Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-10-27
FLOATING CARS FOR OYSTERS
The Artificial Propagation and Cuitiva-
ton Of the Bivalve DR.. Brooks
Report.

KIDS University Clrcuiar contains al
| abstract of DR.. w. X. Brooks latest
studies in oyster propagation made
during the past summer ct the Zoolog-
| ical Laboratory ut Beaufort.
II my attention." says DR. Brooks,
was first called TO the value Of float
ing cars 10 oyster culture by Mr..
William Armstrong, Of Hampton. Va,
| nho informed me that seed" os ster-
(Which he had placed in floating cars
| b the mouth Of Hampton creek. grew
more rapidly, and we're of q better
shape and more marketable than those
which grew from seed planted on the
bottom in the usual way.
One of the results of my study in
1879 of the development Of the oys-
Der was the discovery that there is
period OF several hours, Immediately
after the embryo acquires its locomo-
tor ella, when it swims at the sur
face, and this is the period when it
is swept into contact With collectors.
As soon as the shell appears the larva
is dragged down by its weight, and
either settles to the bottom aud dies.
Tor swims for time near the bottom.
The tendency to swim at the surface
lis an adaptation for securing wide dis
ltribution by means of the winds and
currents which sweep the young
oysters against solid bodies which
ma, serve for attachment, and the
greatest danger to which the oyster
is exposed, at any part Of its life, is
that it may not, at the swimming
stage, find clean hard surface for at
tachments Asitis microscopicand only
about halt as thick as sheet OF thin
paper, it may be somethered by a
| deposit of sediment or mud so light
as to be invisible, and most of the
failures to get good "set of spatD
are due to the formation OF a coat OF
sediment upon the collectors before
the young oysters come into contact
with them.
II occurred to me this summer that
this danger could be entirely avoided
| by the use of floating collectors, for
little sediment can fall on body
| which is close TO the surface of the
water, and most of this will be swept
away BY currents. which will, at the
same time. sweep the swimming
embroyos down into the collector, and
thus insure an early. abundant and
successful "set" I"
/ accordingly constructed a float
ing car, made SO as 70 permit the tree
circulation of the water This was
filled with clean oyster shells and
moored in the channel 10 front 0 the
labratoEy at Beaufort, N. O.. on July
4. As ell the oysters in the vicinity
were iavery shallow wat. they were
nearly through spawning, and the
conditions were therefore very ~
favorable; but notwithstanding this,
| I Immediately secured a good ''setn
and the young oysters grew with
remarkable rapidity, on account Of
/ tho abundant supply of food and
fresh water which gained ready ac-
cess to all of them, and the uniform
temperate which was secured by the
constant change ot water
This method OF oyster culture may
be applied 10 many ways, # which
the most obvious il the production of
seed oy sters for planting
The seed which is used for plant
ling in Maryland and Virginia. as
we'll as in Delaware and further
north. is now procured from the nat
ural beds of our waters, by tonging
or dredging, and as the demand for
oysters for this purpose is certainly
one of the elements which have led
to the depletion OF our beds, there Is
. widespread feeling that the expor-
tation Of seed should be prohibited.
This method can also be used for
the direct production Of marketable
oysters, especially over muddy bot
toms, and in regions where public sem
timent does not permit any private
ownership of the bottom
As food for the oysters is most
abundant at the mouths of muddy
creeks where the bottom is too soft
for oyster culture by planting or By
Ishelling, this method will have es-
pecial advantage in such places. for
there wilR be no danger of sanding or
Of smotheriug by mud ct the surface.
| and there ID no limit to the humber Of
oysters which can thus be grown on
given area. for the free current of
water viii bring food to all of them.
The very rapid growth viii more
than coEnpensate for the cost Of the
| fl0ats. aud Mr. Armstrong; expert
ment shows that. in addition % all
these advantages, the oysters are OF .
1 better shape. with hetter shells. and
more marketable. than those grown
at the same place on the bottom
Finally. fhis method will do away
80 # x q VI vi M -