﻿[15] 
  A 
  SYSTEM 
  OF 
  OYSTER 
  CULTURE. 
  395 
  

  

  ebb 
  of 
  the 
  tide 
  that 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  embryos 
  will 
  be 
  carried 
  past 
  the 
  sys- 
  

   tem 
  of 
  collectors 
  in 
  the 
  canals 
  into 
  the 
  open 
  water 
  and 
  be 
  entirely 
  lost. 
  

   There 
  is, 
  consequently, 
  a 
  very 
  good 
  reason 
  for 
  having 
  the 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  

   two 
  nearly 
  equal. 
  

  

  The 
  preceding 
  system 
  of 
  culture, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  obvious, 
  is 
  only 
  an 
  appli- 
  

   cation 
  of 
  principles 
  well 
  established 
  and 
  based 
  upon 
  the 
  observation 
  of 
  

   the 
  actual 
  behavior 
  of 
  oysters 
  under 
  natural 
  conditions, 
  as 
  observed 
  at 
  

   Fortress 
  Monroe, 
  Saint 
  Jerome's 
  Creek, 
  Wood's 
  Holl, 
  Cohasset, 
  and 
  

   Long 
  Island 
  Sound. 
  

  

  The 
  spawning 
  ponds 
  after 
  the 
  season 
  is 
  over 
  may 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  fatten- 
  

   ing 
  choice 
  oysters 
  for 
  market, 
  as 
  they 
  will 
  actually 
  hold 
  about 
  the 
  quan- 
  

   tity 
  stated 
  at 
  the 
  outset 
  of 
  this 
  chapter. 
  They 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  used 
  in 
  con- 
  

   nection 
  with 
  another 
  modification 
  of 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  using 
  cultch 
  much 
  

   crowded 
  together 
  or 
  condensed, 
  to 
  be 
  described 
  later 
  on. 
  

  

  The 
  cultch 
  may, 
  without 
  harm 
  to 
  the 
  spat, 
  be 
  allowed 
  to 
  remain 
  in 
  

   the 
  suspended 
  receptacles 
  in 
  the 
  canals 
  until 
  the 
  first 
  or 
  middle 
  of 
  Oc- 
  

   tober, 
  when 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  taken 
  out 
  and 
  spread 
  upon 
  the 
  bottom 
  on 
  the 
  

   open 
  beds 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  grow 
  larger. 
  The 
  reason 
  for 
  allowing 
  the 
  cultch 
  

   to 
  remain 
  so 
  long 
  in 
  the 
  boxes 
  is 
  because 
  spatting 
  under 
  favorable 
  con- 
  

   ditions 
  continues 
  for 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  ninety 
  days, 
  or 
  from 
  July 
  1 
  to 
  Oc- 
  

   tober 
  1, 
  so 
  that 
  all 
  of 
  this 
  plant 
  should 
  be 
  in 
  working 
  order 
  by 
  the 
  first 
  

   of 
  July. 
  

  

  This 
  system 
  is 
  especially 
  well 
  adapted 
  for 
  the 
  work 
  along 
  the 
  Chesa- 
  

   peake, 
  and 
  I 
  know 
  of 
  no 
  better 
  location 
  for 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  these 
  new 
  

   devices 
  for 
  spat-culture 
  than 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  station 
  

   at 
  Saint 
  Jerome's 
  Creek, 
  in' 
  Saint 
  Mary's 
  County, 
  Maryland. 
  At 
  that 
  

   place 
  the 
  equipment 
  and 
  conditions 
  already 
  in 
  part 
  exist 
  for 
  its 
  realiza- 
  

   tion 
  at 
  far 
  less 
  cost 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  place 
  which 
  could 
  be 
  occupied 
  by 
  

   the 
  Commission 
  for 
  the 
  work 
  at 
  present. 
  

  

  (B) 
  The 
  new 
  method 
  of 
  condensed 
  spat-culture 
  as 
  conducted 
  in 
  a 
  series 
  

   of 
  tanks 
  filled 
  with 
  cultch. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  modification, 
  the 
  sea-water, 
  charged 
  with 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  

   free-swimming 
  fry, 
  is 
  pumped 
  through 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  troughs 
  filled 
  with 
  

   cultch, 
  the 
  method 
  being 
  founded 
  on 
  the 
  accidental 
  results 
  obtained 
  

   in 
  1881 
  at 
  Cherrystone, 
  Md. 
  

  

  The 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  spawning 
  ponds, 
  or 
  from 
  vats 
  charged 
  with 
  arti- 
  

   ficially 
  fertilized 
  fry, 
  is 
  pumped 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  steam-pump 
  or 
  a 
  pump 
  

   operated 
  by 
  a 
  wind-mill, 
  into 
  an 
  inclined 
  tank, 
  shown 
  in 
  elevation 
  and 
  

   in 
  plan 
  in 
  Plate 
  III. 
  Such 
  a 
  tank 
  inclined 
  at 
  an 
  angle 
  of 
  about 
  15° 
  may 
  

   be 
  45 
  feet 
  long, 
  ten 
  feet 
  wide, 
  and 
  1 
  foot 
  deep, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  subdivided 
  into 
  

   fifteen 
  compartments 
  transversely, 
  each 
  of 
  which 
  would 
  be 
  about 
  3 
  feet 
  

   "in 
  width. 
  The 
  transverse 
  subdivisions 
  within 
  the 
  tank 
  should 
  be 
  two 
  

   or 
  three 
  inches 
  lower 
  than 
  the 
  sides 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  allow 
  the 
  water 
  to 
  run 
  

   from 
  the 
  highest 
  to 
  the 
  next 
  lower 
  one 
  in 
  succession, 
  and 
  finally 
  into 
  the 
  

   lowest 
  compartment, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  water 
  would 
  run 
  back 
  into 
  the 
  

   spawning 
  ponds, 
  or 
  the 
  vats 
  containing 
  the 
  embryonized 
  water. 
  Each 
  

  

  