﻿47 
  

  

  ments 
  in 
  St. 
  Jerome's 
  Creek, 
  rnfortunately. 
  however, 
  

   my 
  experience 
  was 
  very 
  adverse 
  witli 
  this 
  apparatus, 
  for 
  

   the 
  reason 
  that 
  the 
  sediment 
  in 
  the 
  water, 
  1)ein(i- 
  carried 
  

   throuiih 
  tlie 
  ()])enin,a"s 
  in 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  box, 
  was 
  depos- 
  

   ited 
  on 
  tlie 
  shells 
  and 
  trays, 
  until, 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  weeks, 
  it 
  had 
  

   attained 
  a 
  depth 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  of 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  inches. 
  

   Upon 
  making 
  an 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  box 
  to 
  see 
  if 
  any 
  

   ''spat" 
  had 
  attached 
  itself 
  to 
  the 
  old 
  oysters, 
  the 
  dead 
  

   shells 
  or 
  the 
  boards, 
  I 
  found 
  the 
  search 
  useless. 
  The 
  

   mud 
  seemed 
  to 
  have 
  completely 
  covered 
  all 
  the 
  places 
  

   which 
  should 
  have 
  afforded 
  points 
  of 
  attachment 
  for 
  

   young 
  oysters. 
  The 
  live 
  adult 
  oysters 
  however 
  were 
  

   found 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  magnificent 
  condition 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  

   September, 
  for 
  every 
  available 
  square 
  inch 
  of 
  vertical 
  

   board 
  surface, 
  or 
  of 
  such 
  shells 
  as 
  remained 
  clean, 
  was 
  

   covered 
  with 
  a 
  forest 
  of 
  minute 
  organisms, 
  such 
  as 
  bry- 
  

   ozoa, 
  infusoria 
  and 
  diatoms, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  good 
  

   condition 
  of 
  the 
  adults 
  was 
  very 
  apparent. 
  The 
  proba- 
  

   bility 
  is 
  though, 
  that 
  liad 
  the 
  pond 
  been 
  provided 
  with 
  

   a 
  gate 
  to 
  stop 
  the 
  ebb 
  and 
  llow 
  of 
  the 
  tide, 
  that 
  the 
  sedi- 
  

   ment 
  would 
  have 
  subsided 
  to 
  the 
  bottom, 
  aiid 
  not 
  have 
  

   accumulated 
  in 
  the 
  box 
  and 
  over 
  its 
  contents. 
  Under 
  

   better 
  conditions 
  the 
  performance 
  of 
  this 
  apparatus 
  

   would 
  no 
  doubt 
  have 
  been 
  admirable. 
  

  

  The 
  use 
  of 
  straw-mat 
  collectors 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  place 
  was 
  

   attended 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  difficulties 
  as 
  in 
  using 
  the 
  box. 
  

   The 
  mats, 
  which 
  were 
  made 
  of 
  small 
  bunches 
  of 
  straw 
  

   held 
  together 
  with 
  a 
  warp 
  of 
  galvanized 
  wire 
  placed 
  

   every 
  six 
  indies 
  apart, 
  were 
  so 
  loaded 
  with 
  deposits 
  of 
  

   mud 
  as 
  to 
  entirely 
  prevent 
  young 
  oysters 
  from 
  attaching 
  

   themselves. 
  

  

  MUD. 
  

  

  The 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  ooze 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  our 
  ex- 
  

   perimental 
  pond 
  can 
  be 
  ti-aced 
  diiectly 
  to 
  the 
  sediment 
  

   held 
  in 
  suspension 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  which 
  slowly 
  ebbs 
  and 
  

   flows 
  in 
  and 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  enclosure, 
  carrying 
  with 
  it 
  in 
  its 
  

   going 
  and 
  coming 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  light 
  organic 
  and 
  inor- 
  

  

  