254 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
as seed collectors and the effect of their position and arrangement on the uniformity 
and intensity of setting within them. The crates were set out during the last two 
weeks of July, and on August 15 were found to have collected a light set, the count- 
ing and distribution of which was not made until the early part of September when 
the spat were large enough to be easily seen. In analyzing the setting in the collectors, 
two crates were chosen as representative samples from each group and counts made as 
to the number of spat per bushel or per shell, and according to the position of the 
shells in the crate. 
In Figure 34 the group formations in which the crates were planted are shown 
together with the location of the spawning bed and the direction of the tidal currents 
when setting occurred. The intensity of setting in each group varied somewhat as is 
shown in Table 28. 
Table 28 . — Intensity of setting of oyster spat 
Group number 
Crates 
Spat per 
bushel 
Total 
(approxi- 
mately) 
spat col- 
lected per 
group 
Group number 
Crates 
Spat per 
bushel 
Total 
(approxi- 
mately) 
spat col- 
lected per 
group 
I 
50 
2, 264 
1,407 
226, 400 
84, 420 
202, 464 
520, 200 
V 
20 
1,275 
1,020 
61, 000 
28, 560 
II. 
30 
VI 
14 
TTT 
36 
150 
2,812 
1, 734 
IV 
Total - 
1, 113, 044 
Each crate holds two bushels of oyster shells, so by computation we get an average 
of 3,710 spat per crate or 1,855 per bushel which corresponded to a light set and was, 
therefore, of commercial value, The shells which were used averaged 250 to a bushel 
so that the calculated intensity of setting was approximately 7.4 spat per shell. 
The setting in the crates was more uniform than in the wire baskets but still was 
found to vary from 0 to 35 per shell according to their position in the container. 
