﻿[21] 
  A 
  SYSTEM 
  OF 
  OYSTER 
  CULTURE. 
  401 
  

  

  essary, 
  as 
  under 
  such 
  circumstances^ 
  it 
  would 
  simply 
  be 
  impossible 
  for 
  

   any 
  but 
  a 
  .small 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  set 
  to 
  survive 
  beyond 
  a 
  month 
  

   or 
  so. 
  In 
  case 
  such 
  overcrowding 
  should 
  occur 
  on 
  the 
  cultclfuscd 
  in 
  

   the 
  collectors 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  canals 
  or 
  troughs, 
  it 
  would 
  probably 
  be 
  

   best 
  to 
  use 
  a 
  coating 
  of 
  some 
  hind 
  on 
  the 
  shells. 
  

  

  Such 
  a 
  coating 
  should 
  consist 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  thin 
  mixture 
  of 
  very 
  hue 
  sand, 
  

   lime, 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  cement 
  in 
  such 
  proportions 
  as 
  will 
  cause 
  the 
  coating 
  

   to 
  set 
  firmly 
  aud 
  not 
  wash 
  off 
  readily, 
  but 
  be 
  easily 
  flaked 
  oft' 
  with 
  a 
  

   little 
  effort, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  free 
  the 
  crowded 
  spat. 
  Into 
  swch 
  a 
  mixture 
  the 
  

   shells 
  used 
  as 
  cultch 
  might 
  be 
  dipped 
  very 
  rapidly 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a. 
  bas- 
  

   ket 
  of 
  wire 
  netting, 
  so 
  that 
  half 
  a 
  bushel 
  could 
  be 
  coated 
  at 
  one 
  oper- 
  

   ation, 
  the 
  surplus 
  mixture 
  shaken 
  off, 
  and 
  the 
  shells 
  thrown 
  into 
  a 
  heap 
  

   to 
  allow 
  the 
  coating 
  to 
  set 
  preparatory 
  to 
  being 
  thrown 
  into 
  the 
  troughs 
  

   or 
  the 
  receptacles 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  canal 
  system. 
  For 
  filling 
  the 
  latter 
  a 
  

   wooden 
  hopper 
  provided 
  to 
  fit 
  over 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  receptacle, 
  and 
  re- 
  

   movable 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  in 
  filling 
  collectors 
  successively, 
  would 
  be 
  

   useful, 
  as 
  the 
  mouth 
  or 
  open 
  top 
  is 
  rather 
  narrow 
  to 
  admit 
  of 
  a 
  shovel- 
  

   ful 
  of 
  shells 
  being 
  conveniently 
  thrown 
  into 
  it. 
  

  

  In 
  handling 
  the 
  spat 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  flaked 
  off 
  'of 
  the 
  cultch 
  when 
  

   overcrowded, 
  wider 
  and 
  more 
  capacious 
  receptacles, 
  made 
  of 
  finer 
  gal- 
  

   vanized 
  wire 
  netting, 
  and 
  constructed 
  upon 
  the 
  same 
  general 
  plan 
  as 
  

   those 
  used 
  to 
  hold 
  the 
  cultch 
  in 
  the 
  canals, 
  might 
  bo 
  made 
  to 
  receive 
  

   the 
  detached 
  spat. 
  These 
  could 
  then 
  be 
  susj)ended 
  in 
  the 
  canals 
  and 
  

   allowed 
  to 
  remain 
  there 
  until 
  a 
  year 
  old, 
  when 
  they 
  could 
  be 
  scattered 
  

   upon 
  a 
  firm, 
  clean 
  bottom 
  to 
  grow 
  larger. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  the 
  canal 
  system 
  

   could 
  be 
  kept 
  in 
  use 
  a 
  great 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  or 
  until 
  the 
  next 
  spatting 
  

   season. 
  

  

  VI.— 
  Collectors. 
  

  

  In 
  handling 
  tile 
  and 
  slate 
  it 
  must 
  always 
  be 
  coated 
  with 
  a 
  detachable 
  

   covering 
  of 
  lime 
  and 
  sand, 
  or 
  something 
  of 
  the 
  kind, 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  it 
  

   may 
  be 
  possible 
  to 
  remove 
  the 
  adherent 
  spat. 
  After 
  that 
  the 
  individ- 
  

   ual 
  tiles 
  and 
  slates 
  must 
  be 
  supported 
  by 
  some 
  sort 
  of 
  framework, 
  or 
  fast- 
  

   ened 
  together 
  in 
  some 
  sort 
  of 
  a 
  bundle 
  to 
  make 
  them 
  most 
  effective. 
  The 
  

   result 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  first 
  cost 
  of 
  such 
  collectors 
  is 
  too 
  great, 
  because 
  both 
  

   the 
  tiles 
  and 
  slates 
  must 
  be 
  bought 
  as 
  manufactured 
  articles, 
  whereas 
  

   the 
  shells 
  can 
  be 
  got 
  for 
  the'trouble 
  of 
  hauling 
  them 
  away, 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  

   of 
  the 
  Chesapeake 
  at 
  least. 
  Moreover, 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  contrivances 
  for 
  

   supporting 
  the 
  slates 
  and 
  tiles, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  latter, 
  is 
  almost 
  as 
  

   great 
  in 
  the 
  long 
  run 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  receptacles 
  in 
  which" 
  the 
  cultch 
  is 
  

   suspended 
  in 
  my 
  system. 
  These 
  receptacles, 
  being 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  

   constructed 
  of 
  galvanized 
  wire-netting, 
  will 
  last 
  for 
  at 
  least 
  three 
  or 
  

   four 
  years, 
  during 
  which 
  time 
  each 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  should 
  have 
  produced 
  

   at 
  least 
  9 
  to 
  12 
  bushels 
  of 
  spat 
  suitable 
  for 
  seeding 
  purposes. 
  The 
  new 
  

   apparatus 
  can 
  be 
  used 
  repeatedly, 
  whereas 
  the 
  other, 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  used 
  again, 
  

   S. 
  Mis. 
  70 
  2G 
  

  

  