32 
BULLETIN OE THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
vated successfully iu water of 50 feet. Each farm iu Kusatsu lias its separate 
miire-ba, aud these adjoin one another, forming a continuous zone in deeper water, 
each miire-ba designated by a number. In the shallowest portions the oysters are 
usually protected against displacement and invasion of mud by means of low fences 
arranged with wing-like expansions, as shown in ground plan in fig. 26, and in detail 
in fig. 27. This device has been developed largely in view of the storms of the typhoon 
season. The effect of the maturing ground is to give the oysters greater size and 
Fig. YA . — Collectors arranged in a way common in Kaida Bay. The shibi stand about 4 feet 
from the bottom and their tips converge. 
weight, and to give the meat a whiter color. The finished product resembles closely 
a well-grown oyster of Long Island Sound. Marketing takes place after the oysters 
have remained from six months to a year in the deeper ground, making their total 
age about three years. 
Each oyster farm has its separate houses, situated usually on the adjacent 
shore, and the details in handling and packing the oysters appear to be closely 
similar to those of Continental Europe — baskets, blocks, rakes, arrangement, and 
