Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-11-02
. OYSTER FARMING.
Prof. Brooks on the Profits of the In
duafrY.

Prof. Brooks on the Profits OF the IN
duatry.
At the fishery convention which met at
Raleigh, N. O., last week, says the Balti-
more San, the following address from
Prot. W. K. Brooks, of Johns Hopkins
University, was read, DR.. Brooks himself
not being able to be present:
From very early times the cultivation Of
the land has been recognized as one of the
most proper fields for private industry,
and an extensive area of productive land
in the hands of private owners, and under
thorough cultivation, is the most con-
Yincing evidence of permanent prosperity
which State can exhibit.
| suppose that no one of my hearers
doubts this, but little thought will show
YOU that the whole world does not agree
with you. There are many living in our
own country who are bitterly opposed to
all agriculture, and who believe that the
country should be preserved in its nat
ural state as a public hunting ground,
and nothing but animal force restraints
them from asserting their opinions by the
murder of farmers who have trespassed
upon their rights. Much as we may
| sympathiZe with the hardships of the I'M
civilized Indians, we all know that they
must either change their opinions or die.
/
unprOductive race. The natural re-
sources of the earth are sufficient for a
/ scanty population of savages, but we
might as well try to supply the demand
| for horses in our cities and farming re-
| gions by catching colts on our prairies as
| to hope to support civilized human pop
ulatIUn upon the natural products of the
| uncultivated earth.
We all recognize that this is true of the
| lands out of the water, but many people
! believe that it is not true of the lands I'M
| der the water. Private industry can do
very little to increase the supply of migra-
| tory sea fishes, and it is therefore obvious
that no person should be permitted to
monOpOlize the supply which belongs to
the whole people. Now, does this hold
| true of the oyster? 1t is true that the ma
tural resources of the State belong to the
whole people, but an oyster is as station
ary as potato, and if it is true that pri-
vate industry can promote the wealth and
| prosperity of the State by the cultivation
of the oyster, public rights must give way,
just as the public right to the lands above
water have given way for the good OF the
people as whole before private agrtcul-
ture.
In order to show that private oyster
culture is possible, and that it would, like
agriculture, bring wealth and prosperity
| to the State, and would greatly increase
! population and taxable real estate, wish
! to call your attention to few points re-
| garding the value of cultivated oyster
! grounds as compared with the natural
| beds.
Five years ago the system of private
! oyster farming was introduced into the
| State of Connecticut. Previous to this
| time the Connecticut oyster planters were
! compelled to obtain more than half a mill
| lion bushels of seed oysters from the
| Chesapeake Bay each year for planting;
| but the owners OF private farms are now
able to supply all the oysters which are
needed by the Connecticut planters, as
well as by those Of Massachusetts and
! Rhode Island. Most of the seed oysters
planted in New York and New Jersey are
now purchased from the Connecticut
! farms, and in addition to this one farm in
| 1888 shipped to San Francisco 15,OOO,OOO
seed oysters which had been raised upon
! private farm.
The State of Maryland has more than
$40, 900 acres of oyster grounds, which is
managed by the State, and from this area
the fishermen obtain about $2,OOO,OOO
year. In France crop valued at $S,OOO,-
900 was raised in three years from farm
of less than 500 acres, where there were
no natural oysters.
The State of Virginia has more than
100000 acres of oyster ground, yet
crop from his farm is now equal to one
third that of Virginia.
In 1879 there were in Rhode Island 962
acres Of oyster ground under very I'M
perfect system of cultivation, yet the Oys-
ters were sold for $680,500. II the oyster
grounds OF Maryland were used to no bet
ter advantage they would yield $500, 000,-
900 year instead of 100000 which the
fishermen now obtain from them.
So much for the return to the individual.
Now word about the advantage to the
State. The oyster grounds Of Maryland
give employment for few months in the
year to about $4,000 fishermen. If they
were thoroughly cultivated they would
give profitable employment to more than
500, 900 people for the whole year.
Besides the great advantage to the State
which comes from the wealth and pros
perity of its people, oyster cultivation
may be made to contribute to the public
revenues by direct taxation.
The revenue of the State of Maryland
from $40, 900 acres of uncultivated oyster
ground for the five years from 1878 to 1888
was $4,000, or about $4,000 year, but
the expense of collecting it was nearly
$216,000 or more than $1,000 in excess OF
the receipts.
In 1883 the revenue of Rhode Island
from LOO acres of cultivated oyster
ground was 81 900, and on the same basis
Tie annual ISNSnuC VI MAI 1dilO SuOuA0
be more than $6,000,C00.
These facts will, L trust, be sufficient to
show to every one the great advantages Of
oyster culture, and the subject should
have an especial importance at this time
to all public-splrited citizens of North
Carolina.
The nearsighted policy which the States
Of Maryland and Virginia have pursued
is rapidly leading to the determination of
their natural supply, and the demand for
oysters from all parts of our rapidly grow
ing country must be met in some way.
The clear-headed citizens of COnnecti-
cut have discovered this, and they are
rapidly developing a system Of private
oyster culture with very remarkable sue
cess, but their climate is unfavOrable,
and oysters in shallow water are often
destroyed in enormous quantities by Win
ter cold and by storms. In addition to
this, great numbers of oysters are des-
troyed by star-fsh and other enemies,
which are much less dangerous in our
own land-locked and brackish waters
than they are in Long Island Sound.
If the people of Maryland and Virginia
would adopt laws for the encouragement
of oyster farming, they might draw into
their States the energetic men and the
millions of dollars of capital which are
now engaged in the business in Connecti-
cut.
unfortunately, Jn6Te Is IN 6acn OF JDeSe
States a large and influential body of fish
ermen, who have always made their liv-
ing by fishing upon the public beds, and
these men are bitterly opposed to any
system of private cultivation so long as
natural beds are not entirely destroyed.
Before this happens Connecticut farm
ers will have obtained control of the
market, unless they shall have been drawn
to North Carolina by the advantages of a
warmer climate, the absence of marine
enemies to the oyster, and the much more
rapid growth of the oyster in Southern
waters. Here, then, is the opportunity
of North Carolina. In her great land
locked shallow grounds and tidal rivers
there is a great undevelOped source of
wealth which can be made to support
hundreds of thousands of people. l am
unable, in the absence of exact surveys,
to state just how large the territory is
which is favorable for oyster farming, but
it is certainly not much less than mill
lion acres, and the possible revenue from
this source is so great as to seem almost
fabulous. But | wish to call your atten-
ton once more to the fact that Rhode
Island oyster grounds yield on the aver
age $500 per acre each year.
This great source of wealth cannot be
made productive without the Investment
L 49,