St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1908-11-28

is estimated at upward of 60000 but as many them
employed part of the in other fisheries farming
etc. definite statistics not available Baltimore is the
most extensive market and New York has considerable
export trade with Europe.
The native oyster of the Pacific coast is small thin
shelled species 1901 $40 bushels valued at $751;
1872 were marketed principally the Pacific coast
The European oyster is found from Italy to Norway
round thn-shelled Species shapey than the
American Species and hermaphrodtc, first female and
afterwards male It is less prolific than its American rela
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 in shallow and moderately
brackish moderately salt water throughout the whole
archipelago and large salt water species is found
in deem water Many other species of Ostrea found
in temperate and tropical throughout the world
The oyster family appears to have had its origin
in some imperfecty known forms. The family is found
also Permian. In the Triassc it is represented
by strongly plicated form, Alectryonfa which form
becomes more prominent in the Jurassc and Cretaceous
There are the arcuate shells of Gryphae
and Exogyra in the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Ostrea
known in the Mesozoic but it attained its maxi
mum size and abundance in the Tertiary. The sandy
marls of this period in the southwestern United States
contain great numbers of very large specimens
of oysters Owing to the exhaustion of the natural beds
and their inability to supply the demand for oysters it
found necessary to resort to artificial methods
Of production efectng % increase in the number OF
eggs fertzed (2 increase in the surfaces available
for xaion and also of the number Of spat attaching;
81 the saving of spa and young oysters which would
naturally fall victims to enemies and adverse physical
conditions and a. the utilization of barren bottoms
and naturally unavailable food supplies. But small
part of the under water suitable for oysters has
been utilized by nature mainly for lack of suitable bodies
for the attachment the young In the United States
such barren bottom is utilized by clearing 1t of all rub
bish and either planting cultch 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 In
places either method may succeed but commonly
a locality is better adapted to than the other.
The most suitable bottom for oyster culture consists of
firm mud of firm substratum with thin surface Of
soft mud but stable sandy bottom is usually deficient
in food loose sand drifts and the oysters and
very soft mud ingulfs and stiles them produces
ferior elongae stock Mud naturally too soft may be
utilized by distributing it Shells sand other
terial which, resting the surface, furnishes
q firm foundation upon which the growing oyster may
repose in security For spatcoecting is frequently
advantageous hard mud, gravel, rocky bottom
in shoal water Ill adapted to adult oysters from de-
icency Of food The bottom being properly prepared
and its boundaries marked with stakes buoys either
system may be adopted to accord with circumstances.
Generally seedpantng is certain in it's results and
Yields quicker to the grower Seedoysters
from "bisers onehalf inch in diameter individuals
almost ready market but ordinarily they are between
making specially of seed production from natural
BEDS their varying from ten cents to 81 per bushe
the larger cued stock separate, well shaped free
from rubbish bringing higher prices and giving the
results