﻿[31] 
  A 
  SYSTEM 
  OF 
  OYSTER 
  CULTURE. 
  411 
  

  

  successfully 
  operated 
  over 
  large 
  open 
  navigable 
  areas. 
  Large 
  areas 
  

   operated 
  by 
  one 
  individual 
  or 
  corporation 
  cannot 
  always 
  be 
  commanded, 
  

   or 
  only 
  exceptionally, 
  under 
  the 
  existing 
  laws 
  of 
  the 
  States 
  of 
  Maryland 
  

   and 
  Virginia. 
  In 
  those 
  States, 
  however, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  com- 
  

   mand 
  the 
  right 
  to 
  natural 
  areas 
  of 
  water 
  which 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  nearly 
  

   land-locked, 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  merely 
  sowing 
  shells 
  would 
  be 
  positively 
  

   wasteful 
  and 
  not 
  in 
  conformity 
  with 
  the 
  results 
  attainable 
  under 
  the 
  guid- 
  

   ance 
  of 
  the 
  proper 
  knowledge. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  practice 
  of 
  shell-sow- 
  

   ing 
  that 
  extensive 
  areas 
  will 
  sometimes 
  fail 
  to 
  produce 
  any 
  spat. 
  This 
  

   is 
  apparently 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  currents 
  which 
  have 
  swept 
  the 
  fry 
  

   off 
  the 
  beds, 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  sediment, 
  which 
  has 
  put 
  an 
  end 
  to 
  

   the 
  first 
  stages 
  of 
  its 
  fixed 
  career. 
  Even 
  after 
  the 
  spat 
  is 
  caught, 
  great 
  

   destruction 
  may 
  occur 
  through 
  the 
  inroads 
  of 
  star-fishes, 
  or 
  a 
  too 
  rapid 
  

   multiplication 
  of 
  worm-tubes 
  over 
  the 
  cultch 
  and 
  spat. 
  The 
  latter 
  is 
  

   sometimes 
  smothered 
  in 
  vast 
  numbers 
  from 
  the 
  last-mentioned 
  cause, 
  as 
  

   has 
  been 
  recently 
  discovered 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Eowe. 
  Such 
  casualties 
  are 
  ren- 
  

   dered 
  either 
  impossible 
  or 
  readily 
  observable 
  during 
  their 
  early 
  stages 
  

   by 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  inclosing 
  the 
  cultch 
  in 
  suspended 
  receptacles, 
  as 
  sug- 
  

   gested 
  in 
  this 
  paper. 
  The 
  netting 
  will 
  effectually 
  protect 
  the 
  young 
  spat 
  

   against 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  large 
  star-fishes, 
  and 
  no 
  growth 
  of 
  barnacles 
  or 
  

   tunicates, 
  worm-tubes 
  or 
  sponges, 
  would 
  be 
  rapid 
  enough 
  during 
  the 
  

   spatting 
  period, 
  judging 
  from 
  an 
  experience 
  extending 
  through 
  several 
  

   seasons, 
  to 
  seriously 
  impair 
  the 
  spatting 
  capacity 
  of 
  the 
  cultch 
  used 
  in 
  

   the 
  suspended 
  receptacles. 
  Any 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  carnivorous 
  mollusks, 
  

   fishes, 
  or 
  crustaceans 
  which 
  could 
  prey 
  on 
  the 
  young 
  oysters 
  can 
  also 
  

   be 
  barred 
  out 
  and 
  kept 
  from 
  committing 
  < 
  serious 
  depredations 
  by 
  means 
  

   of 
  the 
  netting 
  around 
  the 
  cultch, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  screens 
  placed 
  

   at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  canal. 
  

  

  The 
  maximum 
  efficiency 
  of 
  the 
  cultch 
  is 
  not 
  realized 
  in 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  

   forms 
  of 
  collectors, 
  for 
  the 
  reason 
  that 
  the 
  cultch 
  cannot 
  be 
  kept 
  clean 
  ; 
  

   secondly, 
  because 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  cultch 
  cannot 
  be 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  

   passing 
  fry 
  ; 
  thirdly, 
  because 
  the 
  fry 
  cannot 
  be 
  compelled 
  to 
  pass 
  over 
  

   and 
  amongst 
  the 
  cultch 
  repeatedly; 
  fourthly, 
  because 
  the 
  cultch 
  is 
  scat- 
  

   tered 
  over 
  too 
  great 
  an 
  area 
  and 
  throughout 
  only 
  two 
  dimensions 
  of 
  a 
  

   body 
  of 
  water, 
  namely, 
  its 
  horizontal 
  extent, 
  whereas 
  it 
  is 
  possible, 
  as 
  I 
  

   have 
  shown 
  above, 
  to 
  do 
  all 
  this 
  and 
  more 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  to 
  avail 
  ourselves 
  of 
  

   the 
  possibility 
  of 
  obtaining 
  spat 
  throughout 
  the 
  three 
  dimensions 
  of 
  a 
  

   body 
  of 
  water 
  charged 
  with 
  embryo 
  oysters 
  in 
  their 
  veliger 
  condition. 
  

   These 
  are 
  good 
  and 
  sufficient 
  reasons 
  for 
  my 
  assertion 
  that 
  cultch 
  has 
  

   hitherto 
  been 
  wastefully 
  and 
  unscientifically 
  applied. 
  With 
  this 
  I 
  

   must 
  conclude 
  this 
  exposition 
  of 
  the 
  principles 
  of 
  a 
  rational 
  theory 
  of 
  

   oyster 
  culture, 
  a 
  subject 
  which 
  has 
  received 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  many 
  in- 
  

   vestigators, 
  none 
  of 
  whom 
  have, 
  however, 
  struck 
  at 
  the 
  root 
  of 
  the 
  ques- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  allowed 
  themselves 
  to 
  be 
  guided 
  by 
  readily- 
  verifiable 
  facts. 
  In 
  

   the 
  hope 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  made 
  both 
  the 
  theory 
  and 
  practice 
  of 
  my 
  new 
  

   method 
  clear 
  to 
  the 
  reader, 
  who, 
  if 
  he 
  should 
  happen 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  oyster- 
  

  

  