Morning journal and courier., 1883-08-28
vrNrunrp OUT INTO DEEP WATERS.

fENIUkED OUT INTO DEEP WATERS.
 One of these pioneers was MT. H. 0. Rowe. who was probably the first man in the world to try to cultivate oysters at depths of from twenty-five to seventy-fve feet. She'll fish commissioners, namely Messrs. Pike, Hudson and Woodruff, were appointed in 1881, whose first duty it was to draw an 1n- shore line along the indentations of the coast, within which all should remain under town control. Next the waters controlled by the State were triangulated and mapped with great exactness. This was done by MT. J. P. Bogart, assisted by Messrs Sanford and Pike. They found, between the inner and outer lines of State jurisdiction, an area of 325, 900 acres of which about 15, 900 were rocks and reefs, while POO, 900 acres are fit for oyster cultiva- ton by modern appliances. Half of this tract has now been cut up into oyster faxms and sold to actual cultivators, at nominal price of $1.10 per acre. Fhe largest Of these farms belongs to Mir. H. O. Rowe, of Fair Haven, and includes IS 900 acfe6. Other extensive farmers are H. J. Lewis, the Hoyts. Smith Bros, the Mansields, W.J. Stevens, of NorwaIk, and the StrRtford Oys- ter company. Each of these parties occu- pies from 500 to 5000 acres. There have to date been 376 applications for oyster farms. So-called "natural beds" remain free to all, and cover 5000 acres. They are chiefly re- sorted to for sseed oysters'' suitable for planting.
 As to methods for gathering, the rake, tongs and hand dredge are to some extent still in use, but on large farms oyster steam CTS are used. The first of these was 1.-The Early Bird, Captain Decker, and there are now in use 30, with capacity of 200 to ! 2, 900 bushels. The largest catch made by one steam dredge in one day was l, ,522 bush els in six hours in 40 feet of water. The farms are staked of by buoys, and subdiVid- ed at convenience.
 ofEE lofT ia smooth, hard land, though some of it is rocky or muddy; but there are few oysters except on the natural or cultivated beds.
 In spawning season young oysters swarm by countless millions. A female oyster con- tains from 100000 to 60,0O0,0O0 eggs These catch or 'tset' on shells scattered on barren ground, averaging 300 bushels to the acre, and the process is facilitated by scatter ing 100 bushels of spswns to 1000 bushels of shells. These shells must be clean when spread; for the young oyster will not set on slimy surface. In muddy localities where shells would be mired the plan succeeds of thrusting down ssplings, on which the spawn sets as readily as on shells. In three years they are pulled up and
 THEIR SINGULAR FRUIT HARVESTED.
 One acre of such bushes has been known to yield as high as 1000 bushels of superior oysters. Shells, however, are commonly used, and it is significant that, whereas oys- ter shells were to be had gratis for roadmak- ing four or five years ago, they now com mand from four to eight cents a bushel, : which is as much as dealers in old times had to pay for live oysters by the cargo. MT. Fl, c. Rowe has planted 300, ,000 bushels of shells this summer at 6 cost of $25, ,OO0. Crops correspond to the planting and the commissions assure us that one cultivator alone looks for no less then 8 million bushels of marketable natives from his own farm this year.
 Yet there are possible reverses. The star fish destroyed last year $2O,O00 worth of bivalves on a single plantation. Other enemies are the winkle, the drills and ahe skate. The traffic in ssal oysters c years old) is lucrative. They fetch from 50 cents to $1 busheI. A single firm cleared $50, 900 last spring in this branch of the business. It benefits an oyster bed to be thinned out The third year of an oysters life witnesses it's most rapid growth. Hence the profit to buyers of seal oysters. Small oysters are preferred for the foreign market. The export trade from Connecticut last yea was 800, 900 bushels-mostly sentto England Box" oysters from to years old. ''Extras" are from 5 to years old.
 As to the future of oyster farming the most sanguine hopes are cherished. The ex- ample set by Connecticut will be initiated. Mir. D. D. Mallory tells me that he planted the first shells iu the Delaware Bay in 1881, off Dyas Greek, 10 miles from the Cape May light and as the result of his success Della ware has changed it's laws to favor oyster farming, and the entire deep water grounds ill the bay have now been taken up by oys- ter growers. Undoubtedly this will be done elsewhere in other States, and the submarine farms of the Atlantic coast may yet rival the splendid wheat farms of Minnesota and Da- kotR.