The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-12-13
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1903.
The Oyster Industry.

The Oyster Industry.
& TN Professor Brooks, Of Maryland, takes
s.3 J. most optimistic view Of the probabili-
He's Of the oyster industry In the Chcsa~
III peake Bay. He says that the bay may
N No made to produce each year as many
a oysters as have been produced In all
the past years, which he estimates at
four hundred Billion bushels
II # Speaking Of the efforts that have been
made within recent years to increase the
4 supply Of oysters by artificial means he
submits many interesting facts, which 1t
would be we'll for Virginia to consider
Y The oyster is enormously prolific, SIN.
Tie one giving birth in a season to
many million young. But millions or
4 oysters, says Professor BROOKS, are born
for each one that grows to maturity
4 Fifty years ago, 1t was discovered that
II II was possible to save many Of these
l oysters by artificial means, and expert
ynents have been carried on IN France.
\ us well as In Connecticut, and other
i! parts OF the United States, which proves
that this can DO done successfully and
economically on very large scale.
Let us now recite some additional facts
submitted by Professor Brooks. Soon az
81 ter the oyster is born 1t fastens itself
to some solid body. It is SO small at
first that II It falls on a muddy or Shiny
n bottom. It is smothered and killed at
y once. its only chance Of life being the
y discovery OF some perfectly clean hard
< body upon which to fasten. In the abb
u sence of such body the young oyster
pershes. The method Of propaGatng the
\ oyster. therefore, is to place within
4 reach the hard bodies to which 1t may
d cling.
No spat collector seems to be better
Il adapted for use in our waters than oys-
IL ter shells. but in order to serve this pur-
a pose, the shells must be perfectly clean.
Ia SIN regions where there is no danger
"a from frost or whore the young growth
~ Is to be planted in deeper water before
N winter the shells may be deposited at or
y. even above low-water mark, and N the
sounds OF North Carolina. oysters thrive
\ even at high-tide mark, The shells
should be deposited In the early summer
5 lin June, July and August-in locali-
ties where there Is enough current TO
ii sweep the swimming young past them.
a 4 hard bottom Is to be preferred. but
this method may be employed with great
ADVANTAGE upon any soft bottoms which
33os5 are near the surface. In this case the
shells should not be uniformly d!strb-
,lted. but placed in piles or ridges. II
these ridges are properly arranged with
ia reference to the direction OF the cur
II rent they will produce secondary cur
as rents and will thus cause the soft mud
To flow Oft between them. In this way
auv bottom which IS bare or nearly bare
1T low tide and which Is exposed to the
Winds and waves may in time be swept
nearly clear OF mud. Each time the
tide comes in the mud is stirred up and
suspended in the water, and as the tide
ebbs this suspended matter Is swept Into
5si the channels between the distractions
sls and is carried away. Shells are very
effective as spat collectors. Shell wharves
y built out into deep water. so as TO catch
and turn the passing current. are OTTER
Il found to be covered with young oysters
ut all stages of growth and In good con
diton for planting,
The month OF June is usually the hes
time for Smelling the bottom, and tn
i quantity OF shells varies according t
circumstances, but In most cases, on
thousand bushels 10 the acre are not to-
many. The serious opposition TO tn
use OF shells Is that the method Is waste
ful. for fifty or one hundred oysters ar
# often attached to one shell and as IN
oysters grow, some Of them are neces
sariIy crowded out and destroyed TIL
use OF tiles. therefore, has been intro
dtced in France 10 avoid this loss
Az tiles can be employed without diff
entity in deep water they are well adapt
ed for U.S. III our bay, Those WHICH ar
used in France are much like a co.nmo
drain pipe sawed in TWO long!tudnull,
They cannot be obtained IN our market
ut present. although they could be mad
very cheap!y II there were any deman
ter them. Each tile Is about ] l-2 c
NJ IN feet long, or inches wide, concav
on one side and convex on the othe
Tho shape of the tile Is Important, t
Yearly all the oysters fasten themselvs
N uIon the concave surface, They adhel
50 firmly that II Is difficult 10 detac
them without injury. and to avoid tn
tsthe French oyster breeders coal the till
with thin whitewash. which can
ssaled OF with the young oysters whe
these are large enough 70 be distribute
upon the planting grounds,
II our waters. however, clean oyst