Connecticut western news., 1888-10-17
PROPAGATING BIVALyES.
Some Curious Lore About the Culti-
 vation of the Oyster.

PKOPAGAIlNG BIVALNES. Some Curious Lore About the Culti-
 vation of the Oyster. There is nothing so toothsome to the palate as the luscious bivalve. In view of this fact it is surprising how little the public knows about oysters and oyster culture.
 One of the subjects investigated in New York was the cause of the decrease in the supply of oysters. There are two reasons attributed therefor: First, the depletion of the natural growth oyster beds from everlasting, and, second, the lack of 8 thorough and scientific culture of plol 5ed beds. Some interesting data are tabulated as regards the first cause contributed from European oyster beds. For example, from the beds of the dis tricts of Rochefort, Marrennes, and the island of Oleron on the west coast of France there were taken i'll the years 1853-54 1O,00O,O00 of oysters, and in 1e54-5 15,000,0O0. By means of long continued and exhaustive fishing they were rendered so poor that in 1863-4 only 10000 oysters were furnished for the market. The very celebrated rich
  the coast of Normandy, produced in 1847, according to the official reports, 71, ,000,0 ,00O, which gradually decreased until in 1859 only 6,O00,00O were pro- duced, and in 1870 only 100000. Eng ishing decrease in the supply. Prior to 1866 Foo men, working 800 boats, were proitably employed in oyster fishing in Tho of E,o1 1,,f then the beds have become so impover- with less than..forty boats, could find en- ployment, and even with this greatly diminished number of boats. no single boat took daily more than sixty to 100 oysters, while previously in the same time boat could take from 10, 900 to 12,OOO.
 The French were foremost in expert ments upon the production of oysters artifcially, and their expectations were based upon theoretical calculations of what could be done, knowing that good-sized spawner is capable of pro- ducing 0,0O0, 900 young. These expert ments under the auspices of the French Government trevolutionized the system of oyster culture and brought about results that increased the supply many fold. In the basin of the Arcaohon the increase in ten years by means of artificial produc- tion was astounding. In 1871 the num- Der of oysters imported was 4,897, 800, valued at 26S, 332 francs, and in 1880 the number amounted to 195, AT, ,357 and the value to 4,254, ,465 francs, an increase of 1,497 per cent. in ten years of the value of the oysters.
 The French method consists substan- tially in suspending tiles in the water during the spawning season. They found that the young oysters chung very closely to these tiles; so they take the trouble to coat each with plaster and after the young oysters have set upon it, take them up, separate the plaster from them with knives and use the tiles again next spawning season. The plaster holding the set is then planted and the young oysters cultivated.
 Island Sound, is upon the same principle, only we are more fortunate, inasmuch as we do not have to resort to so trouble ing the spat. Our refuse oyster shells, deckers, cinders, etc., serve as collectors and produce splendid results. In fact, our favorable conditions on this side have caused deal of comment from foreign authors and our yield appears to them to be something remarkable.
 Very little Is popularly known with reference to the value of oysters as food. Speaking roughly, quart of oysters contains on the average about the same quart of milk or pound of very lean beef, or pound and half of fresh cod fish, or two thirds of pound of bread. But while the weight of actual nutri- ment in the different quantities of food materials named is very nearly the same, the quality is widely different. sists mostly of what are called in chem flesh formers, the substances which make blood, muscle, tendon, bone, brain, and other nitrogeneous tissues. That of the bread contains but little of those and consists chiefly of starch, with little fat and other compounds which serve the body as fuel and supply it with heat and muscular power. iThe nutritive substance of oysters contains considerable of both the 'sfesh form ing" and the more especially heat hAu AOAOO SAN1uE 4uS1CuAOAOS. OJSUOIS come nearer to milk than almost any other common food material as regards both the amounts and the relative pro- portions of nutrients and the food val ues of equal weights of milk and oysters, that is to say, their values for supplying the body with material to build up it's parts, repair it's wastes and furnish it with heat and energy would be pretty nearly the same.
 It is a common practice for oyster dealers, instead of selling the oysters in the condition in which they are taken from the beds in salt water, to first place them for time, forty-eight hours, more or less, in fresh or brackish water in or der, as the oystermen say, to ''fatten" them, the operation being called ''foat- ing" or '1aying out." By this process the body of the oyster acquires such a plumpness and rotundity, and it's bulk and weight are so increased, as to ma- terially increase it's selling value. The most experienced oyster dealers say that the time for allowing the salt oysters taken from the sea to lie out varies, but is seldom over two or three days. At the end of this time the maximum plump ness is attained, and beyond this the oyster becomes lean again, besides hay. ing lost it's flavor.
 All the Men were Isaacs.