The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-06-17
OYSTERS ANDFPUBLIC ROADS,

Mr.. ID. Howard Hannah, of Baltimore,
Shows the Deer Creek Farmers Club
how the Oyster Beds of the Chesapeake
Bay can be made to Improve Public
Roads.
Oyster smells have been used for long time
i'll improving roads, but Mr.. b. Howard Ha-
man, of the Baltimore bar, showed the Deer
Creek Farmers Club ut the residence of Mr..
james w. Hanna, near Fountain Green, last
Saturday evening, how intimate u connection
might be made between the oysters themselves
and public roads. He showed that by judicous
management the oyster industry Of the State
could be many times increased, giving re-
munerative employment TO many more persons
than arc now engaged in it, besides alrording Il
large revenue to the State by which State aid
could be given to the Improvement of public
roads.
Mr.. Human said that upon asking witness
what business he was in, the reply was: 'I'm
in oysters and ice cream, and I'll stay thar
till die He was like that naa, having be-
come interested in the oyster question by
right Of being an Eastern Shoreman and as
counsel of the Canned Goods Exchange. He
had presented severa! hills To the Legislature
touching the oyster industry hut none of them
Eastern Shore counties. a bill 6o presented Ia
the last Legislature came within ! votes of it..
passage; IL provided that the oyster beds
should be leased at 81 per acre. The shore
owners, for 90 days, were to have 'the right to
have the first choice of oyster bottoms taking
not more than, 100 acres each. The bo:ltmeIi
were to have the next choice for 30 days and
after that any citizen could take up tract
The packers opposed this law because if did
not permit them to take up large tracts. The
fn1 IN urbA how lIo1
pertyizing" the bay, and the bill was fought
down by the commission men. who make
$1,000 year from commissions. The boat
| men naturally feared the bill would wipe them
out and drive them into other pursuits. In
stead OF doing that however, any boatman
| could take up tract and and become 4 pros
porous oyster planter.
MIR. Hannah went on to show how system of
| oyster planting would affect farmers in coun-
| ties apart from the bay. He argued that il
could be made to afford n revenue that would
! not only provide for all the expenses of our
State government but yield enough money to
improve county roads.
| ut Tor producing oysters that are now barren
The area from which oysters are taken by
boatmen amounts to about 2O0,oOO acres, be-
| ing the natural rocks OF bars, where nature
has put oysters. Why should not the waste
portions be likewise made productive 1t
was not proposed to take the natural rocks
| from the boatmen, but only to plant the bar
rem bottoms of the bay
In Connecticut the natural rocks are depict
| ed but by system of planting millions of oys-
| tiers are taken and sent TO Europe and even ia
Maryland New Jersey oyster planters pay
| from Is to % cents bushel for small oysters
| and sell them, when grown, to packers at "a
cents IL bushel. Virginia and Georgia both
have good oyster laws. Rhode Island has only
900 acres of oyster beds, but derived IL re-
s yen non 6herefrom during the past ten Years OF
area OF Rhode Island, yet we have made, dur
ing the same period, a deficit of S130, 600 by
reason of our oyster beds. In all other coun.
oysters hlr
| system of planting these barren bottoms
would increase the taxable basis of tho State
and no doubt wipe out the State tax. The
POO, 600 acres of natural rocks yield 10, 900 OOC
bushels year. AT Very low estimate the
10000 acres of harrens could be made 10
double this supply, and if no more were ac.
compishcd this would afford employment to
double the number of persons now engaged in
Clustering. AMI give the State an annual revc.
nue. of half million dollars. Statistics show
that the now barren bottoms will yield %
times as much as the natural rocks, hut he
preferred To take the very lowest estimate
In Connecticut the oyster bottoms are sold
outright. lie was opposed to that. The rent
ought TO be 81 an acre, which would yield
5000, a year to the State
In addition to this revenue, these oyster bot
toms could be taxed in proportion to their pro-
Effectiveness. The oyster lands of Connecticut
sell for FROM $50 to $4,000 an acre. There
thousands Of bushels of oysters arc DESTROYED
every year by star fish, from the ravages of
which Maryland is exempt. Our waters are
the best in the world for the production of
oysters.
In addition to the revenue to the State every
allied interest would hp vastly benefited.
More persons would DO employed and more
talk about this thing instead of proceeding at
once to put it in operation seemed strange.
Who are going to begin this system? Not
the Eastern Shore counties. The boatIien are
numerous and independent in politics and both
sides are afraid of them. The farmers in corIn-
ties not on tidewater or not directly interested
in oystering and two-thirols of Baltimore city
IL control They
should do it, and they will lake it up because
there is something III il for them. They will
be benefited i'll one or t"o ways They can
wipe out the State tax IL large sum an
nualy for public roads. The money could
not be put TO better use than TO improve public
roads. The Eastern Shore thinks it alone has a
title TO the bay. Why should not the entire
State get the benefit of this Increased industry?
Farmers are potent force and all they need
is question upon which they can all unite
They should go before the Legislature with a
we fI plan and insist upon its adoption,
would have to be combatted. He had read his
law to an Eastern Shore captain, whose opin-
ion he asked CONCERNING il, at is II good law,''
stature and voted for it ! should want to get
about Il mile start of the dridgers.''
ut was proposed that individuals, after
while, should protect the beds themselves and
thus the cost of tho oyster navy would be say
ed. The State approprlntes $4,000 II year to
have shells dumped on barren bottoms as n
but these shells have not been put in proper
places. The Stale does nothing to increase the
oyster beds, therefore it had better be commit
ted to private hands:
Mr.. Hannah said he had taken III, thus .lues-
ton as Il matter of public policy and not with
any view of personal aggrgtndizcment.
a vote of thanks was given to Mr., Hannah
for his valuable address and he was llnanimo GUS
ly elected an honorary member of the club.
1t was proposed to call the other farmers
clubs of Hartford and adjoining counties to-
gether and organize State Road League so
that the oyster question and road improve
ment could be urged simultaneously, the one
depending, it seems, so largely upon the other
Mr.. ID. {. Wharton Smith presided at the
meeting, other farmers present besides the
host, being VIM. b. Hopkins, II. Harris Archer,
Jas. f. kenly, VIM. ID. Lee, Thomas Lochary
John Moores, i. p. Moores, John u. Wysong.
Robert +. Hanna, b. IL. Barnes, ThoS d
Swartz, s. B. Hanna, Geo. X. StepheusQp, S.
a. Williams, VIM. Munnikhuysen. 4. z. Put
terson, Il. Ii. Whistler, Harry w. Whistler and
e. Frank Hanway.
Messrs. Wysong, Kenly aud i,ochaEy a COM
mittee appointed to inspect Ma. Haiina' s farm,
reported that they found the farm in excellent
condition and noted, ESPECIALLY; the ex5scme
neatness of the premises. He has an excellent
garden, wcll-kept lawn dotted with flower
beds, seven fine COWS and q number of fine
hogs Several Of the latter, Berkshires, six or
eight months old, weigh 400 lbs. each. The
flowers, a.member suggested, were due to the
skill of Mrs. Hanna.
The next meeting of the club will be held
on August 9th at the farm of MI. John II
Wysong, near Bel Air.