﻿392 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [12] 
  

  

  I 
  believe, 
  in 
  fact, 
  that 
  under 
  ordinary 
  conditions 
  a 
  hundred 
  or 
  a 
  thou- 
  

   sand 
  times 
  more 
  fry 
  actually 
  adheres 
  than 
  can 
  ever 
  reach 
  even 
  the 
  con- 
  

   dition 
  of 
  spat, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  asphyxiating- 
  effect 
  of 
  this 
  coating 
  or 
  

   pellicle 
  which 
  rapidly 
  develops 
  over 
  the 
  surfaces 
  to 
  which 
  spat 
  is 
  ad- 
  

   hering. 
  

  

  25. 
  Summary. 
  — 
  The 
  foregoing 
  statements 
  of 
  notices, 
  principles, 
  and 
  of 
  

   observations 
  made, 
  where 
  human 
  agency 
  had 
  and 
  where 
  it 
  had 
  not 
  af- 
  

   fected 
  the 
  results, 
  must 
  now 
  be 
  depended 
  upon 
  to 
  yield 
  us 
  an 
  answer 
  

   to 
  the 
  question 
  whether 
  spat-culture 
  will 
  be 
  feasible 
  and 
  profitable 
  or 
  

   not. 
  I 
  think 
  we 
  will 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  methods 
  hitherto 
  

   applied 
  were 
  founded 
  on 
  a 
  partial 
  or 
  total 
  misapprehension 
  of 
  the 
  es- 
  

   sential 
  principles 
  which 
  should 
  have 
  controlled 
  the 
  choice 
  of 
  the 
  plans 
  

   upon 
  which 
  the 
  work 
  was 
  to 
  proceed. 
  Following 
  in 
  the 
  wake 
  of 
  the 
  

   Trench, 
  we 
  adopted 
  an 
  inefficient 
  system 
  of 
  collectors, 
  because 
  these 
  

   were 
  too 
  scattered 
  to 
  attain 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  possible 
  value, 
  or 
  if 
  not 
  

   too 
  much 
  scattered, 
  they 
  soon 
  became 
  too 
  thickly 
  coated 
  with 
  sediment 
  in 
  

   most 
  situations 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  service 
  as 
  collectors. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  remedy 
  both 
  

   of 
  these 
  defects, 
  it 
  is 
  proposed 
  to 
  break 
  away 
  entirely 
  from 
  the 
  effete 
  and 
  

   antiquated 
  methods 
  of 
  Europe. 
  The 
  American 
  system 
  of 
  sowing 
  shells 
  

   appears 
  to 
  be 
  profitable, 
  but, 
  as 
  already 
  stated, 
  the 
  planter 
  is 
  not 
  get- 
  

   ting 
  the 
  benefit 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  shells 
  sown, 
  besides 
  running 
  

   the 
  risk 
  of 
  having 
  them 
  covered 
  with 
  sediment. 
  To 
  obviate 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  

   difficulties, 
  and 
  to 
  actually 
  come 
  into 
  competition 
  with 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  shell- 
  

   sowing 
  in 
  deep 
  water, 
  we 
  must 
  proceed 
  to 
  abandon 
  all 
  old 
  methods, 
  con- 
  

   dense 
  our 
  cultch 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  greatest 
  possible 
  quantity 
  over 
  the 
  smalle'st 
  

   possible 
  area, 
  and 
  finally, 
  have 
  that 
  so 
  arranged 
  that, 
  the 
  currents 
  developed 
  

   by 
  the 
  tides 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  peculiar 
  construction 
  of 
  a 
  system 
  of 
  spawn- 
  

   ing 
  ponds 
  and 
  canals 
  will 
  keep 
  the 
  cultch 
  washed, 
  clean 
  automatically. 
  

   Unless 
  this 
  can 
  be 
  done, 
  all 
  systems 
  of 
  pond 
  or 
  cove 
  culture 
  for 
  the 
  

   purpose 
  of 
  obtaining 
  spat 
  must 
  unhesitatingly 
  be 
  pronounced 
  failures. 
  

  

  The 
  foregoing 
  is 
  the 
  present 
  status 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  question, 
  and, 
  after 
  

   stating 
  as 
  fully 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  at 
  the 
  outset 
  what 
  are 
  the 
  conditions, 
  we 
  are 
  

   now 
  ready 
  to 
  present 
  the 
  plans 
  proposed 
  to 
  carry 
  them 
  out. 
  In 
  doing 
  

   this 
  we 
  have 
  plain, 
  simple 
  facts 
  and 
  principles 
  to 
  guide 
  us, 
  provided 
  

   that 
  we 
  always 
  have 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  floating 
  fry 
  and 
  that 
  we 
  provide 
  

   means 
  which 
  will 
  direct 
  it 
  against 
  or 
  upon 
  our 
  cultch 
  at 
  the 
  critical 
  

   moment 
  of 
  its 
  existence, 
  or 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  ready 
  to 
  affix 
  itself. 
  The 
  great- 
  

   est 
  source 
  of 
  loss 
  in 
  the 
  culture 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  arises 
  through 
  our 
  inabil- 
  

   ity 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  billions 
  of 
  larval 
  oysters 
  which 
  are 
  annually 
  wafted 
  

   about 
  by 
  the 
  waves 
  resting-places 
  where 
  they 
  may 
  become 
  manageable 
  

   spat. 
  

  

  III. 
  — 
  The 
  new 
  methods 
  of 
  'spat-culture. 
  

  

  {A) 
  The 
  method, 
  as 
  adapted 
  to 
  canals 
  or 
  sluices 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  cultch 
  is 
  

   placed 
  in 
  masses, 
  with 
  jetties 
  at 
  intervals. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  form 
  in 
  which 
  1 
  propose 
  to 
  inaugurate 
  the 
  new 
  system 
  of 
  

   spat-culture 
  which 
  has 
  grown 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  principles 
  already 
  developed, 
  

  

  