ioo Our Food Mollusks 



It thus appears that the conditions necessary for oyster 

 growth are numerous and more or less sharply defined. 

 Some writers extolling the peculiar advantages for oyster 

 culture afforded by certain untried waters, have had the 

 belief that oysters would grow and multiply anywhere 

 in them. But the required conditions are as exact as 

 those governing the production of wheat, or cotton, or 

 rice. It is a fortunate circumstance that the require- 

 ments are met by so great a part of our Atlantic and Gulf 

 shores. Nevertheless there are many localities on these 

 coasts where one or more of these conditions are lack- 

 ing, and where an attempt at oyster culture might result 

 in failure. 



It need not be said that where oysters flourish in a state 

 of nature, the conditions are fully met. If one were to 

 use only such a locality for his oyster garden, a careful 

 study of the conditions governing growth would be un- 

 necessary ; but the application of such a study has shown 

 that vast tracts that have never borne oysters, only lack 

 some requirement that may be supplied by the culturist. 

 In this way, the productive territory has been greatly ex- 

 tended, and is yet capable of vast expansion. 



OYSTER PLANTING 



For the sake of convenience in description, the methods 

 of rearing oysters employed in America may arbitrarily 

 be separated into two groups, those that have to do with 

 oyster planting, and those employed in oyster culture. 



Oyster planting, as here defined, consists in gathering 

 oysters from one locality and spreading them out in an- 

 other to grow. It is the only culture method employed 

 over a considerable part of both of our coasts. In oyster 



