540 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



became covered at once with infant oysters. Sedges along the edge of the marshes, and buoys, 

 stakes and wharf-piles were similarly clothed. If the circumstances were favorable this deposit 

 survived the winter, and the next spring the youngsters* were large enough to be taken and 

 transplanted. The imagination of the oystermen (at that date not so far astray in many localities 

 as it would be now) tilled the waters of the whole offing with drifting eggs and embryos of oysters 

 and clams, and fully half a century ago men began to discuss the possibility of saving some of 

 this wasting spawn. The immediate and logical suggestion, of course, was to place in the shallow 

 water, in places where naturally there was nothing upon which they could " set," objects to which 

 the embryos might attach themselves. A few mouths later, after they had attained the size suit- 

 able for " seed," they could be transplanted at slight expense. 



The next question was, What would best serve the purpose ? Evidently nothing could be 

 better than the shells which, year by year, accumulated on the shore from the season's opening- 

 trade. They were the customary resting-places of spawn, and at the same time were cheapest. 

 The City Island oystermau, therefore, began to save his shells from the lime-kiln and the road- 

 master, and to spread them on the bottom of the bay, hoping to save some of the oyster-spawn 

 with which his imagination densely crowded the sea-water. This happened, 1 am told, more than 

 fifty years ago, and a short time afterward, under protection of new laws recognizing property in 

 such investments, planters went into it on an extensive scale along the sound and on the south 

 shore of Long Island. It was soon discovered, however, that uniform success was not to be hoped, 

 and the steady, magnificent crops reaped by the earliest planters were rarely emulated. Many 

 planters, therefore, decried the whole scheme, and returned to their simple transplanting of 

 natural-bed seed; but others, with more consistency, set at work to improve their chances, by 

 making more and more favorable the opportunities for an oyster's egg successfully to attach itself 

 during its brief natatory life, to the stool prepared for it, and afterward to live to an age when it 

 was strong enough to hold its own against the weather. This involved a closer study of the 

 general natural history of the oyster. 



The first thing found out was that the floating spawn would not attach itself to, or "set" 

 (in the vernacular of the shore) upon, anything which had not a clean surface ; smoothness did 

 not hinder glass bottles were frequently coated outside and in with young shells but the sur- 

 face of the object must not be slimy. It was discovered, too, that the half-sedimentary, half- 

 vegetable deposit of the water, coating any submerged object with a slippery film, was acquired 

 with marvelous speed. Thus shells laid down a very few days before the spawning time of the 

 oysters became so slimy as to catch little or no spawn, no matter how much of it was floating in 

 the water above them. This taught the oystermen that they must not spread their shells until 

 the midst of the spawning season ; one step was gained when they ceased spreading in May and 

 waited until July. Now from the 5th to the 15th of that month is considered the proper time, 

 and no shell planting is attempted before or after. This knowledge of the speed with which the 

 shells became slimy was turned to account in another w:iy. It was evident that the swifter the 

 current the less would there be a chance of rapid fouling. Planters, therefore, chose their ground 

 in the swiftest tideways they could find. 



By and by another point was gained, resulting from many failures to get the plenteous 

 " set" anticipated. The supposition among the earliest experimenters was that the water every- 



* There is no word in the Northern States for infant oyster*, except tlie terms " set," " spat," ' .spawn," &c., all of 

 which belonged originally to the eggs or spawn of the oyster, yet. are confusedly applied as well to half-grown mol- 

 Insks. In the South the name " blister" (referring to its smooth, pnit'ed-iip appearance) is given to the infant oyster, 

 and serves to distinguish it from " seed," " cullens," and " oj slers," which represent the successively larger sizes and 

 stages of growth. This expressive name is worthy of general adoption. 



