﻿48 
  

  

  ganic 
  debris, 
  the 
  former 
  part 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  mainly 
  derived 
  

   from 
  tlie 
  eomminiited 
  fragments 
  of 
  plants 
  growing 
  in 
  the 
  

   creek. 
  This 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  true 
  history 
  indicated 
  by 
  

   what 
  was 
  noticed 
  in 
  studying 
  the 
  box-collector. 
  The 
  

   same 
  opinion 
  is 
  held 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  this 
  mud 
  by 
  both 
  

   Coste 
  and 
  Fraiche 
  in 
  their 
  works 
  on 
  oyster-culture. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  probably 
  no 
  worse 
  enemy 
  of 
  the 
  oyster-cultur- 
  

   ist 
  than 
  this 
  very 
  mud 
  or 
  sediment. 
  It 
  accumulates 
  on 
  

   the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  grounds, 
  where 
  in 
  course 
  of 
  

   time 
  it 
  maj'' 
  become 
  deep 
  enough 
  to 
  cause 
  serious 
  trouble. 
  

   Especially 
  is 
  this 
  true 
  of 
  ponds 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  sea 
  ebbs 
  

   and 
  to 
  which 
  it 
  flows 
  through 
  a 
  narrow 
  channel. 
  The 
  

   falling 
  leaves 
  from 
  neighboring 
  trees 
  in 
  autumn 
  also 
  con- 
  

   tribute 
  to 
  this 
  pollution 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  heavy 
  rains 
  which 
  

   wash 
  deleterious 
  materials 
  into 
  it. 
  

  

  Adult 
  oysters 
  which 
  are 
  immersed 
  in 
  part 
  in 
  this 
  mud 
  

   struggle 
  hard 
  to 
  shut 
  it 
  out 
  from 
  their 
  shells. 
  If 
  one 
  

   will 
  notice 
  the 
  inside 
  of 
  the 
  shells 
  of 
  oysters 
  which 
  have 
  

   grown 
  in 
  a 
  muddy 
  bottom, 
  it 
  will 
  often 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  there 
  

   are 
  blister-like 
  cavities 
  around 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  valves 
  

   filled 
  with 
  mud. 
  or 
  a 
  black 
  material 
  of 
  a 
  similar 
  charac- 
  

   ter. 
  There 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  slightest 
  doubt 
  in 
  my 
  mind 
  that 
  in 
  

   these 
  cases 
  the 
  animal 
  in 
  ordei' 
  to 
  keex» 
  out 
  the 
  intrud- 
  

   ing 
  mud 
  has 
  had 
  recourse 
  to 
  the 
  only 
  available 
  means 
  at 
  

   its 
  command. 
  A 
  great 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  in 
  the 
  pond 
  

   are 
  affected 
  in 
  this 
  manner, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  extremely 
  uncom- 
  

   mon 
  to 
  lind 
  shells 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  in 
  opening 
  oysters 
  coming 
  

   from 
  a 
  hard 
  bottoni. 
  It 
  is 
  easy 
  to 
  understand 
  that 
  sTU'h 
  

   efforts 
  at 
  keeping 
  out 
  the 
  mud 
  from 
  the 
  shell 
  will 
  not 
  

   only 
  waste 
  the 
  life 
  forces 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  but 
  also 
  tend 
  to 
  

   greatly 
  interfere 
  with 
  its 
  growth. 
  The 
  importance, 
  

   therefore, 
  of 
  ai-tificial 
  preparation 
  is 
  apparent, 
  where 
  it 
  

   is 
  desirable 
  to 
  establish 
  ponds 
  for 
  the 
  successful 
  culture 
  

   of 
  this 
  mollusk. 
  

  

  Only 
  in 
  one 
  case 
  have 
  I 
  observed 
  that 
  the 
  mud 
  tended 
  

   to 
  impair 
  the 
  tiavor 
  and 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  oyster. 
  In 
  this 
  in- 
  

   stance 
  the 
  animal 
  was 
  thoroughly 
  saturated 
  with 
  the 
  

  

  