﻿LXXV 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  oyster 
  parks 
  of 
  France 
  the 
  success 
  in 
  collecting 
  the 
  

   spat 
  is 
  dependent 
  oftentimes 
  on 
  the 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  

   and 
  the 
  season. 
  If 
  the 
  collectors 
  are 
  placed 
  in 
  position 
  too 
  

   long 
  before 
  the 
  spatting 
  season, 
  thej 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  sedi- 
  

   ment 
  and 
  lose 
  their 
  capacity 
  for 
  receiving 
  the 
  spat. 
  Again, 
  

   they 
  are 
  frequently 
  placed 
  in 
  position 
  after 
  the 
  spatting 
  sea- 
  

   son 
  has 
  advanced, 
  and 
  the 
  yield 
  is 
  consequently 
  much 
  dimin- 
  

   ished. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  by 
  artificial 
  impregnation 
  these 
  

   causes 
  of 
  loss 
  can, 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent, 
  be 
  guarded 
  against. 
  

  

  The 
  locality 
  of 
  Crisfield 
  was 
  selected 
  by 
  us 
  after 
  consultation 
  

   with 
  the 
  Superintendent 
  of 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Coast 
  and 
  Geodetic 
  Sur- 
  

   vey, 
  as 
  we 
  ascertained 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  proposed 
  to 
  continue, 
  during 
  

   the 
  summer, 
  the 
  hydrographic 
  investigation 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  

   commenced 
  in 
  Tangier 
  Sound 
  the 
  previous 
  year. 
  "VVe 
  hoped 
  

   to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  combine 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  investigations 
  of 
  the 
  

   physical 
  conditions 
  surrounding 
  the 
  oyster-beds 
  with 
  the 
  les- 
  

   sons 
  deduced 
  from 
  the 
  biological 
  investigations, 
  thereby 
  mak- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  work 
  more 
  complete 
  and 
  our 
  conclusions 
  more 
  trusty. 
  

   The 
  hydrographic 
  investigations 
  were 
  conducted 
  by 
  Master 
  

   Francis 
  Winslow 
  in 
  the 
  Coast 
  Survey 
  schooner 
  "Palinurus," 
  

   Through 
  the 
  courtesy 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Carlisle 
  Patterson, 
  Superintend- 
  

   ent 
  of 
  the 
  Coast 
  and 
  Geodetic 
  Survey, 
  we 
  have 
  made 
  extracts 
  

   from 
  the 
  reports 
  of 
  his 
  researches 
  in 
  this 
  locality 
  during 
  the 
  

   two 
  seasons. 
  These 
  extracts 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  appendix. 
  

  

  Early 
  in 
  June, 
  Dr. 
  Brooks 
  was 
  joined 
  by 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  sci- 
  

   entific 
  workers 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  Johns 
  Hopkins 
  and 
  other 
  

   Universities. 
  For 
  the 
  accommodation 
  of 
  these 
  additional 
  in- 
  

   vestigators, 
  I 
  secured 
  from 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Commissioner 
  the 
  barges 
  

   which 
  were 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  shad-hatching 
  operations, 
  and 
  which 
  

   furnished 
  them 
  with 
  comfortable 
  quarters 
  and 
  quite 
  a 
  commo- 
  

   dious 
  laboratory. 
  The 
  small 
  boats 
  of 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  and 
  

   a 
  steam 
  launch, 
  which 
  was 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  shad-hatching 
  equip- 
  

   ment, 
  also 
  i^rovided 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  doing 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  inshore 
  

   dredging 
  and 
  surface 
  collecting. 
  The 
  steamer 
  "Lookout," 
  

   which 
  had 
  been 
  provided 
  with 
  dredging 
  apparatus, 
  was 
  used 
  

   for 
  dredging 
  in 
  the 
  Sound 
  and 
  Bay 
  and 
  furnished 
  material 
  

   for 
  study. 
  

  

  