Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-10-25
SOME ARTIFICIAL OYSTERS.
Planting FcrtiIized Spawn-HOw it is
Distributed-Feeding the Young Fry.

A pond three-and-a-half feet deep was
eXcavated on the premises of Messrs
George Y. Shepard and Ii. ii. Pierce, not
far from Stockton, near the shore Of
ChincOteague bay, and connected with
the latter by Il trench ten feet long, two
feet wide and three-and-a-half feet deep.
Before the water was let into the trench
connecting the pond with the bay
wooden diaphragm, made in the form of
box three feet deep and twO-and-a-hall
feet wide and two inches thick, and lined
on the inside with gunny cloth, the sides
of the box being perforated with numer-
Gus auger holes and filled with clean sharp
sand. so as to form filter, was placed in
the trench vertically and transversely,
aud so secured that no water, except such
as had first filtered through the diaphragm,
could gain access to the pond. In this
way the natural fry from the bay was
enectua1y excluded from our artificial
inclOsure from the very start, so that the
results Of our experiment might not be
vitiated. In the construction of this SIM
pie apr aratus we depended entirely upon
the rise and fall of the tide to partially
renew the water in the pond in the in
tervals between the tides. The tidal rise
and fall OF the water in the inclOsure was
from four to six inches less, o. from six to
eight inches less than the rise and fall OF
the title in the open bay. Into the inclosure,
covering about fifty square yards. artici-
ally fertilized spawn was poured at odd
dates, from July to the first week of
August.
The spawn was taken from the adults
much in the same way as from fishes, the
right valve of the adult animal being re-
moved, and the ducts of the reproductive
organs stroked with a pipette to force out
the eggs and milt from the females and
males. The products mixed together in
few hours, until the eggs had developed
as far as the swimming stage. The spawn
so prepared was then distributed over
different parts of the pond, and left to take
care of itself. The collectors used were
simply oyster shells strung upon galyan-
lied wire, strings Of shells being
suspended to stakes driven into the bottom
Of the pond at intervals corresponding to
the dates when fresh lots of spawn were
introduced, each stake being marked with
the date when it was put in place. The
suspended Oyster-shels were introduced
so as to afford the young fry clean surfaces
to which it could attach itself. On the
I'D of August Mr.. Pierce found that
some of the shells hanging to the stakes
had spat attached, ranging from one-fOurth
to three-fOurths of an inch in diameter,
and which had undoubtedly been derived
from some Of the brood placed in the pond
by us. Some specimens 81 these young
oysters are now In my possession, attach
ed to the perforated oyster shells used as
collectors.
TO our great surprise, we found that
the water in the pond maintained about
the same specific gravity as that in the
bay, or 1.0lT5 to 1913, and that the tenn
perature of the water was also the same
as in the open bay. The microscopic veg
etable food upon which the oyster feeds
was found to multiply rapidly in the in
closure, inasmuch as it was confined by
the gate or diaphragm, so that it could
not escape. The water in the pond was
also found TO remain sweet and free from
| putrefactive odors. 1t Will accordingly
| be seen that all the conditions of success
| had been established, as was fully proved
! by the result. While it is too soon to af-
| firm that artificial breeding may be profit
ably available on an extensive scale in
| practical oyster culture, our experiment
has demonstrated a number OF very inn
pOrtant facts. These are; /. Oyster
spat may be reared from artifciaIly fer
tilized eggs; ,. The spat will grow Just
as fast in such enclosures as in the open
water; 3. Food is rapidly generated i'm
such enclosures; 4, The density of the
water in the ponds is not materially af-
tectcd hy rains, or leaking from the
banks; D. Ponds are readily excavated in
salt marsh lands, and can in all probable
ity be used for fatteDing and growing
Ostrea Yirginica for market Just as sue
cessfully as 0strea edulis and angulata
are grown by similar method on the
coasts of France,