Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-12

The most advantageous location Tor the
oyster bed is along the coast of bays or
the banks of rivers projected by the rise
and fall of the tide, extending longitude
nally along the coast Mr.. Hibbert's bed
is in the form of tanks 1t is divided by
interior walls into a reservoir, ripe oys-
ter tank. in which the spawn or eXudlng
oysters are placed. and a series of propa-
eating tanks either side of the ripe
oyster tank" Within each propagatinS
tank are placed number of upright wire
tWig screens. From the reservoir the
water flows into the ripe oyster tank" and
thence into The propasating tanks. carry
ing with it the spawn exuded by the ripe
oysters, which fasten on the screens placed
within these tanks, and grow thcreupon.
The ripe oyster tank is fitted up with a
Slated platform, elevated eighteen inches
above the bed, upon which ripe oysters are
placed. From and after the second year,
the inventor states, it will not be necessary
to plant fresh oysters. as the product of
the oysters originally planted will by this
time have grown to the size of ripe oys-
tiers upon the under surface of the plat
form. The walls inclosng the reservoir
and tanks are strongly built, especially
the sea wall extending parallel with the
coast. This preferably extends beyond the
ends of the bed, and is higher than the
remaining inclosing walls.
Object Of the Reservoir.
The object of the reservoir is to store up
a quantity of water sufficient to maintain
during low tides a continuing circulation,
and thus avoid the possibility of the oyster
contracting the green lip" and other dis
eases, which it will if the water is per-
mitted to stagnate Within the inlet, at
the junction of the sea wall and the wing,
is placed a paddy gate, hinged at the top
to a movable framework spanning the top
of the inlet and weighted at its bottom.
AS the water pours through the inlet the
ia ic fp1 ND ha Il aaln
the gate, by its own gravity and the pres
sure of water within the storage tank,
falls and prevents the water in the reser-
voir from flowing out through the inlet.
This gate acts as a huge check valve and
prevents any water within the reservoir
from flowing out through the inlet when
the tide is ebbing. A similar gate is placed
within the inlet from the reservoir to the
ripe oyster tank" To prevent the en-
trance to the tank of starfish. crabs, etc.
which are most destructive to oysters,
screens are placed over both the main inlet
and the inlet to the ripe oyster tank
The invention provides for the flooding
of the servoir and for protecting III.
wings from possible destruction by ice.
floating logs, &c. Mr. Hilbert claims thai
oyster growing surface per ace when rails
ing and propagating in the ordinary mar
Ter is about 5000 square feet. He says
that by his method an acre of ground
devoted to propagating purposes will af-
ford then acres of growing surface.
Annual Product of an Acre.
The inventor says that an acre by his
method will produce annually from $4,000
to $4,000 worth of seed oysters. The ac-
tual cost Of construction of the propagat-
ing bed, IT Is claimed, will not be over
Sc, 900 per acre. The cost of repairs and
supervision will not exceed $1,000. and
If many acres are under cultivation, will
not begin to reach that figure, but, esti-
mating this item at 5000. there is left
a handsome net profit of from $1,000 to
LOCO an acre. The second years gross
receipts, the inventor says, will be sprac-
tically all profit, as the cost of supervision
and repairs Is comparatively slight.
The cost of constructing a bed of ten
acres, Mr.. HILBERT declares, will be about
so, 900. At the end Of the second year
the seed oysters will grow to the size OF
oysters, and the original sup
ply CT $1,000 bushels will have Increased
to 100000 bushels, or 10000 barrels. Al