Howard. — New Record in Rearing Mussels 47 



found the rate in the aquarium one-third as fast as in 

 the crate. The rate in the crate was a constantly in- 

 creasing one, and in the aquarium apparently decreasing. 

 The growth of one inch gives us an actual observation on 

 the growth for one season and removes some uncertain- 

 ties as to what young mussels may do the first summer. 



At this writing, without a study of the records, I am 

 unable to give the percentage of survivals from the orig- 

 inal plant, but an estimate of the number gave two hun- 

 dred living and rapidly growing mussels. All examined 

 had byssi of about six inches length attached to some 

 base in the basket. Each juvenile had the anterior end 

 buried as commonly seen in adult mussels and none were 

 suspended in the current as some have supposed the con- 

 dition to be with byssiferous forms. 



In this experiment we have succeeded in carrying mus- 

 sels under cultivation, we may say, through what are 

 apparently the most critical periods in the life history, 

 namely, the parasitic and early juvenile stages. Just 

 what bearing these results will have in practical arti- 

 ficial breeding of mussels, is still a question, but the in- 

 formation gained is of obvious value. Early in the 

 investigation of the subject Lefevre and Curtis suggested 

 the feasibility of raising mussels to this more hardy 

 stage and then distributing them. A point in favor of 

 such a method would be that results could be quite defi- 

 nitely measured. By the method of infecting fish and 

 letting them go at large, results are not as readily ascer- 

 tainable. The planting of mussels according to a definite 

 plan, in favorable locations, might have a distinct advan- 

 tage over the natural distribution by fish. The assump- 

 tion of an advantage in the more artificial method would 

 be based upon results with the analagous rearing of fish, 

 young lobsters, oysters, etc. This phase of the subject 

 requires investigation. The raising of young mussels in 

 a floating crate can doubtless be perfected and adapted 

 to many species. I fully realize that the result obtained 

 is only a beginning, but it is at any rate a start. 



