﻿402 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [22] 
  

  

  must 
  be 
  recoated, 
  and 
  if 
  made 
  of 
  several 
  tiles 
  or 
  slates 
  must 
  be 
  recon- 
  

   structed 
  every 
  year. 
  All 
  of 
  these 
  disadvantages 
  render 
  the 
  older 
  Euro- 
  

   pean 
  methods 
  so 
  cumbersome 
  and 
  expensive 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  of 
  very 
  little 
  

   service 
  in 
  this 
  country, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  desired 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  largest 
  possible 
  re- 
  

   turn 
  for 
  the 
  least 
  possible 
  outlay 
  both 
  in 
  labor 
  and 
  money. 
  

  

  I 
  would 
  therefore 
  unhesitatingly 
  give 
  the 
  preference 
  to 
  oyster-shells 
  as 
  

   cultch, 
  especially 
  since 
  they 
  can 
  still 
  be 
  obtained 
  far 
  more 
  cheaply 
  than 
  

   either 
  tiles 
  or 
  slates. 
  The 
  time 
  may 
  come, 
  however, 
  when 
  these 
  may 
  

   become 
  so 
  valuable 
  as 
  cultch 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  find 
  some 
  sub- 
  

   stitute. 
  In 
  that 
  event 
  potsherds 
  might 
  be 
  manufactured 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  

   scale 
  to 
  answer 
  the 
  purpose 
  equally 
  well. 
  Pottery 
  — 
  such 
  as 
  is 
  used 
  to 
  

   make 
  clay 
  pigeons 
  for 
  sportsmen 
  — 
  would 
  be 
  very 
  serviceable 
  as 
  a 
  col- 
  

   lector. 
  Clay 
  pigeons, 
  in 
  fact, 
  either 
  entire 
  or 
  broken 
  up, 
  would 
  make 
  

   an 
  excellent 
  kind 
  of 
  cultch. 
  

  

  A 
  curious 
  x>roperty 
  of 
  oyster-shells, 
  manifested 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  simply 
  

   sown 
  on 
  the 
  bottom, 
  and 
  which 
  has 
  fallen 
  under 
  my 
  observation, 
  is 
  of 
  

   considerable 
  interest 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  oyster 
  culture. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  that 
  

   if 
  the 
  dead 
  valves 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  are 
  thrown 
  into 
  water 
  they 
  will 
  almost 
  

   invariably 
  fall 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  with 
  the 
  smooth 
  inner 
  or 
  concave 
  face 
  

   upward, 
  and 
  the 
  rough 
  convex 
  face 
  downward. 
  The 
  best 
  side 
  is 
  there- 
  

   fore, 
  in 
  the 
  practice 
  of 
  shell 
  -sowing, 
  the 
  least 
  efficient 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  

   of 
  collecting 
  spat. 
  Upon 
  investigation 
  this 
  is 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  actually 
  so 
  

   not 
  only 
  when 
  oyster-shells 
  are 
  sown 
  as 
  cnltch, 
  but 
  also 
  when 
  those 
  of 
  

   the 
  clam 
  and 
  scallop 
  are 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  purpose. 
  Upon 
  examining 
  

   the 
  shells 
  used 
  as 
  cultch 
  by 
  the 
  Long 
  Island 
  planters 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  

   that 
  the 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  spat 
  has 
  adhered 
  to 
  the 
  convex 
  or 
  undermost 
  side 
  

   of 
  the 
  shells, 
  and 
  that 
  comparatively 
  little 
  spat 
  has 
  fastened 
  itself 
  to 
  

   the 
  upper 
  side- 
  

   When 
  the 
  oysters 
  are 
  planted 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  from 
  a 
  boat, 
  they 
  also, 
  as 
  

   a 
  rule, 
  fall 
  upon 
  the 
  bottom 
  with 
  the 
  left 
  or 
  most 
  convex 
  and 
  colorless 
  

   valve 
  downward, 
  while 
  the 
  colored 
  and 
  flattest 
  or 
  right 
  valve 
  is 
  upper- 
  

   most. 
  Upon 
  examining 
  old 
  oysters 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  lying 
  fiat 
  on 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  the 
  spat 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  fast 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  valve, 
  

   just 
  as 
  we 
  found 
  it 
  upon 
  examining 
  the 
  cultch 
  of 
  shells. 
  

  

  These 
  data 
  seem 
  to 
  me 
  to 
  indicate 
  most 
  conclusively 
  that 
  the 
  sedi- 
  

   ment 
  which 
  is 
  deposited 
  from 
  the 
  overlying 
  water 
  has 
  rendered 
  the 
  

   upper 
  surfaces 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  cultch 
  and 
  the 
  oysters 
  unfit 
  for 
  the 
  ad- 
  

   hesion 
  of 
  young 
  fry. 
  That 
  it 
  does 
  adhere 
  to 
  the 
  upper 
  surface 
  very 
  

   often 
  we 
  have 
  evidence 
  enough, 
  but 
  we 
  also 
  have 
  abundant 
  evidence 
  to 
  

   prove 
  that 
  it 
  adheres 
  there 
  far 
  less 
  commonly 
  than 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  side. 
  

   So 
  we 
  actually 
  find 
  that 
  the 
  experience 
  with 
  slate 
  and 
  tile 
  collectors 
  in 
  

   shallow 
  water 
  tallies 
  completely 
  with 
  what 
  is 
  observed 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  

   the 
  cultch 
  used 
  in 
  deep 
  water, 
  namely, 
  that 
  the 
  lower 
  side 
  is 
  always 
  the 
  

   most 
  efficient 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  collecting 
  spat. 
  This 
  leads 
  to 
  the 
  ob- 
  

   vious 
  conclusion 
  that 
  in 
  suspending 
  our 
  masses 
  of 
  cultch 
  above 
  the 
  

  

  