476 BULLETIN OP THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
has auy beds remote from those containing spawners, andTor this reason it is necessary 
to plant with adults, he generally has other grounds from which the requisite supplies 
can be obtained. 
(3) If a new bed is near cultivated areas amply supplied with spawners it is only 
necessary to prepare the ground for a “ set.” Indeed the system of planting adults is 
less extensively practiced than it was a few years ago. In 1887 theamount of spawners 
transplanted in the State was 73,800 bushels, of which oue firm handled over one-half; 
in 1888, 69,525 bushels were utilized in this manner, and in 1889 only 64,200 bushels. 
In all cases, whether spawners are planted or not, the careful cultivator will, dur- 
ing July, spread about 300 bushels of shells as evenly as practicable over each acre of 
his ground. Sometimes they are distributed much more abundantly, but this quantity 
is sufficient if the shells are spread evenly and the bottom is not too muddy. 
July is a busy month for those engaged in oyster cultivation. Some firms employ 
as many as 50 or 60 men, besides numerous schooners, scows, or other craft to distribute 
shells and prepare the beds to receive the spat. To obtain a good “ set ” means pros- 
perity, while the lack of it causes scarcity and renders the business less profitable. 
Some idea of the extent to which shells are employed in preparing oyster grounds 
in Connecticut may be obtained from the fact that at ifew Haven alone 1,298,580 
bushels were planted in 1887, 1,269,300 bushels in 1888, and 1,148,125 bushels in 1889. 
A single firm has made annual deposits of 425,000 bushels. 
East of Norwalk the cultivators use oyster shells obtained chiefly from the opening 
houses in New Haven and vicinity. The shells cost about 5 cents per bushel, and to 
distribute them costs from 2 to 3 cents per bushel. A large quantity is also obtained 
from the Housatonic River. At Norwalk and further west, several varieties of shells 
are used in addition to oyster shells. These are chiefly “jingles” {Anomia ephippium), 
“quarter-decks” {Grepuhila fornicata), and “scallops” {Pecten irradiatis), obtained 
mostly from Pecouic Bay, at the eastern end of Long Island, where about 325,000 
bushels of mixed shells are annually taken and carried to the oyster regions of Con- 
necticut and New York. The use of “jingles” and “quarter decks” for this purpose 
originated iu 1880, when Capt. James Monsell, of Greenport, Long Island, began the 
business, which he controls at the present time. 
25. Gomparative merits of gravel, various lands of shells, etc. — It is probable that 
gravel is as desirable a material for the “clutch”* as anything yet used in Long 
Island Sound. Its comparative value is not dependent entirely upon its cheapness. 
It is considered by many preferable to oyster shells, because only one or two young 
oysters would “set” upon each pebble, and there is not the crowding that often 
occurs when large shells are used, since it is easy to distribute the spat attached to 
gravel whenever proper to do so. Oysters not crowded are more uniform in shape and 
better generally thau those piled upon each other in clusters. For this reason the small 
“quarter-decks” and fragile “jingles” are considered much better than oyster shells. 
Some planters hold that they have a special value, because they are easily broken by 
the action of the water and thus do not encumber the ground after serving their pur- 
pose as “spat-gatherers.” This is oue reason why the shells from the Housatonic 
Eiver are so much desired. It seems somewhat remarkable that oyster shells are not 
* This term, imported from Europe, has been changed from “ cutch ” or “ cultch,” to clutch. It is 
applied to stones, pieces of brick, gravel, shells, etc., to which young oysters can attach themselves. 
