 
  embryos 
  at 
  Cherrystone 
  in 
  1881, 
  and 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Mather 
  in 
  

   1885. 
  Of 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  experiments 
  of 
  Brooks 
  and 
  Winslow 
  in 
  1882 
  

   I 
  am 
  uncertain, 
  but 
  they 
  also, 
  I 
  believe, 
  obtained 
  attached 
  embryos 
  on 
  

   shells 
  laid 
  in 
  troughs, 
  through 
  which 
  water 
  charged 
  with 
  embryos 
  was 
  

   allowed 
  to 
  flow. 
  The 
  embryos 
  employed 
  by 
  them 
  were, 
  I 
  believe, 
  ob- 
  

   tained 
  by 
  artificial 
  fertilization. 
  

  

  The 
  remarkable 
  set 
  of 
  spat 
  observed 
  at 
  Cohasset, 
  Mass., 
  in 
  1883 
  may 
  

   be 
  contrasted 
  with 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  artificially 
  fertilized 
  embryos 
  found 
  

   fixed 
  to 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  jars 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  cultch 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  closed- 
  

   circuit 
  apparatus 
  used 
  in 
  1882, 
  for 
  I 
  believe 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  affirmed 
  without 
  

   overstating 
  the 
  case, 
  that 
  a 
  greater 
  proportion 
  of 
  artificially 
  fertilized 
  

   embryos 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  adherent 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  instance 
  than 
  naturally 
  

   fertilized 
  ones 
  in 
  the 
  first. 
  The 
  third 
  principle 
  determining 
  success 
  in 
  

   oyster 
  culture 
  will, 
  therefore, 
  consist 
  in 
  having 
  the 
  water 
  used 
  in 
  spat- 
  

   collecting 
  well 
  charged 
  either 
  with 
  native 
  or 
  with 
  artificially 
  fertilized, 
  em- 
  

   bryos, 
  or 
  with 
  both. 
  

  

  4. 
  Condition 
  of 
  collecting 
  surfaces. 
  — 
  It 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  that 
  the 
  cultch, 
  in 
  

   order 
  to 
  be 
  available 
  or 
  to 
  afford 
  an 
  eligible 
  surface 
  for 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  the 
  

   adhering 
  fry, 
  must 
  be 
  clean. 
  This, 
  I 
  repeat, 
  may 
  be 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  

   a 
  cardinal 
  principle 
  in 
  practical 
  oyster 
  culture. 
  If 
  the 
  cultch 
  becomes 
  

  

  S. 
  Mis. 
  70 
  25 
  

  

  