Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1890-10-23
HE OYSTER DECLINE.
what a Wei Informed oystermas
SAYS OF the oyster Outlook.


4 gentleman well-informed upon ne
oyster cultivation and It's proteAon'
and its great decline in our waterg lends
us the following for publican ~
hopes that il may arrest the attation OF
some Of our most interested rlzens
1t wiz be readily concefd BY the
most casual observer that y oyster pns-
mess is one among the eel Industries
Of the State, yet the merAants ana BUS
mess men generally Of nnapoiis 90 mol
realize how importar this industry Is
to their prosperity = There is no other
industry whatever aat brings into TINS
city anything app oximating the amount
OF ready cash lat the oyster business
does. and thatke have never heard of
the Business aen's Association. or any
of her cons aerable body Of influential
citizens ireresting themselves by legis-
lation oyJtherwise in the preservation
OF this1elicious biyaIye, which is now
threaened with utter determination.
Il v5uld be wen for the citizens of An
ns5olis to be up and doing in this matter
efore it is too late The oysters in
Magothy river are reported TO be extinct
and on the great beds in the Chesapeake
bay, in this county, are nearly so, and
everywhere, as far as we can hear in
our county, are very scarce.
Where the nysterman could make from
three to ten dollars day lsst season. to-
day he considers he is doing well if he
can make one dollar The oysters APP
pear to have died out completely in
many places, and so poor as not to be
worth catching. Some disease appears
to have stricken them and of course it is
more than probable no earthly legisla-
ton can remedy this.
The prosperity of Annapolis, as we
have before intimated, depends on this
industry more than any other. There
are some two thousand of our citizens
who depend directly on the oyster trade
for living, and we must say directly
and indirectly, the oyster is our sheet
anchor on which all our hopes depend.
France plats off her oyster grounds in
sections. For five years certain allotted
sections are worked under restrictions,
and the other plats are given time to re-
cuperate; and every other civilized coun-
try in the world. that kind Providence
has blessed with this most delicious
shell-fish, takes care to foster and pro-
tect them.
Dredging should be put a stop to as
soon as possible and certain beds or por-
tious of them should be closed to the
oystermen for a certain number of years
for the sake Of recuperating them, and
oystermen shonld commence the plant
ing of oysters in suitable waters and un-
der proper protection, and where there
are no natural beds This they are do
ing in New York State and in Connect
Gu with marked success.
This city of Annapolis being the CAPT
tai of the State, our merchants have a
better opportunity for special legislation
in their behalf than they otherwise would
and it is their own fault If nothing is
done. Don't talk of hard times, but
study this QUESTION up; get your heads to-
geather, Get up an oyster association
Of merchants and oystermen, and take
time by the forelock See what is to be
done and do it, or you will hear of hard
er times in Annapolis than you ever
heard of before. X.