The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1901-11-16
THE MAKING OF OYSTERS.
tiftciai Propagation Of
the Bfva1ves.

] Oyster making is the latest industry
Experiments of remarkable charac
ter have been made recently in the ar
tificial propagation of oysters by Prof
John A. Ryder, of Johns Hopkins unl.
versity, and other scientists Some OF
the results obtained are most timely
just now, as another oyster season il
upon us, says New York exchange.
| Under natural conditions the eggs
and milt of spawning oysters are sim,
ply set free in the water of river on
bay, and are allowed to take then
chances of coming together. This
chance is SO small that probably moi
more than one egg in million is fer.
tilted, and thus 100000 possible oys.
tiers are lost for every one that i.
Matched. When the new method out
linedby these scientists is adopted, on
the other hand. 90 per cent. of the eggs.
it is estimated, are impregnated anc
hatched. 1t only remains then to lib.
crate the baby biyalves thus brought
into the world by Incubator process
under circumstances that will conduce
to their survival.
Now, the possibilities in the case
may be family realized when it is ex.
planned that single female oyster in
one seasons spawning will lay, if she
be of average size, about 10000 200
eggs, while large specimen will pro-
duce a0,0O0,000 or 10000, 900. The eggs
IRE fnicrocoon;c 81 .;,o - -.
nary lumber of sea water will easily
hold 100000 of the infant mollusks,
waiting only for a suitable opportuni-
ty to grow to table size and to be
served raw on the half shell or fried in
crumbs or in stews.
The idea of assisting" the bivalves
was first attempted in crude way by
chopping up the reproductive organs
OF male and female oysters together
IN vessel of sea water. BY such means
the eggs and milt were liberated and
the former were fortified, but great
many of the eggs were DESTROYED in
cidenfally. and much foreign material
was introduced into the mixture.
The new way is to take an oyster
and open 1t SO that the animal lies on
the deep she'll. Then, with an ordinary
glass pipette, such as is used for an
eye dropper, stroke its upper surface
gently, away from the hinges. This III
the mollusk is ready to spawn) will |
cause it to pour out fluid which, in
case the oyster is female, will be full
OF microscopic eggs. A few drops Of
this fiuid taken up by the pipette are
put into a tumbler of sea water. and Ga |
drop or two of liquid similarly OBJ
tanned from the male oyster being add I
sd) fertilization of the eggs is imme-
1iately accomplished.
A couple of hours later nearly all of /
the eggs will have Matched and you will /
have in the tumbler many thousands of
young oysters. For couple of DAYS
they are free swimming animals, pad
ling about with the aid of tiny hair
ike appendages called celia" and then
hey are ready to settle down for life
md attach thmselves permanently to
some solid object.
1t is this free swimming stage OF
heir career that is so peri.ous to
oysters under aatural conditions. in
lsmuch as countless numbers are de-
'oured by fishes and even by adults
u their own species, while great ma
Gritty OF those that survive such dan
Ters eventually perish through being
Unable to find any suitable spot where
hey may settle down. 1t does not mat
er to young oyster whether he set
les upon rock, an old boot or bot
lie, but he must be out of the mud.
fhich will suffocate him If it flows over
i'm.
The newly hatched oyster is ALREADY
nclosed in bivalve shell. composed
I a CLASSY substance and provided
18th hinge. After it settles down
nd begins to grow its true hmy she'll.
bis iarval case remains attached to
he latter and is eventually worn of.
establishing itself on ROCK or other
oJect the animal always lies on its ;
IT side-that is to say, OF the deep
1eiL 1t is not obliged to move around
tier that. because its food, which con- =
SITS of very minute organisms. both
'imal and vegetable, is brought to il !
current of water which is kept
'ntInualiy flowing through the shell,
anks to the action of the vibratory !
lila" attached to the mantle.
The oyster, indeed, is a much more
implicated animal than most people
lagine. 1t has a heart, a liver, an in
slime and even what may fairly be I
lied a brain, this last consisting of
70 knots of nervous matter just over
e quiet What is ordinarily called $
e heart is. in reality great muscle. a
the help of which the animal keeps Y
she'll closed. The real heart may 0
seen just above the muscle, beating
WY, u an oyster be opened carefully v
q the delicate membrane close by the y
ascle aforesaid gently cut away. Not a
e least important of the organs Of fl
creature is capacious stomach. 81
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