xxxii 
Eighth Annual Report of the 
The import- 
ance of clean 
cultch. 
Colonel 
M 'Donald's 
opinion. 
greatest possible opportunity is afforded for the young fry to fix 
themselves. Careful provision is made against the accumulation 
of sediment, for lie says it must be considered a cardinal principle 
in practical oyster culture that the cultch, in order to be available, 
or to afford an eligible surface for the existence of the adhering fry, 
must be clean. * If the cultch becomes thickly coated with 
' vegetable life, such as filamentous algae or diatoms, or with 
1 incrusting animal life, such as boyozoa, barnacles, and ascidians, 
' ooze or sediment, the chances for the survival of the adherent fry, 
\ and its capability of growing into spat, is greatly diminished or 
' rendered quite impossible. Diatoms will very often increase on 
' such surfaces with prodigious rapidity, and form a thick coating 
' which will greatly interfere with the life of the very first adherent 
' stages of the oyster. In face, the latter are asphyxiated in pro- 
? digious numbers from such causes.' The cultch may be allowed 
to remain in the suspended receptacles in the canals until the first 
or the middle of October, when it should be taken out and spread 
upon the bottom in the planting beds, where the fry has to grow 
larger. One advantage of this method is, that it puts it in the 
power of the culturist to obtain his own seed for planting, and 
while his main source of supply will be the natural yield thrown 
off by the adult oysters, he will be able in addition to call in the aid 
of artificial fertilisation to supplement the supply of fry yielded 
naturally. 
The opinion expressed by Colonel Marshall M' Donald, on the 
occasion above mentioned, is that the Long Island system, subject 
to the remarks and suggestions made by Professor Ryder, was well 
worthy the consideration of this Board, as the most practical and 
efficient method of increasing the supply of oysters which has yet 
been discovered. This opinion was concurred in by Dr Richard 
Rathbun, who is employed by the Fish Commission as the assistant 
in charge of the scientific inquiries, and the other assistaut, Captain 
J. W. Collins, both of whom were of opinion that, by the adoption 
of some such system in Scotland, the culture of oysters might be 
made an industry of commercial importance, while the benefit 
which would be gained by the public in having an abundant supply 
of cheap oysters is beyond question. Considering that America is 
so far before us on this subject, we believe that, instead of trying 
experiments of our own, and seeking to solve questions of purely 
scientific interest, we cannot do better, for at least some years to 
come, than follow in the wake of American experience, and it 
is satisfactory to know that this Board, having had transferred 
to them, by the 11 th section of the Sea Fisheries (Scotland) Amend- 
ment Act, 1885, all the powers of the Board of Trade under the Sea 
Fisheries Acts as to oyster and mussel fisheries, is in a position to 
grant a lease of oyster ground, similar to the American franchise, 
to any person or persons who may be desirous of embarking in the 
business of planting and cultivating oysters. 
As to the subject of oysters in Scotland, we must first of all 
tion of Scottish understand the present condition of those beds which, once famous 
oys er e s. ^ a b unc [ ance 0 f g 00( j oysters, are now ruined and desolate. 
Almost every known oyster bed iu Scotland might be put under 
this category. Two localities which perhaps might be excepted are 
Present condi- 
