The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-07-25
Planning 10 Plant 3OO,OOO Bushels
 Of Shells Here
New Haven, July 25.


 Within the next few days the plant
 ling season of New Ravens "sea farm ters'' the oyster growers, will be ovel land 100000 bushels of shell will have tbeen laid down in Long Island sount and Rhode Island waters by loca 5 snien- The total planting in this ses
 tion, called the northern field to dis i itinguish it from the Chesapeake Bay f grounds. will be close to 4.500,000 bush | els. So New Haven plants nearly ] one-half the shell this year. T Late in August the growers will know whether or not there is a "set. 2 tor loss on thousands of dollars ex- I pended in the planting. The "set' | is the trade expression for the set I ting on the beds of shell planted of ! the oyster spawn which float in the water and settle on the shells to grow only under right conditions of tenn [ perature and water. The right de- gree of salinity and the right temper ature with the absence of violent storms will give set but any one of these conditions being upset is likely ! to ruin, or at least impair the set | thus making the growers lose all their money invested in the planting Next montff the dealers here and sall - along the coast will be on the anxious seat.
 Lancraft Brothers estimate that they have planted 15O,000 bushels this sum- mer in the Sound, at Seaconnet River l.. l., and at Providence, Branford and Greenport. The firm has used z its two steamers, Amanda F. and William Lancraft and the auxiliary schooner, Ada Shull.
 Every indication points to good "set" say the members of this firm , as they took the temperature of the water in the Sound about the mid- dle of the month and found it 69 des grees.
 The Sealshipt Oyster System is planting over 100000 bushels this season. most of the shells coming from Baltimore. It is said that the The local interest centers in the talk ing over of the entire plant and grounds of the Jeremiah Smith 6, Sons Co, for which the New York corporal tion paid more than half a million dollars. This deal gave them ? 256 additional acres of grounds off New Haven. Bridgeport, Stratford. East Haven, Westport and Milford. The Sealshipt company officials say they have abandoned the use of crush. ed stone for planting and so long s they can obtain shells in sufficient quantity will not resort to stone again. They find better results with shells and this year have secured all necessary. ' F. Mansfield & Sons Co.,, of New Ha. ven, estimate that they had at least 100000 bushels in their shell piles and the greater part of these the firm will plant off this city, in Narragan- sett Bay and in the Sound. All the Mansfield company's planting will be l done before Aug; 1 and things seem to them favorable for ''set''
 Henry c. Rowe & Co.,. do not care to state the amount of planting they are doing. but rival concerns in this | city tell the Union that Rowe docks contained about 6o0,00O bushels of i shell at the opening of the plantine season. Some of this shell has been sold but most of it the Rowe concern has planted on it's own grounds the dealers believe. The Rowe men be- gan planting the middle of June and | are now about through A large amount of their bed material goes tol Rhode Island.
 The Andrew Radel company. of Bridgeport and South Norwalk. Conn. will plant about S00.0OO bushels of shells. The company's schedule of shell planting is as follows: Port Jefferson. N. T.. 10000 bushels: Rob ins Islandfi N. Y, 50.000 bushels: Mill ford Conn, 100000 bushels: Bridgeport Conn. 30o.000 and Stamford. Conn. 100,0 600 bushels.