New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-09-17
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
MATCHING OYSTERS ARTIFIcIALLY.
WHAT THE INFANT BIvALvEs LOOK IkE-ihhi"
EARLY YOUTH AND LATER ENEMIES.

vUuAT THE INFANT BlNALNhS hoOh ~
EARLY YOUTH AND LATER ENEMIES
,,,-.a Tor;llord's steam Yacht Lookout, so
changed that her builder wouldn't know her, now
tbe property of the United States. ana detained as
dispatch boat for the Fish Commission mas pSs sh
,laced nv Professor Bard at the service or flsn
commissioner Eugene &. Backi0rd, III chaise. pi
the oyster investigation that he may visit inc
numerous oyster beds In New OH w SrS eT-
bor on the Sound and took along nuinoer OF
scientists TO show them the methods OF oyster cut
fiyatlon and propagation To investigate the my s.
teres of oyster farming would open the eyes OF the
pig breeder and chicken raiser, and from What was
learned of the business yesterday, may be saleiy
said that it will be some years before fancleIsi
will take fancy to this kind of pastiue and worry
their brains as TO how oyster eggs should oe III,
cubated. or how the young fry should DC housed is
wear A good oyster if well fed and cared Tor, VIII
Law l2S 900 600. But there is no bonanza III TINS,
for oyster eggs don't bring quite as mucn uIzel as
hens eggs. and it is not every man VINO knows
whether he is handling oyster eggs or not In
Matching the hen sits on her eggs The oyster eggs
set themselves it were, and hatch into delightful
orphanhood. They hatch in from four to ten hours,
and they are never annoyed with wet feathers.
They are curious little things Professor kce VINO
las charge of the oyster hatchery at Cold Spring,
saws that their heads resemble high crowned
Derby hat while their tails can scarcely be dis
tnguished from hat OF s1tt Ieit Win 'hT Ur,,
themselves in the water, are free swimmers, Tor
three four days, and gradually assume the shape
OF round clans. Finally, they "Set" upon some
hand. and then take upon themselves the person.
atty of the oyster. =.
That the oyster has habits none can deny but it
not certain yet. not even IN Professor Rccs NINA,
what they are. He feels warranted in saying that
they are moral race attending. strictly to their
own business eating TO live and living to he eaten
The oyster has two enemies that prey upon IL dll-
gently as if appointed for that purpose, the star
fish and the drl. The former with its five long
arms settles down upon the bivave, clutches 1t as
one would clutch an apple in his hand, taking care
that no portion of the edge of the shell shall remain
uncovered. The enemy watches till the oyster gets
hungry or wants TO breathe The instant the shell is
opened, the star fish floods the inside of 1t with his
gastric Juice the oyster dies and eaten: II is not
known how long an oyster can keep It's shell closed
under these circumstances, but Professor hice
found one that remained SO for eight days under
Others. The drill is snail-lke creature that grows
from capsule deposited on the shell of an oyster.
and when of age II begins to bore its way into the
bvalve's home Once in he easily kills the unSus-
pecing thing and devours it. 1t takes the drill at
least two weeks TO bore through a shell.
The greed of the OYstermen has depopulated
many OF the once famous oyster beds around New
York and assisted by other influences. their deerl-
Grafton is such rs to cause apprehension. Com
missioner BlaCktord has sent circulars to all oyster
men coming to this market containing ] 80 pertinent
questions upon the deterioration of the oyster and
the causes and he expects 10 reap harvest of III
formation. lIe is satisfied that the oyster can be
arihcialiy propagated and his investigations and
experiments VIII be pushed till the end is accom-
plshed.