﻿[13] 
  A 
  SYSTEM 
  OF 
  OYSTER 
  CULTURE. 
  393 
  

  

  consists, 
  essentially, 
  iii 
  condensing 
  the 
  cultch 
  or 
  collecting 
  apparatus 
  

   in 
  such 
  a 
  way 
  as 
  to 
  expose 
  the 
  maximum 
  amount 
  of 
  collecting 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  for 
  tbe 
  spat 
  to 
  adhere 
  to 
  within 
  the 
  least 
  possible 
  area. 
  This 
  may 
  

   be 
  achieved 
  in 
  tbe 
  following 
  manner: 
  A 
  pond, 
  X, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  plan 
  

   and 
  elevation 
  in 
  Plate 
  I, 
  is 
  constructed 
  with 
  a 
  long 
  zigzag 
  channel, 
  

   s, 
  connecting 
  it 
  with 
  the 
  open 
  water. 
  The 
  pond 
  ought 
  to 
  be, 
  say, 
  

   40 
  to 
  GO 
  feet 
  square; 
  the 
  channel, 
  .9, 
  may 
  be, 
  say, 
  3 
  feet 
  3 
  inches 
  

   wide, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  diagram. 
  Tbe 
  vertical 
  bunks, 
  z, 
  between 
  the 
  

   zigzag 
  canals 
  running 
  to 
  the 
  open 
  water 
  might 
  be 
  3 
  feet 
  in. 
  width. 
  

   Tbe 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  canals 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  nearly 
  or 
  quite 
  vertical, 
  and 
  the 
  

   earth 
  held 
  in 
  place 
  with 
  piles 
  and 
  rough 
  slabs 
  or 
  planks. 
  The 
  direct 
  

   inlet 
  to 
  the 
  pond 
  at 
  I, 
  might 
  be 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  gate, 
  and 
  the 
  outlet 
  of 
  

   the 
  canal, 
  where 
  the 
  latter 
  connects 
  with 
  the 
  open 
  water 
  at 
  o, 
  might 
  be 
  

   provided 
  with 
  a 
  filter 
  of 
  moderately 
  fine 
  galvanized-wire 
  netting 
  and 
  a 
  

   gate— 
  the 
  first 
  answering 
  to 
  keep 
  out 
  large 
  fish 
  and 
  debris, 
  and 
  the 
  lat- 
  

   ter 
  to 
  close 
  under 
  certain 
  circumstances, 
  or 
  when 
  violent 
  storms 
  de- 
  

   velop 
  strong 
  breakers. 
  The 
  accompanying 
  plan 
  and 
  sectional 
  eleva- 
  

   tion, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  Plate 
  I, 
  will 
  render 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  such 
  a. 
  pond 
  

   and 
  system 
  of 
  collecting 
  canals 
  clear. 
  

  

  Into 
  the 
  pond, 
  X, 
  I 
  would 
  put 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  spawning 
  oysters, 
  say 
  

   100 
  bushels, 
  if 
  the 
  pond 
  were 
  40 
  feet 
  square, 
  and 
  200 
  bushels 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  

   GO 
  feet 
  square. 
  But 
  instead 
  of 
  throwing 
  the 
  oysters 
  directly 
  upon 
  the 
  

   bottom, 
  I 
  would 
  suggest 
  that 
  a 
  platform, 
  P, 
  of 
  strong 
  slats, 
  be 
  placed 
  

   over 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  pond 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  8 
  to 
  10 
  inches 
  from 
  the 
  

   earth 
  below, 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  oysters 
  should 
  be 
  evenly 
  distributed. 
  This 
  

   arrangement 
  will 
  prevent 
  the 
  adult 
  oysters 
  from 
  being 
  killed 
  by 
  sedi- 
  

   ment, 
  and 
  also 
  afford 
  a 
  collector 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  shells 
  to 
  be 
  

   spread 
  over 
  the 
  platform, 
  and 
  give 
  the 
  fry 
  a 
  better 
  chance 
  to 
  escape 
  

   without 
  immediately 
  sinking 
  into 
  the 
  ooze 
  below. 
  

  

  The 
  mean 
  depth 
  of 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  pond 
  and 
  canals 
  ought 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  less 
  

   than 
  3£ 
  feet, 
  and 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  pond 
  and 
  canals 
  should 
  be 
  cut 
  to 
  

   the 
  same 
  level, 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  full 
  benefit 
  of 
  the 
  tides. 
  

  

  The 
  method 
  of 
  operating 
  such 
  a 
  system 
  will 
  now 
  be 
  explained. 
  The 
  

   pond 
  X 
  is 
  supplied 
  with 
  the 
  above 
  specified 
  quantity 
  of 
  good 
  spawn- 
  

   ing 
  oysters, 
  which 
  at 
  a 
  low 
  estimate 
  ought 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  fifty 
  females 
  

   per 
  bushel, 
  to 
  yield 
  from 
  one 
  hundred 
  to 
  two 
  hundred 
  billions 
  of 
  fry 
  

   during 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  cultch 
  may 
  be 
  in 
  position 
  in 
  the 
  canals. 
  If, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  the 
  oysters 
  were 
  very 
  large 
  selected 
  ones, 
  fully 
  twice 
  as 
  much 
  fry 
  

   ought 
  to 
  be 
  thrown 
  out 
  by 
  them, 
  or 
  fully 
  two 
  to 
  four 
  hundred 
  billions. 
  

  

  This 
  enormous 
  quantity 
  of 
  embryos 
  must, 
  unless 
  it 
  finds 
  some 
  objects 
  

   to 
  which 
  to 
  attach 
  itself, 
  be 
  irrecoverably 
  lost. 
  In 
  order, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  

   provide 
  it 
  with 
  a 
  nidus 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  fixation, 
  an 
  extensive 
  system 
  

   of 
  collectors 
  is 
  provided 
  in 
  the 
  channel 
  s. 
  These 
  are 
  figured 
  in 
  detail 
  

   on 
  Plate 
  II, 
  tbe 
  first 
  being 
  an 
  end 
  and 
  the 
  second 
  a 
  side 
  view, 
  and 
  

   the 
  third 
  a 
  plan. 
  These 
  are 
  essentially 
  flat 
  baskets 
  with 
  wooden 
  ends, 
  

   and 
  with 
  the. 
  bottoms 
  and 
  sides 
  formed 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  coarse 
  kind 
  of 
  gal- 
  

  

  