Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-06
JAP OYSTER CULTURE
Report on the Subject by Prof.
Dean.
DESCRIBED AS AN ART
SUCCESS OF METHODS FULLY SET
FORTH.
i-
Concession Granted a Company as
Early as 17o6-origin Of
the Work.

a renort on Japanese oyster culture made
by Bashford Dean. adjunct professor IN
zoology. Columbian University, to the
United States commissioner of. fish and
fisheries. While in Japan Professor Dean
was designated biologist or the
United States fish commission to facili-
tate his Investigations and ne acted un-
der special instructions from the COM
mission.
European oyster culture, says the re-
port, especially as practiced in France
and Holland is generally regarded as the
most refined development of this ancient
art and from our knowledge of this. II
| we admit that those cultural methods are
the most perfect which produce the
greatest number of oysters in a given
area. we can reasonably conclude that
some of the devices at least of the Euro
pean culturist will ultimately come to be
adopted in our own system.
Professor Dean says the Japanese oys-
ters have long been cultivated and with
great success. Indeed. he adds by
some experts the Japanese methods have
been commended as the simplest and
most practicable of all forms of artificial
oyster culture. and thus of possible in
terest in somewhat broader lines.
The Japanese industry is largely seated
along the north shore of the inland sea
| near Hiroshima. in the gulf-like sea of
Aki. famous for its oysters. From what
period this oyster culture has been car
ried on is not known accurately, but
from it's present condition 1t is evidently
the product OF centuries. AS early
1I0S records show that concessions at
Osaka We're ~ranted to an oyster COM
pany or to oyster companies of Aki for
storage of their output pending the final
marketing.
Origin of the Work
Regarding the origin of the oyster culture
To- 1t.
| Japanese tract fishery matters publish
| ed by Hiroshima-Ken which states.
In ancient times certain shellfish. Tapes.
were gathered in great numbers on the flats
| of Aki. and while awaiting their shipment
| to market the fisher people came to keep
them in shallow water Enclosures, the
| fences of which they formed of bamboo
stalks. The discovery was then made that
the brushy fence bee .me incrusted with
young oysters, and thus it soon became
evident that under certain conditions ard
at certain places it would be more profit
able to plant bamboo and to cultivate oy-
sters than to continue the Tapes Industry
This was the first instance It is said. that
bamboo collectors. or 'shibi,' were employ
ed in oyster culture
Three kinds of Japanese oysters ara con-
s'"ered in the report of Prof. Dean. The
first is small one. probably a dwarfed salt
water variety, abundant along the eastern
and southern coasts of Japan. This is
where 1t forms an almost barnacle-like
1ncrustation upon the tidal rocks. 1t is
collected in great numbers for local
sumption. Fisher people open them on the
SPOT, not detaching the shell from the rock
and market them by bulk. In actual size
this oyster is rarely larger than ones finger
nail. but its flavor makes amends for it's
size. 1t is plumbeous in color The shell
measures rarely more than two inches in
length.
The second oyster is the important one
from the cultursts standpoint. 1t aver
ages the SIZE of Blue Point or an English
Native. The oyster itself is cream colored,
its shell delicately nacreous. we'll sha ped
thin. deep and with a series of intoxicating.
horn-like outgrowths. which suggest the
shell of the European oyster. This species
occurs abundantly throughout the inland
sea, in the small bays along the northeast
coast of the main island and at certain
points in the Hokkaido (YeZo). The best
that are marketed grow at a depth of
fathom or two below low-water mark 1t Is
practically absent in water deeper than
eight fathoms
The third form. ostrea gigas. thumb. is
of large size specimens weighing, with
she'll four or five pounds. being not In
frequent 1t rarely occurs in water less
than two fathomS and is most abundant
in about ten fathoms. The specimens
examined by Professor Dean were taken
by divers in water about thirty-fve feet
deep. 1t is typical sea oyster, occurring
in water of specific gravity of about 1.o26
Its value is purely local. no region pro-
ducing sufficient numbers to warrant
definite fishery.
The oyster producing region of Japan
is pas excellence the Inland sea, states the
report. 1t is there that the culturists
have carried on their industry with great
est success. This body of water can be
looked upon as one of the most impor-
tant natural preserves of fish and shell
fish in the world From the oyster Gull
turSts' standpoint the Inland sea is re-
markab BILE in that it's, connection with the
ocean is established both at it's ends and
near it's middle point. There is a favor
able tide fall of from ten to fifteen feet
and an abundance of sandy and gravelly
bottom thus enabling the culturst to
operate his submerged farms conve-
niently.
Fertile Bay of Kaida.
The bay of Kafda is so fertile in It's class
of production that 1t takes high place
among japanese oyster grounds and it's
concessions are keenly sought AT low
tide 1t b$istles with closely set oyster farms
and from a distance reminds one save in
color. of a region of European vineyards.
Each farm Is simple Enclosure formed by
shibi' or bamboo stalks, with without
interlacing branches. In tine present farms
shibi planted in position every spring
at a time which the culturists have deter
mined by experience to be most favorable
for the set Of spat. usually about the mid
die of April. The fences and partitions of
shibi stand about waist high.
Such an Enclosure in kaida bay Is prac-
tically the whole stock in trade of the
culturiSt for In Ii spat Is taken and the