The sun., 1897-09-19
TlIENATURE OFTHEOYS
FICTS PRESENTED M THE GOJERN-.
NENT FISH COMMISSION.
Artificial propnEntion Not succcS---Artinctph
Feeding L,kewisc n Failure PiunpinH''
Bcrorc Measuring -l!rern OSaIrrs GooaL-

Artificial prOpnEation Not n succcSa--Artinctnh
Feeding I,krwIsc n Failure Piuinpinsr''
Before MchsurinE-Erern "sicrs GooG-
From me baltimore .imcricnn.
The Fish Commission has Just issued a vain. d.
ablc report ON oyster culture. The report 10 :
written by Mr. II. +. Moore. II forms n com.
pctc treatise on tho culture Of oysters In the
United States, ana gives in detail, the results
of the commission experiments.
The Fish Commission acknowledges, frankly,
that artificial propagation"n the fish cul-
tursts sense, the raising OF oyster fry from
artiticiRlly fortified cggs-has at the prcsonk
time no place in practical oyster Culturc. It
may, perhaps, some me demonstrate its appi..
cability to system of spat production in small
closed ponds. but 1t can have absolutely no,
use in the present methods OF oyster grow.
ing. 1t is futile to expect any results from
the deposits Of the swimming fry upon beds
planted in tho open waters Of the bays and
sounds. whore the conditions aro usually
such as would bring about a wide distribution.
Fry so deposited woUld no doubt ne largely car.
ricd to other beds, and he lost to The man who =
planted them, or else would fall upon unsuitable
bottom. Their fate after being deposited in tho
water would be so uncertain that, in the present
state OF our knowledge. it would be waste of
effort for either Government hatchcrcs or pr-
vhte individuals TO attempt TO increase the
oyster by such means.
cessful method of closed ponl production,
then artificial, prophgattun may find a field OF
made by the scientists attached to the commits.
sion, ospecinliy by DR.. Ryder. An experiments
marsh on the shore. of ,ChincotcaGue hay
j. repGrtGG in dGa and i is s,ntod that
had been placed in the pond Young spat from
onc.fonrth to , thrceifonrths M 1l % an inch long
which had been provided as collectors These
experiments demonstrated that spat could be-
rss. ohG m @ ond M"ma ErDM as raSdN
the spat reared in the open bay. But Il ap-
h" bcsq SqGGly good H Or better.
labor by placing IA quantity OF spawning oysters,
OF artificial feeling. the report speaks with
way now b"o%n Of farnishing oysters err FT With an
made with view TO feeding, the adult oyster
upon corn meal or similar substance. but such
is no doubt that they would eat corn meal, or
my other substance; in II, sufficiently fine state:
its food. and probably any food substance nu-
tritious. inert or injurious. would be swept into
to the result Corn meal or similar su6stanceS
would doubtless be nutrtious; but their use
would be greater than that of the oysters. '''N'
The sO.Cullcd "fattening" of oysters for q
short time previous TO sending them to market
Is not fattcnng process at all. hut is a device
OF the trade 70 give to the oysters an llusive ap
pearnncc of pumpncss. It adds nothing what
on the contrary. Injuries its flavor and extracts
certain Of its nutritive ingredients.
ing oysters from denscr TO less, dense water.
i;i causing ~, intorchsnse Of fluids through the
sues passing slowly outward. the less saline
waite. in which the animal is Immersed passing
a swelling OF the tissues by an increase OF tho
nd sonisniT in Sn much tho same manner as dry
are not usually placed in absolutely fresh
water which would Kill them if ex.
Ser too San GPs R in but With IL SsS h,1s hsf b.n
living. The fluids which pass out carry with
@ and bc @ ehemS
after punpii'g. has lost l3 per cent. of its orig.
@ inaI nutritious substance protein, fats, cArbo-
weight from y to 20 per cent The same result :
wafer after they have been removed from the
shell. The oysters simply gain water. not food.
harmful I in itself. may b't be attended ' with iIs
danger. OYSTERS may. and no doubt sometimes
and such germs transferred TO the human anat-
omy with vitality unimpaired may upon occa-
In fattcning he oysters that the water is abso-
lutcly free from contaminating influences Of
1t will be recalled that some time ago a number
d Sk BY ne no 9 as
hypothesis that the original source OF the typhoid
was ne psed in which
The Fish Commission combats the popular
prejudice against green oysters. Notwith-
the subject has insisted upon the hnrmfulness
of the green coloration which is frequently OBJ
served in certain portions of the oyster, there 10
still considerable misapprehension Of the sub
jcct by consumers and oystermen a. like: The
such oysters being considered superior to all
others. ana much trouble being taken TO impart
the grcenirg is liable 10 occur in certain local
titles. and n. irregular times Rather shallow
waters appear to he more susceptible 10 the pro-
duction OF this effect than tho greater depths.
but il has recently appeared in the dcep-water
beds OF Long Island Sound.
When Oysters become so colored, oystermen
find great difficulty in disposing OF them. owing
food or even poisonous They often have what
is called n coppery taste, and uninformed per-
sons assume m thnt the green color OIL is Gne to the
legations show that such oysters contain no
COPPER whatever. but that the green color 10
phyco-cynnin. which is found In certain OF the
lower plants.
Under proper, conditions. these vegetable or
ganisms multiply in brackish or sal inc water
with great rap.dtty. nd proyide an important
soluble in the Juices OF the oyster and passes
into the tiss cs. affecting principally the blood
indication o. "Eroenng" in the gils and palps,
hut when the supply OF greennR food is long and
abundant. the whole organism with the excep-
iion OF the muscles. acquires deep green hue.
such oysters are uHunlly, but not always. fat
tritous food and such a condition could hardly
obtain were the dye copper product, as has
been generally supposed. The color may be re-
moved from the oysters by transferring them
for n time 10 waters in which the green food 10
deficient.
In concluding paragraph devoted to the
TRANSPORTATION Of oysters an instance is cited
whore marketable oysters survived for over ten
weeks while hung up in the window of shop
during December. January, and February. 1t 10
suggested that In transporting oysters, perfect
shells should he selected, and they should bo
packed with the front edge downward, and kept
moderately cool in crate, or sono receptacle
which allows u free circulation OF air. Selected
oysters thus packed would keep from eight To
twelve weeks.