﻿410 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [30] 
  

  

  follows 
  that 
  if 
  old 
  shells 
  are 
  used 
  as 
  collectors, 
  as 
  proposed 
  in 
  my 
  now 
  

   system, 
  there 
  will 
  be 
  a 
  tendency 
  for 
  the 
  spat 
  to 
  catch 
  all 
  over 
  both 
  sur- 
  

   faces 
  instead 
  of 
  only 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  surface 
  when 
  simply 
  strewn 
  over 
  the 
  

   bottom. 
  It 
  will 
  also 
  be 
  found 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  shells 
  with 
  adherent 
  spat 
  

   are 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  receptacles 
  used 
  in 
  my 
  system 
  and 
  strewn 
  over 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  when 
  planted, 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  tend 
  to 
  fall 
  with 
  the 
  convex 
  side 
  

   down 
  and 
  the 
  concave 
  side 
  up. 
  It 
  is 
  obvious, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  the 
  col- 
  

   lectors 
  should 
  be 
  filled 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  way 
  as 
  to 
  cause 
  the 
  shells 
  to 
  drop 
  into 
  

   them 
  in 
  the 
  position 
  which 
  they 
  would 
  naturally 
  tend 
  to 
  assume 
  when 
  

   sown 
  as 
  cultch. 
  Otherwise 
  it 
  will 
  readily 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  in 
  planting 
  or 
  

   sowing, 
  the 
  cultch 
  covered 
  with 
  spat, 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  taken 
  so 
  much 
  

   pains 
  to 
  rear 
  in 
  the 
  receptacles, 
  will 
  fall 
  on 
  the 
  bottom 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  way 
  

   as 
  to 
  bury 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  oysters. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  avoid 
  this 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  

   possible, 
  I 
  would 
  recommend 
  that 
  the 
  wire 
  receptacles 
  be 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  

   water 
  in 
  their 
  proper 
  position 
  and 
  then 
  be 
  slowly 
  (ilied 
  with 
  the 
  shells. 
  

   If 
  this 
  is 
  carefully 
  done 
  the 
  shells 
  will 
  fall 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  wire 
  

   basket 
  and 
  assume 
  just 
  the 
  same 
  position, 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  their 
  surround- 
  

   ings 
  as 
  if 
  thrown 
  iuto 
  the 
  open 
  water 
  and 
  allowed 
  to 
  fall 
  to 
  the 
  bottom, 
  

   namely, 
  with 
  the 
  concave 
  side 
  upward 
  and 
  the 
  convex 
  one 
  downward. 
  

   The 
  shells 
  may 
  now 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  assumed 
  their 
  normal 
  position 
  in 
  

   the 
  receptacle. 
  The 
  latter 
  is 
  now 
  ready 
  to 
  be 
  placed 
  in 
  position 
  in 
  the 
  

   canal. 
  

  

  One 
  word 
  about 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  receptacles 
  freighted 
  with 
  

   cultch 
  may 
  be 
  expeditiously 
  handled. 
  It 
  will 
  probably 
  be 
  found 
  that 
  a 
  

   small, 
  portable 
  tripod 
  so 
  arranged 
  as 
  to 
  straddle 
  the 
  canals 
  would 
  great 
  l.v 
  

   lighten 
  the 
  labor 
  of 
  handling 
  the 
  receptacles. 
  This, 
  if 
  supplemented 
  by 
  

   a. 
  system 
  of 
  pulleys 
  over 
  which 
  a 
  rope 
  was 
  passed, 
  or 
  a 
  "block 
  and 
  fall," 
  

   and 
  the 
  whole 
  hitched 
  to 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  tripod, 
  would 
  greatly 
  facilitate 
  

   lifting 
  the 
  wire 
  receptacles 
  in 
  and 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  canal. 
  Four 
  short 
  chains 
  

   or 
  ropes 
  with 
  hooks 
  to 
  catch 
  under 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  horizontal 
  strips 
  

   would 
  be 
  the 
  most 
  convenient 
  tackle 
  with 
  which 
  to 
  lift 
  the 
  receptacles 
  

   and 
  raise 
  them 
  out 
  of 
  and 
  lower 
  them 
  into 
  the 
  canal. 
  

  

  XL— 
  Conclusion. 
  

  

  If 
  cultch 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  shells 
  is 
  the 
  best 
  (for 
  which 
  conclusion 
  we 
  

   have 
  assigned 
  reasons), 
  it 
  follows 
  that 
  such 
  material 
  should 
  be 
  so 
  util- 
  

   ized 
  as 
  to 
  obtain 
  the 
  largest 
  possible 
  return 
  for 
  the 
  least 
  possible 
  outlay. 
  

   In 
  other 
  words, 
  if 
  shell-cultch 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  at 
  all, 
  let 
  it 
  be 
  expeditiously 
  

   and 
  economically, 
  and 
  not 
  wastefully 
  and 
  unscientifically, 
  employed. 
  It 
  

   has 
  been 
  found 
  that 
  even 
  the 
  sowing 
  of 
  shells 
  is 
  profitable, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  

   conclusively 
  demonstrated, 
  and 
  in 
  one 
  type 
  of 
  culture, 
  namely, 
  that 
  

   which 
  is 
  practiced 
  in 
  deep 
  water, 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  prac- 
  

   ticable 
  method 
  which 
  will 
  be 
  devised 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  to 
  come. 
  While 
  

   it 
  is 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent 
  wasteful 
  and 
  at 
  times 
  uncertain, 
  for 
  the 
  present, 
  

   at 
  least, 
  there 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  no 
  other 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  as 
  economically 
  and 
  

  

  