Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-12-26
OYSTERS w DANGER.



Will soon Become Very Scarce
The Remedy.
Philadelphia Record.
The problem uf maintaining the sup
ply OF oysters and protecting the oyster
beds from lawless and reckless deprede-
tions is matter that grows more and
more important each year as the supply
becomes more limited and the difficulty
of securing bivalves Of the best quality
increases. Professor John A. Ryder of
the biological department Of the Uni
versity Of Pennsylvania, who has been q
careful student of the oyster aud the
methods OF its propagation for many
years, said yesterday: 1.-THE proper
remedy for the present danger to the
oyster supply lies in legislation that
shall protect the riparian rights of indi,
viduals who are endesvoring to prope-
gate oysters in systematic and scien.
tiiic manner.
"The danger in thu Chesapeake region
ia the lack of protection. Individual
rights in the Chesapeake Bay extend only
short distance from the shore, and
practically the entire bay is common
property. The oyster police are sup.
posed to protect the beds, but they are
entirely inadequate TO the work. Under
the present stale of affairs there is no
inducement for anybody to cultivate
oysters artitcially there, since at any
time dredgers may step in and carry off
everything. The bay ID really O sdund,
and it ought to be surveyed, steked of in
beds and rented out By the stateB to indi-
viduals, who should pay annual rentals
| j1Bt as for farms upon tha land. And
the rights OF these individuals should DO
upheld and protected against oil in
| truders by law.
I'm the Delaware bay the conditions
are little better; but Connecticut is far
ahead of any Of the states in its oyster
laws, and has the lgrgest oyster farm in
the world on its coast. Ii. O. Rowe of
Fairbaven rents Is 900 acres of water on
the sound, and has the whole OF it under
cultivation. He enjoys his rights by q
lease from the state, and raises oysters
upon scientific basis. His farm il
| plotted OF in bsds, which are atGksd OF
and mapped ont so that every foot or the
farm is known. He COWS his farm with
old oyster shells every year about July
18th, when the spat is falling, aud ct the
same time lie dumps over old oysters Oh
breeders. He suTs the shells at the rate
of 200 to 500 bushels per acre, and usel
shout 20 to so bushels o. old oysters tc
the acre. The spat fas.ens to tho old
Bheels, and the oysters grow rapidly and
in great abundance.
when the young oysters have ut
tanned their full growth they are draoget
up, usually in clusters fastened TO the OLE
shells. They are knocked cif, aud thu
old shells are then used over again. Tn
advantage of this methed is that nativ
oysters are obtained, which cannot b
done when young oysters are brough
and planted in new beds to mature
These artificially raised oysters are il
every respect fully equally to thoae O
natural growth. If the laws aiforde
sufficient protection, the same metho
could be followed to great advantage il
. tho Chesapeake region, where many o
the beds have been depleted and aban
Goned.
when l was on the Fish Hawk Il
1886 we made careful examination q
the Chesapeake region. A reciangle O
J iron measuring Just one square yard wa
, let down TO the bottom OF various points
, and diver carefully picked everythin
, that was within the rectangle. VIVA
was gathered was put into bag an
labeled, and upon subsequent examinl
ton found that tho beds had been 4
/ depleted by indiscfiminate dredging thi
l from so to 30 per ceut OF the oysters this
: remained were under one year Old.
-. may be that we shall be forced to 2
farther soIth for our oysters. The bed
I on the coast OF North Carolina will |
very important and those on the Florid
coast will probably he valuable whe
developed. On the Georgia and Soul
/ Carolina coast there are also some sma
: bedan