﻿[29] 
  A 
  SYSTEM 
  OF 
  OYSTER 
  CULTURE. 
  400 
  

  

  floating 
  oyster 
  fry 
  carried 
  out 
  and 
  in, 
  or 
  from 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  spawning 
  pond, 
  

   will 
  be 
  driven 
  through 
  these 
  masses 
  of 
  cultch; 
  it 
  is 
  therefore 
  desirable 
  

   that 
  just 
  as 
  little 
  unused 
  or 
  free 
  space 
  in 
  the 
  canals 
  be 
  left 
  for 
  the 
  water 
  

   to 
  ebb 
  and 
  flow 
  through 
  as 
  possible. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  advisable 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  receptacles 
  much 
  thicker 
  than 
  

   inches 
  through 
  their 
  least 
  diameters, 
  lest 
  the 
  light 
  necessary 
  for 
  the 
  

   development 
  of 
  the 
  spat 
  be 
  shut 
  out 
  too 
  completely, 
  or 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  inter- 
  

   fere 
  with 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  infant 
  oysters. 
  In 
  order 
  that 
  the 
  light 
  may 
  

   penetrate 
  from 
  above 
  and 
  down 
  between 
  the 
  receptacles 
  for 
  the 
  cultch, 
  

   they 
  should 
  be 
  placed 
  6 
  inches 
  apart 
  in 
  the 
  canals. 
  

  

  It 
  follows 
  from 
  what 
  has 
  just 
  been 
  said 
  that 
  every 
  running 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  

   canal 
  will 
  accommodate 
  three 
  bushels 
  of 
  cultch. 
  For 
  1,000 
  bushels 
  of 
  

   cultch 
  it 
  would, 
  therefore, 
  require 
  a 
  canal 
  about 
  335 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  

   covering 
  a 
  total 
  area 
  of 
  only 
  2,010 
  square 
  feet 
  of 
  surface, 
  including 
  the 
  

   banks 
  between 
  the 
  canals. 
  The 
  spawning 
  pond 
  to 
  feed 
  such 
  a 
  canal 
  

   would 
  be 
  about 
  45 
  feet 
  square, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  whole 
  plant 
  would 
  cover 
  a 
  

   total 
  area 
  of 
  4,035 
  square 
  feet, 
  including 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  canals, 
  or 
  not 
  

   quite 
  one-tenth 
  of 
  an 
  acre. 
  At 
  this 
  rate 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  accommodate 
  

   10,000 
  bushels 
  of 
  cultch 
  per 
  acre 
  by 
  the 
  adoption 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  sys- 
  

   tem, 
  Fifteen 
  hundred 
  bushels 
  of 
  shells 
  per 
  acre 
  would 
  quite 
  effectually 
  

   cover 
  the 
  bottom, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  ground 
  would 
  be 
  concealed 
  by 
  them, 
  but 
  

   even 
  that 
  is 
  probably 
  a 
  quantity 
  which 
  would 
  be 
  very 
  wastefully 
  ap- 
  

   plied 
  if 
  merely 
  strewn 
  on 
  the 
  bottom 
  as 
  cultch. 
  

  

  The 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  cultch 
  in 
  the 
  receptacles 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  important 
  matter 
  

   during 
  the 
  spatting 
  season. 
  The 
  empty 
  space 
  left 
  between 
  the 
  recep- 
  

   tacles, 
  allowing 
  1 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  horizontal 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  canal 
  to 
  each 
  one, 
  

   would 
  be 
  about 
  6 
  inches. 
  This 
  space, 
  besides 
  admitting 
  the 
  light, 
  will 
  

   enable 
  the 
  attendants 
  to 
  vibrate 
  or 
  rock 
  the 
  receptacles 
  back 
  and 
  forth 
  

   on 
  the 
  projecting 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  horizontal 
  strips, 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  cross- 
  

   hair 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  device. 
  By 
  rocking 
  the 
  receptacle 
  back 
  and 
  forth 
  

   vigorously 
  a 
  few 
  times 
  every 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  days, 
  or 
  even 
  every 
  day, 
  the 
  

   shells 
  will 
  be 
  kept 
  free 
  from 
  sediment, 
  aud 
  the 
  asphyxiation 
  of 
  the 
  re- 
  

   cently 
  affixed 
  fry 
  prevented 
  to 
  an 
  extent 
  which 
  is 
  altogether 
  imprac- 
  

   ticable 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  system 
  now 
  in 
  vogue. 
  This 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   important 
  and 
  distinctive 
  features 
  of 
  my 
  system, 
  and 
  one 
  which 
  will 
  

   commend 
  the 
  latter 
  to 
  the 
  favorable 
  consideration 
  of 
  any 
  one 
  who 
  has 
  

   ever 
  seriously 
  considered 
  the 
  oyster 
  question. 
  

  

  In 
  filling 
  the 
  receptacles 
  with 
  cultch 
  I 
  have 
  previously 
  recommended 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  a 
  removable 
  hopper, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  facilitate 
  and 
  expedite 
  that 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  work. 
  There 
  is 
  another 
  point 
  in 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  these 
  contriv- 
  

   ances 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  touched 
  upon, 
  however, 
  aud 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  well 
  to 
  

   say 
  a 
  few 
  words 
  as 
  to 
  how 
  the 
  shells 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  receptacles. 
  

  

  As 
  stated 
  in 
  the 
  preceding 
  pages, 
  oyster-shells, 
  if 
  thrown 
  into 
  the 
  

   water, 
  will 
  almost 
  invariably 
  fall 
  with 
  the 
  rough 
  convex 
  side 
  down, 
  and 
  

   the 
  smooth 
  concave 
  side 
  upward. 
  This 
  happens 
  even 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  

   allowed 
  to 
  drop 
  from 
  a 
  height 
  into 
  water 
  only 
  inches 
  deep. 
  It 
  also 
  

  

  