The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1897-12-03
gheDemorrat-S Star
OYSTER
THE GOVERNMENTS ATTEMPT HAS
NOT BEEN A SUCCESS.
Baltimore American.

Baltimore American.
The fish commission has just Is
sued a valuable report on oyster cul
ture. The report is written by II. +
Moore. IL forms a complete treatise
on the culture OF oysters in the United
States, and gives in detail the results
of the commissions experiment.
The fish commission acknowledge.
frankly that artificial propagation
in the fish culturist's sense, the rails
ing of oyster fry from a%rtifcially fer
tilted eggs, has at the present time
no place in practical oyster culture.
1t may, perhaps, sometime demon
stratc its applicability to a system OF
spat production in small closed ponds.
but it 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 the open waters
of the bays and sounds, where the
conditions are usually such as would
bring about a wide distribution. Fry
so deposited would no doubt be large
" 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 81 uncertain that,
in the present state OF our knowledge,
it would be IA waste effort fer either
government h%atcherics or private in
diyiduals to attempt to increase the
oyster BY such means.
II, however, there can be devised
some successful method Of closed-p0nd
production, then artificial propagation
may find a field OF usefulness. ElabO-
rate experiments have been made by
the scientists attached to the commits
sion, especially by DR.. Ryder. An cX-
pertinent male at a pond cxcavated
in the salt marsh on the shore Of
Chincoteague bay Is reported in de-
tail, and it is stated that fOrty.six
days after artiacially fertilizcd Ova
had been placed in the pond spat from
One-fourth to thrcc.fourths Of an inch
long were found attached to the
punches of shells which had been pro-
vlded as collectors. These expert
ments 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 a quantity Of
spawning oysters in the pond.
or artificial feeding the report
speaks with equal disparagcment.
There is no practical way known Of
furnishing oysters with an artificial
food supply. Experiments have been
made with Il view To feeding the adult
oyster upon corr meal or similar sub
stance, but such attempts have been
OF no practical value. There is no
doubt that they would cat orr meal
or any other substance in a sufficient
ly fine state. The oyster is incapable
Of making a selection of its food, and
probably any food substance, nutriti-
Gus, inert or injurious, would be swept
into its mouth with complete indiffcr.
cncc, except as to result. Corn meal
or similar substance would doubtless
be nutritious, hut their use must be
80 wasteful that the value OF the meal
would be greater than that OF the
oysters.
The sO-called %''fattcning" of oysters
for Il short time previous to sending
them to market is not n fattening
process at all, but is Il device of the
trade TO give the oyster and Elusive
appearance Of plumpness. 1t adds
nothing whatever to the nutritive
qualities Of the oyster, but, on the
contrary, Injuries its favor and ex-
tracts certain of its nutritiye in
gradients.
The process OF "plumping' consists
In changing oysters from denser u
less dense water causing an inter
change OF fluids through the walls OF
the oyster, the dcnser 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
swelling Of the tissues by an increase
OF fluid contents in much the same
manner as a dry sponge swclls when
moistencd. The oysters are not usual
placed in absolutely fresh water.
would kill them il exposed too
long, but In water that Is frcshcr than
chat 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 IL per cent OF its original nutriti-
Ous substances, protein, fats, carbo-
hydrates and mineral salts. Sufficient !
water will be taken up, however, to
Increase the total weight from II to I
20 per cent. The same result Is pro.
duced by placing the oysters in fresh
water after they have been removed {
from the shell. The oysters simply
gain water, not food. The report
states that ''plumping,' while not
in itself, may be attended {
With danger. Oysters may, and no
ioubt sometimes do, consume disease
germs with their food, and such germs