The Virginia enterprise., 1908-11-13

is estimated at upward of 6OOOO 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
sheled species In 1901 l5934O bushels valued at $751;
1872 marketed principally on the Pacific coast
The European oyster is found from Italy to Norway.
1t is round thinsheed species, shapely than the
species, and hermaphroditic, first female and
1t 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 almost full organic density.
The oysters of Japan in shallow and moderately
bracksh moderately salt water throughout the whole
archpelago and large salt water species is found
in deep water. Many other species of Ostrea found
temperate and tropical throughout the world
The oyster family appears to have had its origin
imperfectly known forms The family is found
also in the Perman In the Trassic it is represented
by strongly plcaed form, Aectryonia, which form
becomes prominent in the Jurassic and Creaceous
There also the arcuate shells of Gryphae
and Exogyra in the Jurassc and Cretaceous. Ostrea
itself known in the Mesozoc, but it attained its maxi
of and abundance in the Tertiary. The sandy
Of this period in the southwestern United States
often contain great numbers of very large specimens
OYSTERS Owing the exhaustion of the natural beds
their inability to supply the demand for OYSTERS it
found necessary to artificial methods
Of production, efecng Cd increase in the number of
fertzed; (2 increase in the surfaces available
xation and also of the number of spat attachng
co the saving of spat and oysters which would
naturally fall victims to enemies and adverse physical
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 of the young In the United States
such bottom is utilized by clearing it of all rub
bsh and either planting cultch to collect the spat,
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 succeed but commonly
locality is better adapted to than the other.
The most suitable bottom for oyster culture consists Of
Of firm 1hCtro utho on
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 in
feror eongate stock. Mud naturally too soft may be
utilized by distributing it shells, sand other
terial, which, resting the surface furnishes
a firm foundation upon which the growing oyster
repose security For spatcoecting it is frequently
advantageous to hard mud gravel rocky bottom
in shoa water, i'll adapted to adult oysters from de-
fciency Of food. The bottom being properly prepared
and boundaries marked with stakes buoys, either
system may be adopted to accord with circumstances
Generally seedplanting is certain in its results and
yields quicker returns to the grower
blsters" oneha inch in diameter to individuals
almost ready for market but ordinarily they between
and three inches long They obtained from plant
making specially of seed production from natural
beds their varying from ten cents to 81 bushe
the larger culled stock separate we'll shaped and free
rubbish bringing higher prices and giving the best
results.