AMKKICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY. 



from 79 degrees Falirenlieit, and the lake is about the same. 

 The question now arises, is this temperature too liigh for tlie 

 breeding of oysters ? The average deptli of the lake is eight 

 feet, and the bottom of the south end is muddy; other parts 

 have hard bottom. 



Mr. Whittaker. — What is the tem])erature of the Indian 

 River? 



Dr. Carv. — I tliink it. is lower. The Gulf Strenm diverges 

 almost northeast, and the inlet to the lake is ten miles south of 

 Jupiter Inlet. . I believe that Mr. Mather has had some experi- 

 ence in raising oysters, and perhaps he can give us some infor- 

 mation on this point. 



Mr. Mather. — My experience has not been extensive enough 

 to say at what temperature the eggs of the oyster will decline 

 to hatch or the young will die. In 18S5 Prof. Henry J. Rice 

 came to Cold Spring Harbor to make some experiments in 

 the propagation of oysters, and I loaned him a large wooden 

 tank, in which he placed some young oysters immediatelv after 

 hatching. The tank was put on the south side of the hatchery, 

 and was fed by a stream of salt water not larger than a lead 

 pencil; it was exposed to the sun and the water attained a 

 temperature of 90 degrees, and no result was obtained. The 

 next year I continued the experiments in the same tank placed 

 on the north side of the building, with a temperature never 

 exceeding 80 degrees, fair results being attained. How much 

 higher a temperature they would have stood, I have no means 

 of knowing. 



• Dr. Gary. —I can place layers of shells on the bottom for 

 catching the spawn, l)ut there is a great deal of moving sand, 

 and I vvould like to know if this would be injurious to the 

 young oysters. 



Mr. Earll. — No doubt moving sands would be injurious to 

 the young oysters, because the shells to which they were attached 

 would be buried and the young would be mothered. 



Dr. Gar v. — There are ovslers in Indian River, but it has been 



