﻿[19] 
  A 
  SYSTEM 
  OF 
  OYSTER 
  CULTURE. 
  309 
  

  

  the 
  third 
  period 
  or 
  stage 
  of 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  oyster 
  culture. 
  The 
  

   first 
  one 
  is 
  the 
  laissez-faire 
  stage 
  of 
  the 
  industry, 
  now 
  largely 
  prevalent 
  

   in 
  this 
  country. 
  The 
  second 
  stage 
  is 
  the 
  ordinary 
  method 
  of 
  shell 
  sow- 
  

   ing. 
  

  

  The 
  advantages 
  of 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  using 
  the 
  cultch 
  in 
  concentrated 
  

   bodies, 
  giving 
  an 
  enormous 
  amount 
  of 
  surface 
  for 
  the 
  spat 
  to 
  adhere 
  to, 
  

   are, 
  that 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  conducted 
  on 
  the 
  land 
  owned 
  by 
  the 
  culturist 
  him- 
  

   self, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  spawn 
  thrown 
  off 
  by 
  the 
  oysters 
  belonging 
  to 
  him. 
  

   lie 
  is 
  therefore 
  not 
  bound 
  by 
  any 
  arbitrary 
  oyster 
  laws 
  now 
  existing 
  to 
  

   conform 
  to 
  what 
  are, 
  generally 
  speaking, 
  very 
  inefficient 
  and 
  often 
  ab- 
  

   surd 
  conditions. 
  The 
  new 
  method 
  puts 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  culturist 
  

   to 
  rear 
  his 
  own 
  seed 
  for 
  planting, 
  and 
  if 
  he 
  is 
  so 
  disposed 
  he 
  may 
  put 
  

   down 
  an 
  excess 
  of 
  cultch, 
  which 
  he 
  can 
  sell 
  after 
  it 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  spat' 
  

   to 
  the 
  owners 
  of 
  the 
  open 
  beds 
  in 
  his 
  vicinity. 
  It 
  involves 
  compara- 
  

   tively 
  little 
  outlay 
  to 
  put 
  down 
  a 
  plant 
  which 
  will 
  accommodate 
  5,000 
  

   bushels 
  of 
  cultch, 
  or 
  enough 
  to 
  seed 
  from 
  20 
  to 
  30 
  acres 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  

   year. 
  Such 
  a 
  system 
  would 
  be 
  of 
  great 
  practical 
  utility 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  

   of 
  the 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay, 
  where 
  there 
  are 
  very 
  extensive 
  areas 
  upon 
  

   which, 
  with 
  very 
  inexpensive 
  excavation, 
  the 
  plant 
  for 
  conducting 
  this 
  

   method 
  of 
  culture 
  could 
  be 
  organized. 
  

  

  At 
  places 
  like 
  Wood's 
  Holl 
  it 
  would 
  also 
  be 
  possible 
  to 
  organize 
  the 
  

   system 
  of 
  using 
  the 
  cultch 
  in 
  concentrated 
  form, 
  so 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  locality 
  

   did 
  not 
  actually 
  afford 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  extensive 
  bed-culture 
  for 
  market, 
  

   it 
  would 
  in 
  many 
  instances 
  become 
  available 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  rearing 
  

   spat 
  to 
  be 
  planted 
  in 
  available 
  localities 
  near 
  by. 
  

  

  IV. 
  — 
  The 
  function 
  of 
  artificial 
  fertilization. 
  

  

  As 
  stated 
  in 
  the 
  introductory 
  portion 
  of 
  this 
  paper, 
  the 
  utility 
  of 
  arti- 
  

   ficial 
  fertilization 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  is 
  unquestionable, 
  but 
  I 
  

   would 
  not 
  give 
  it 
  either 
  the 
  principal, 
  nor 
  yet 
  a 
  subordinate 
  place 
  in 
  

   my 
  system 
  of 
  spat-culture. 
  We 
  know, 
  for 
  example, 
  that 
  100 
  bushels 
  of 
  

   good 
  oysters 
  ought 
  to 
  yield 
  at 
  least 
  100 
  billions 
  of 
  fry. 
  While 
  we 
  can- 
  

   not 
  possibly 
  prevent 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  percentage 
  of 
  this 
  astounding 
  yield 
  

   of 
  embryos 
  from 
  being 
  lost, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  very 
  poor 
  economy 
  indeed 
  not 
  

   to 
  avail 
  ourselves 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  convenient 
  and 
  constant 
  source 
  from 
  which 
  

   to 
  obtain 
  embryos 
  under 
  natural 
  conditions. 
  So 
  I 
  propose 
  that 
  we 
  use 
  

   the 
  natural 
  yield 
  thrown 
  off 
  by 
  the 
  adult 
  oysters, 
  but 
  in 
  addition 
  call 
  in 
  

   the 
  aid 
  of 
  artificial 
  fertilization 
  to 
  supplement 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  fry 
  yielded 
  

   naturally. 
  

  

  Into 
  the 
  spawning 
  ponds 
  and 
  system 
  of 
  canals, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  cultch 
  is 
  

   suspended, 
  the 
  tide 
  will 
  ebb 
  twice 
  and 
  flow 
  twice 
  every 
  day. 
  In 
  other 
  

   words, 
  the 
  water 
  charged 
  with 
  embryos 
  is 
  changed 
  over 
  the 
  collectors 
  

   lour 
  times 
  iu 
  every 
  twenty-four 
  hours. 
  During 
  ninety 
  days, 
  or 
  as 
  long 
  

   as 
  the 
  spatting 
  season 
  lasts, 
  the 
  water 
  surrounding 
  the 
  collectors 
  will 
  

   have 
  been 
  changed 
  or 
  shifted 
  about 
  360 
  times, 
  A 
  During 
  the 
  ebb 
  tide 
  

  

  