New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-27
HINTS on OYSTER CULTURE.

VALUABLE RESULTS OF THE WORK OF THE UNITED
STATES FISH COMM sSIoN.
TFRoM An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENTS OF THE TRIBUNE. ]
WASHINGTON. Dec 15.-The long series of investi-
cations upon oyster culture carried Oh uhuer tue Ill
rec,ion of the United States Fish Commission by Pro-
fessors Brooks and Ryder, promise valuable prac-
teal results Professor Ryder at the meeting OF the
Washington Biological Society, October H. for the
first time announced the results of his studie', which
promise TO he of the highest economic value 10 use
his own words We have reached n point where we
can safely say the problem oyster culture Is solved
We have been sounding it for many wears and have
now struck bottom
For n long time one of the chief drawbacks to sue
cessfu oyster raising has been the scarcity OF seed
oysters The young oyster for some time ai'cr II Is
matched swims IN a Tree state upon the surface ana
then as soon as its shell is formed Is dragged 10y Tue
newly acquired weight to the bottom and there drS
of suiocation in the mud. This IL The tate OF billions
of Young each year and for long time the necessity o
furnishing the young oyster some good clean sn"ce
for attachment has been felt The tendency 10 SWIM
at the surface an adaptation TOR securing wGr diSbu
ton by means of the and currents which sweep
the younc oysters against solid bodies which may serve
for attachment: ana the greatest danger to which an
oyster is exposed any art Of it, life ls that 1t may
not at the swimming stage find such a surface
As il il microscopic and not half a. thick "a thin
sheet of paper il may be smohcrcd 10y deposit oil
seGlmen: or mud light as TO be invisihe and most
of the failures get good " set OF spa; las young
oysters ate called due TO the formation OF coat o
sediment upon the cOl' ctOrs beioc the young olaeI
come into contact with them.
Mr. Ryder's plan Is 10 construct diich' SPlai III
form having nets of galvanized ware placed peTpen-
dicarV al the distance OF abOut loul apart anu cA
ening IRON the surface TO the bottom. Ihls VIII give
The greatest possible amount OF attaching sGriac III
! given area In n ditch 400 feet long. constructed
] ,I,ia MIA md "A
feet square 400 such baskets may bc placed giving an
abundance of available room for tue young oysters TO TX
them.elyes 4 bushrl of brood oysters Will deliver
OUO 600 900 cmhryOs, and OF this vast number swept
hack and forth bv the tide in the narrow ditch ie"
would be unfortunate as to pasS through Tlinout
striking one of the wires. In ditch having thr area
of an acre O 900 bushels OF spdt can Dc lal'e ana
each oyster will have enough TO gro" to the re
| aiured size for transpiantIhG. . ., ,
and VIRGINIA az well in Delaware and iur or hoitP,
is now procured from the natural beds 81 these waters
| by drei ling and the demand tor oyster" ior tan,
purpose is certainly one OF the elements Whi' nave '
10 tie depletion OF the oyster BEDS there IT, VIDE
spread feeling that the expectation ol s'rd sh'hId
| he prohibited BY a small investment oi capital any
oue ~, tide water could easily large quantities oi
much better cleaner seed than hat which = no" pro
ed from the natural beds and the laws permit'd
The sale and ttan poTat0n OF this seed WI hoht g
sfrction at the season when the demand exists could
be -old at a pron for less than the cost Of dredging.
Northern planters could also 1ase seed for them
s,tvcs by constructing dtchc, in a." warm wafer oi
the sounds OF Virginia and North t'O DINA where the
length OF the season would permit several col
lect ons to he made Ia one season. me "At '"uT
| reared are large enough tor planting III hvc or SIX
weeks aud in this latitude there Is an abundance OF
s,,t from the middle of April to the first OF July
| ana II can he collected until September.
This method with slight modlcallcns can aiSo De
nsed Tor the direct production OF marketable 'y-l'r-
espe tally MILDLY bottoms, ana ID regions "h'e
public sentiment does not P'iiht r'a't CIV n mp "
The bottom Artificial beds may he cut out III The alt
marshes the creek can be nSgd 'hh mere WIZ DC
no question about the right to keep the oyster; from
the hubble As food for the oyster most abundant al
the mouths of muddy creeks, where the bottom Is Toe
soft for oyster culture by planting or Htlilng, tl-
rctbnd will have spcca! advantage in such places Oi
there will be danger of sanding or OF smotheng bS
mud at the surface and there Is no lnt To me HUMMER
of oysters which thus be grown on gwen area Ion
the trrc current Of will bring food TO all of them
Experiment shows that in addition to all hesc adyan
ages the oysters of better shape "thbctlGr sieS
and more marketable, than those grown dl inc H""''
Finally this method will do away with the ncccss y
! for lille TO the bottom aud will thus enable z few
a. terrsin0 men TO set the example Of oyster culture
and bv the education of The con muniy. to hasten tho
time when wisr lass will render our natural %d' ah'
aces available for the benefit Of the people. The most
economical method of constructing the necessary ar
rangements must of course be determined by practical
Nrch credit is due the Fish Commission and Pro-
fessos Brooks and Ryder its representatives, for The
uaiustakiug conclusions that could never nav" bcri
reached by any but scientific study. lhe cnbfy0ogy
az the oyster must first be studied. then the srlac,
water must be examined the temperature observed ana
the amount and kind of fOOc required by the oyster
|
known before discovering the proper means OF sue c.s
ful oyster culture The only way OF finding it ont by
other than ecicntfc means was Icy accident. This Is
Int one of the Important economic dscoverics To he
made bv the Fish Commission and its work IL definite
and important In few years II will. no doubt
lie able TO account for the pei picking movements o
such fish IA the mackerel and menhadtn ana TO locl
then position at different seasons OF the year CMGial
painstaking scientific study alone can d" TN" ana II
The next few Yeas remarkable results may be expected
os II g outcome of tho Fish Commissions studies in thu
past.