Te 
In addition to the above, Messrs. Thomas Thomas, Caleb L. 
Ludington and Dexter K. Cole are building new steamers—Mr. 
Cole’s being larger than any yet built for the business. 
The artificial hatching of the oyster has engaged the attention of 
many eminent scientific men and oyster culturists for some years, and 
considerable advance has been made towards the development of a 
successful method. Dr. Brooks and Lieut. Winslow seem to be the 
most effective workers to this end. Meanwhile Prof. John A. Ryder 
has been -testing the feasibility of breeding oysters on a large scale in 
ponds prepared for the purpose similar to ponds which have been 
often tried in France. A pond about 21 feet square by 31% feet deep 
was dug in a salt marsh about 10 feet from the bay with which it was 
connected by a trench 2 feet wide by 3% feet deep. In the trench 
was a filter made of boards perforated with auger holes and 
faced on the inside with sacking; the 2-inch space between boards 
being filled with sharp, clean sand. Through this trench and filter the 
tide ebbed and flowed from 4 to 6 inches a tide. Notwithstanding 
the heat of the sun on the pond it was found that its temperature 
and that of the bay were the same, and the specific gravity of the 
water was also about the same. Into this pond artificially fertilized 
eggs were placed every two days. As a greater abundance of food 
was found there than in the bay, the spat grew rapidly. Stakes 
strung with shells were driven into the bottom and extended above 
the surface of the water where they were marked with the date of 
driving. The first were placed there July 7, and they were put in at 
intervals of two days until August 1. The male and female elements 
were taken from the breeders and were thoroughly mixed in water in 
the usual way; they were then allowed to stand from four to six hours to 
develop—fresh supplies of water being added at short intervals—and 
then they were distributed through the pond, where they were left 
subject to the influence of the flux and reflux of the tide. On the 
22d of August young oysters were taken out adhering to the shells 
on the stakes, and they measured from 34 of an inch to 1 inch in 
diameter. This demonstrates that it is practicable to rear oysters 
in artificial ponds from the artificially fertilized eggs. 
The foregoing is but a meagre sketch of Prof. Ryder’s experiment, 
made from an exceedingly interesting account of it given in detail in 
the advance sheets of the Bulletin of the United States Fish Com- 
mission, vol. III., page 281, to which the reader is referred for com- 
plete information. It is hoped that some one on the Connecticut 
shore will repeat the experiment. It can be done at very little ex- 
