﻿414 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [34] 
  

  

  face, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  limit 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  oysters 
  which 
  can 
  thus 
  be 
  

   grown 
  on 
  a 
  given 
  area, 
  for 
  the 
  free 
  current 
  of 
  water 
  will 
  bring 
  food 
  to 
  

   them 
  all. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  very 
  rapid 
  growth 
  will 
  more 
  than 
  compensate 
  for 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  

   the 
  floats, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Armstrong's 
  experiment 
  shows 
  that, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  

   all 
  these 
  advantages, 
  the 
  oysters 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  better 
  shape, 
  with 
  better 
  

   shells 
  and 
  more 
  marketable, 
  than 
  those 
  grown 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  place 
  on 
  the 
  

   bottom. 
  

  

  "Finally, 
  this 
  method 
  will 
  do 
  away 
  with 
  the 
  necessity 
  for 
  a 
  title 
  to 
  

   the 
  bottom, 
  and 
  will 
  thus 
  enable 
  a 
  few 
  enterprising 
  men 
  to 
  set 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   ample 
  of 
  oyster 
  culture, 
  and, 
  by 
  the 
  education 
  of 
  fbe 
  community, 
  to 
  

   hasten 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  wiser 
  laws 
  will 
  render 
  our 
  natural 
  advantages 
  

   available 
  for 
  the 
  benefit 
  of 
  our 
  people. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  most 
  economical 
  method 
  of 
  constructing 
  floats 
  must, 
  of 
  course, 
  

   be 
  determined 
  by 
  practical 
  experiments, 
  but 
  afloat 
  constructed 
  by 
  con- 
  

   necting 
  two 
  old 
  ship 
  masts 
  together 
  by 
  string-pieces, 
  with 
  a 
  bottom 
  

   of 
  coarse 
  galvanized-iron 
  netting, 
  would 
  have 
  sufficient 
  buoyancy 
  and 
  

   enough 
  resistance 
  to 
  water 
  to 
  support 
  a 
  large 
  quantity 
  of 
  submerged 
  

   shells 
  and 
  oysters 
  for 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  seasons, 
  and 
  a 
  coating 
  of 
  copper 
  

   paint 
  each 
  year 
  would 
  protect 
  the 
  timbers 
  from 
  worms. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  floats 
  should 
  be 
  open 
  at 
  the 
  ends 
  to 
  permit 
  free 
  circulation, 
  

   and 
  they 
  should 
  be 
  moored 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  way 
  as 
  to 
  swing 
  with 
  the 
  current. 
  

  

  "Engagement 
  in 
  business 
  projects 
  is 
  no 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  office 
  of 
  a 
  univer- 
  

   sity, 
  aud 
  I 
  feel 
  that 
  the 
  experiments 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  summer 
  have 
  brought 
  

   the 
  subject 
  of 
  oyster 
  culture 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  where 
  its 
  further 
  development 
  

   should 
  be 
  left 
  to 
  the 
  people 
  who 
  are 
  most 
  interested." 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  hardly 
  necessary 
  for 
  me 
  to 
  comment 
  on 
  the 
  preceding 
  further 
  

   than 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  results 
  recorded 
  by 
  Professor 
  Brooks 
  prove 
  in 
  the 
  

   most 
  conclusive 
  manner 
  that 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  spat-culture 
  proposed 
  by 
  

   me 
  is 
  feasible, 
  and 
  that 
  we 
  are 
  henceforth 
  in 
  a 
  position 
  to 
  guarantee 
  

   success 
  in 
  the 
  business 
  of 
  oyster 
  culture 
  if 
  rational 
  methods 
  are 
  pur- 
  

   sued. 
  

  

  II. 
  Under 
  the 
  title 
  of 
  Successful 
  Oyster 
  Culture, 
  Mr. 
  Fred 
  Mather, 
  in 
  

   the 
  issue 
  of 
  Forest 
  and 
  Stream 
  for 
  October 
  1, 
  1885, 
  writes 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  "This 
  summer, 
  by 
  direction 
  of 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  G. 
  Blackford, 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  

   Board 
  of 
  the 
  Commissioners 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  and 
  in 
  special 
  

   charge 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  investigation, 
  I 
  began 
  some 
  experiments 
  in 
  the 
  

   artificial 
  propagation 
  of 
  oysters 
  at 
  the 
  hatchery 
  under 
  my 
  charge 
  at 
  

   Cold 
  Spring 
  Harbor, 
  L. 
  I. 
  The 
  trial 
  was 
  made 
  under 
  two 
  different 
  

   conditions, 
  and 
  was 
  successful 
  in 
  each. 
  

  

  "One 
  experiment 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  a 
  wooden 
  tank, 
  12 
  feet 
  long, 
  6 
  feet 
  

   wide, 
  and 
  3 
  feet 
  deep. 
  This 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  2-inch 
  pine 
  plank, 
  coated 
  

   with 
  coal-tar, 
  and 
  supplied 
  with 
  sea-water 
  through 
  three 
  half-inch 
  rub- 
  

   ber 
  tubes 
  from 
  a 
  reservoir 
  upon 
  the 
  hill, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  pumped 
  by 
  a 
  hot- 
  

   air 
  engine. 
  The 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  tank 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  shells 
  and 
  gravel, 
  

   and 
  shells 
  were 
  suspended 
  on 
  strings 
  across 
  the 
  tank. 
  On 
  the, 
  latter 
  

  

  