The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1908-11-13

is estimated al inward of 10000 but many of them
are employed part of the year in other fisheries farming
etc definite statistics not available. Baltimore is the
most extensive market and New York has considerable
export trade with Europe
Tho native oyster of the Pacific coast is small thin.
shecd species. In 1901 59i0 bushels, valued AT $751;
1872 were marketed principally the Pacific coast
The European oyster is found from Italy to Norway
II Is n round thnshcllcd species shapcly than the
American species and hermaphrodIic first female and
afterwards male It is less prolific than Its American rela
tive and the young undergo considerable development in
the mantle chamber of the mother 1t thrves in water
of full or almost full. organic density.
The oysters OF Japan occur in shallow and moderately
brackish moderately salt water throughout the whole
archipelago and very large salt water species is found
in deep water Many other species of Ostrca found
in temperate and tropical throughout the world
The oyster family appears to have had its origin
in some impcrfcry known forms The family is found
also in the Pcrmian In the Triassic it is represented
by Il strongly plicaled form, AectryOna, which form
becomes prominent in the Jurassic and Cretaceous
There also the common arcuatc shells Of Gryphae
and EXoEyra In the Jurassc and Cretaceous. Osrea
itself is known in the Mesozoic but 1t attained its maxi
mum size and abundance in the Tertiary The sandy
marls of this period In the southwestern United States
often contain great numbers of very large specimens
of oysters Owing the exhaustion of the natural beds
and their inability to supply the demand for oysters It
has been found necessary to artificial methods
of production ehecng % increase in the number of
fertlized ca increase in the surfaces available
for Xation, also of the number OF spat attaching;
3D the saving of spat and young oysters which would
naturally fall victims to enemies and adverse physical
conditions; and (O the utilization of barren bottoms
and naturally unavailable food supplies But small
part of the under water suitable for oysters has
utilized by nature mainly for lack of suitable bodies
for the attachment of the young In the United States
such barren bottom is utilized by clearing II of all rub
Dish and either planting cultc to collect the spat,
else young oysters (seed), that they may improve in
size, shape and quality under conditions safer and
more favorable than in their original environment
places either method may succeed. but commonly
a locality is better adapted to one than the other
The suitable bottom for oyster culture OF
firm mud Of n firm substraum with thin surface of
in food loose sand drifts and covers the oysters and
very soft ngulfs and stiles them produces In.
feror elongate stock. Mud naturally too soft may be
utilized by distributing Il Shells sand, or other
teral which, resting the surface, furnishes
a firm foundation upon which the growing oyster may
repose in security. For spatcollecting 1t is frequently
advantageous to hard mud, gravel rocky bottom
in shoal water, Ill adapted to adult oysters from de-
hciency OF food The bottom being properly prepared
and its boundaries marked with stakes buoys, either
system may be adopted to accord with circumstances
Generally seedplanting Is certain in its results and
yields quicker the grower Seedoysers vary
from "bsters" onehaf inch diameter to individuals
almost ready for market but ordinarily they between
and three inches long They obtained from plant
making specially Of seed production natural
beds their cost varying from ten cents to 81 per bushe
the larger cullcd stock separate well shaped free
from rubbish bringing higher prices and giving the best
results