﻿[33] 
  A 
  SYSTEM 
  OF 
  OYSTER 
  CULTURE. 
  413 
  

  

  be 
  swept 
  away 
  by 
  currents, 
  which 
  will, 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time, 
  sweep 
  the 
  

   swimming 
  embryos 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  collector, 
  and 
  thus 
  insure 
  an 
  early, 
  

   abundant, 
  and 
  successful 
  ' 
  set.' 
  

  

  "I 
  accordingly 
  constructed 
  a 
  floating; 
  .car, 
  made 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  permit 
  the 
  

   free 
  circulation 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  This 
  was 
  filled 
  with 
  clean 
  oyster-shells 
  

   and 
  moored 
  in 
  the 
  channel 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  laboratory 
  at 
  Beaufort, 
  Is. 
  C, 
  

   on 
  July 
  4. 
  As 
  all 
  the 
  oysters 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  were 
  in 
  very 
  shallow 
  water, 
  

   they 
  were 
  nearly 
  through 
  spawning, 
  and 
  the 
  conditions 
  were 
  therefore 
  

   very 
  unfavorable 
  ; 
  but 
  notwithstanding 
  this, 
  I 
  immediately 
  secured 
  a 
  

   good 
  i 
  set,' 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  oysters 
  grew 
  with 
  remarkable 
  rapidity, 
  on 
  

   account 
  of 
  the 
  abundant 
  supply 
  of 
  food 
  and 
  fresh 
  water 
  which 
  gained 
  

   ready 
  access 
  to 
  all 
  of 
  them, 
  and 
  the 
  uniform 
  temperature 
  which 
  was 
  

   secured 
  by 
  the 
  constant 
  change 
  of 
  water. 
  

  

  " 
  This 
  method 
  of 
  oyster 
  culture 
  may 
  be 
  applied 
  in 
  many 
  ways, 
  of 
  which 
  

   the 
  most 
  obvious 
  is 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  seed 
  oysters 
  for 
  planting. 
  

  

  "The 
  seed 
  which 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  planting 
  in 
  Maryland 
  and 
  Virginia, 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  in 
  Delaware 
  and 
  farther 
  north, 
  is 
  now 
  procured 
  from 
  the 
  natural 
  

   beds 
  of 
  our 
  waters 
  by 
  tonging 
  or 
  dredging, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  demand 
  for 
  oys- 
  

   ters 
  for 
  this 
  purpose 
  is 
  certainly 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  elements 
  which 
  have 
  led 
  to 
  

   the 
  depletion 
  of 
  our 
  beds, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  wide-spread 
  feeling 
  that 
  the 
  exporta- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  seed 
  should 
  be 
  prohibited. 
  

  

  " 
  By 
  a 
  small 
  investment 
  of 
  capital 
  in 
  floating 
  collectors 
  any 
  one 
  on 
  

   tide- 
  water 
  could 
  easily 
  raise 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  much 
  better, 
  cleaner 
  

   seed 
  than 
  that 
  which 
  is 
  now 
  procured 
  from 
  the 
  natural 
  beds, 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  

   laws 
  permitted 
  the 
  sale 
  and 
  transportation 
  of 
  this 
  seed 
  without 
  restric- 
  

   tion 
  at 
  the 
  season 
  when 
  the 
  demand 
  exists, 
  it 
  could 
  be 
  sold 
  at 
  a 
  profit 
  

   for 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  tonging. 
  

  

  " 
  Northern 
  planters 
  could 
  also 
  raise 
  seed 
  for 
  themselves 
  by 
  construct- 
  

   ing 
  floating 
  collectors 
  in 
  the 
  warm 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  sounds 
  of 
  Virginia 
  and 
  

   North 
  Carolina, 
  where 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  summer 
  would 
  permit 
  several 
  

   collections 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  in 
  one 
  season. 
  The 
  oysters 
  thus 
  reared 
  are 
  large 
  

   enough 
  for 
  planting 
  in 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  weeks, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  latitude 
  of 
  Beaufort 
  

   there 
  is 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  spat 
  from 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  April 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  

   July, 
  and 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  collected 
  until 
  September. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  method 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  used 
  by 
  planters 
  for 
  collecting 
  their 
  own 
  

   seed, 
  especially 
  in 
  regions 
  remote 
  from 
  a 
  natural 
  supply. 
  If 
  there 
  are 
  

   no 
  oysters 
  near 
  to 
  furnish 
  the 
  eggs, 
  a 
  few 
  spawning 
  oysters 
  may 
  be 
  

   placed 
  among 
  the 
  shells 
  in 
  the 
  collector, 
  after 
  the 
  French 
  method, 
  to 
  

   supply 
  the 
  ' 
  set.' 
  

  

  " 
  It 
  can 
  also 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  direct 
  production 
  of 
  marketable 
  oysters, 
  

   especially 
  over 
  muddy 
  bottoms 
  and 
  in 
  regions 
  where 
  public 
  sentiment 
  

   does 
  not 
  permit 
  any 
  private 
  ownership 
  of 
  the 
  bottom. 
  

  

  "As 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  oyster 
  is 
  most 
  abundant 
  at 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  muddy 
  

   creeks, 
  where 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  too 
  soft 
  for 
  oyster 
  culture 
  by 
  planting 
  or 
  by 
  

   shelling, 
  this 
  method 
  will 
  have 
  especial 
  advantage 
  in 
  such 
  places, 
  for 
  

   there 
  will 
  be 
  no 
  danger 
  of 
  sanding 
  or 
  of 
  smothering 
  by 
  mud 
  at 
  the 
  sux- 
  

  

  