Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-12-03
OUR FRIEND
THE OYSTER
FACTS PRESENTED BY THE GOV
EMINENT FISH COMMISSION.

Artificial Propagation Not n Suc-
cess-Artificial Feeding Likwise n
a Green Color Indicates The Pres.
ence of Copper.
Baltimore American.
The fish commission has just issued
a valuable report on oyster culture.
The report is written by Mr.. H. F.
Moore. 1t forms a complete treatise
on the culture of oysters in the United
States, and gives in detail, the results
of the commissions experiments.
The fish commission acknowledges,
frankly, that artificial propagation"
in the fish culturist's sense, the raising
of oyster fry from artificially fertilized
eggs-has at the present time no
place in practical oyster culture. 1t
may, perhaps, sometime demonstrate
its applicability to system of spat
production in small closed ponds, but
it can have absolutely no use in the
present methods of oyster-growing. 1t
is futile to expect any results from the
deposits of the swimming fry upon
beds planted in the open waters of the
bays and sounds, where the conditions
are usually such as wonld bring about
wide distribution. Fry so deposited
would no doubt be largely carried to
other beds, and be lost to the man
who planted them, or else would fall
upon unsuitable bottom. Their fate
after being deposited in the water
would be so uncertain, that in the
present state of our knowledge, it
would be waste of effort for either
government hatcheries or private in
dividuals to attempt to increase the
oyster by such means.
If, however, there can be devised
some successful method of closed-pond
production, then artificial propagation
may find field of usefulness. Elab-
crate experiments have been made by
the scientists attached to the COM
mission, especially by DR.. Ryder. An
experiment made at pond excavated
in the salt marsh on the shore of
Chincoteague bay is reported in detail
and it is stated that 46 days after
artificially fertilized ova had been
placed in the pond, young spat from
one-fourth to three-fourths of an inch
long were found attached to the
punches of shells which had been pro-
vided as collectors. These experiments
demonstrated that spat could be raised
in ponds from artifcially fertilized
eggs, and that it would grow as rapidly
as the spat reared in the open bay.
But it appears probable that equally
good or better results might have
been attained with far less labor by
placing quantity of spawning oys-
ters in the pond.
OF artificial feeding, the report
speaks with equal disparagement.
There is no practical way known of
furnishing oysters with an artificial
food supply. Experiments have been
made with a view to feeding the adult
oysters upon cornmeal, or similar SUBJ
stance, but each attempts have been
of no practical value. There is no
doubt that they will eat cornmeal, or
any other substance, in q sufficiently
fine state. The oyster is incapable of
making selection Of its food, and
probably any food substance, nutri-
tious, inert or injurious, would be
swept into its mouth with complete
Indifference, except as to the result.
Cornmeal or similar substances would
doubtless be nutritious, but their use
must be so wasteful that the value of
the meal would be greater than that of
the oysters.
The so-called fattening" OF oysters
for a short time previous to sending
them to market is not q fattening pro.
cess at all, but is device of the trade
to give to the oysters an illusive ap-
pearance of plumpness. 1t adds moth
ing whatever to the nutritive qualities
of the oyster, but, on the contrary,
Injuries its flavor and extracts certain
of its nutritive ingredients.
The process of "plumping" con-
sists in changing oysters from denser
to less dense water, causing an inter-
change of fluids through the walls of
the oyster, the denser fluids in the
tissues passing slowly outward, the
less saline water in which the animal
is immersed passing more rapidly in
ward. The net result is to cause a
swelling of the tissues by an increase
of the fluid contents in much the
same manner as a dry sponge swells
when moistened. The oysters are not
usually placed in absolutely fresh
water, which would kill them if ex-
posed too long, but in water that is
fresher than that in which they have
been living. The fluids which pass
out carry with them salts and some
fats, chemical experiments showing
that the oyster, although larger after
Pumping, has lost 13 per cent. of its
original nutritious substances, protein
fats, carbohydrates and mineral salts
Sufficient water will be taken up
however, to increase the total weight