﻿[23] 
  A 
  SYSTEM 
  OF 
  OYSTER 
  CULTURE. 
  403 
  

  

  bottom 
  we 
  are 
  doing 
  the 
  very 
  best 
  possible 
  thing 
  to 
  facilitate 
  the 
  ad- 
  

   hesion] 
  of 
  (be 
  fry 
  and 
  prevent 
  its 
  subsequent 
  asphyxiation 
  by 
  tbe 
  accu- 
  

   mulation 
  of 
  sediment. 
  

  

  This 
  sediment 
  needs 
  some 
  discussion, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  point 
  out 
  to 
  the 
  reader 
  

   something 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  its 
  origin. 
  Observation 
  bas 
  taught 
  tbe 
  writer 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  hugely 
  of 
  organic 
  origin; 
  that 
  it 
  in 
  fact 
  is 
  largely 
  composed 
  

   of 
  seaweed, 
  in 
  sounds 
  and 
  along 
  shore, 
  which 
  bas 
  been 
  torn 
  loose 
  and 
  

   ground 
  into 
  fragments 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  breakers 
  and 
  undertow, 
  as 
  

   it 
  is 
  always 
  increased 
  in 
  quantity 
  during 
  storms. 
  Wherever 
  there 
  are 
  

   coves 
  or 
  inlets 
  this 
  hue 
  debris 
  is 
  carried 
  into 
  them 
  by 
  the 
  flood-tides, 
  

   and 
  during 
  slack 
  -water 
  it 
  is 
  slowly 
  deposited 
  by 
  tbe 
  action 
  of 
  gravity. 
  

   I 
  know 
  of 
  localities 
  where 
  deposits 
  of 
  ooze 
  exist 
  Avhicb 
  owe 
  their 
  origin 
  

   entirely 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  slow 
  deposition 
  of 
  sediment, 
  and 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  all 
  

   of 
  10 
  feet 
  in 
  thickness. 
  Such 
  a 
  bottom 
  is, 
  of 
  course, 
  quite 
  unfit 
  for 
  pur- 
  

   poses 
  of 
  oyster-culture, 
  and 
  is 
  just 
  as 
  totally 
  useless 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  intended 
  to 
  

   sow 
  cultch. 
  If 
  the 
  cultch 
  is 
  suspended 
  or 
  supported 
  above 
  the 
  bottom. 
  

   then 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  obtain 
  spat 
  in 
  such 
  situations, 
  as 
  the 
  writer 
  bas 
  

   found 
  by 
  actual 
  experience. 
  

  

  Other 
  materials, 
  such 
  as 
  gravel, 
  under 
  some 
  circumstances, 
  might 
  be 
  

   advantageously 
  used 
  as 
  cultch, 
  but 
  ordinarily 
  I 
  suspect 
  that 
  unless 
  it 
  

   was 
  sown 
  on 
  very 
  firm 
  or 
  bard 
  bottom, 
  after 
  being 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  sus- 
  

   pended 
  collectors 
  in 
  the 
  canal 
  system, 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  oysters 
  would 
  

   be 
  smothered. 
  It 
  would 
  also 
  present 
  less 
  collecting 
  surface 
  in 
  propor- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  its 
  'weight 
  than 
  shells. 
  

  

  Hard- 
  wood 
  chips 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  wood-cutter's 
  ax, 
  after 
  becoming 
  water- 
  

   logged, 
  might 
  serve 
  as 
  cultch 
  if 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  suspended 
  collectors, 
  but 
  

   as 
  tbe 
  slow 
  decomposition 
  of 
  the 
  wood 
  is 
  unfavorable, 
  I 
  doubt 
  if 
  any- 
  

   thing 
  would 
  be 
  gained 
  by 
  its 
  use 
  which 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  just 
  as 
  effectually 
  

   achieved 
  with 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  shells. 
  

  

  Iu 
  fact, 
  after 
  considering 
  all 
  the 
  readily 
  available 
  materials, 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  

   think 
  there 
  is 
  anything 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  compared 
  for 
  suitableness 
  and 
  

   efficiency 
  with 
  oyster, 
  clam, 
  or 
  scallop 
  shells 
  as 
  cultch. 
  There 
  is 
  cer- 
  

   tainly 
  no 
  form 
  of 
  collector 
  in 
  use 
  in 
  Europe 
  which 
  will 
  as 
  cheaply 
  afford 
  

   the 
  same 
  great 
  amount 
  of 
  spatting 
  surface 
  as 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  iu 
  sus- 
  

   pended 
  receptacles 
  filled 
  with 
  shells 
  such 
  as 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  canal 
  sys- 
  

   tem 
  here 
  proposed. 
  

  

  It 
  appears 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  stringing 
  shells 
  upon 
  wire 
  is 
  also 
  impracticable 
  

   in 
  this 
  country. 
  That 
  involves 
  taking 
  each 
  shell 
  singly 
  and 
  perfor- 
  

   ating 
  it 
  before 
  it 
  is 
  strung. 
  Such 
  a 
  proceeding 
  might 
  answer 
  Aery 
  well 
  

   wdiere 
  labor 
  costs 
  one-third 
  of 
  what 
  it 
  does 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  If 
  we 
  

   can 
  suspend 
  the 
  shells 
  just 
  as 
  effectively 
  and 
  at 
  far 
  less 
  cost 
  -without 
  band- 
  

   ling 
  them 
  singly 
  m 
  order 
  to 
  perforate 
  them, 
  it 
  would 
  indeed 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  

   a 
  waste 
  of 
  time 
  and 
  labor 
  to 
  resort 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  expensive 
  method 
  to 
  

   effect 
  what 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  far 
  more 
  easily 
  and 
  on 
  a 
  larger 
  scale 
  in 
  another 
  

   way. 
  

  

  