The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-15
FARMERS OFF FOR HONE.
The Next Congress to Meet
in West Virginia.
CLOSING OF THE SESSION HERE.

Georgia, Vice President-Ths Con-
gress Puts Itself on Record as OPP
posed to Legislation Against Rail-
roadside. oemler's Address on the
Oyster Question.
The thirteenth annual session Of the
Farmers National Congress adjourned
yesterday afternoon to reassemble in
Parkersburg. w. Va, on the first Wednes-
day in October, 1894. There has never
been meeting of a body Of this kind in
Savannah before at which both visitors
and citizens were 50 mutually well
pleased with each other. The delegates
who composed the congress are fine set
Of men, and the only regret upon the part
Of the citizens Of Savannah is that there
were not more Of them. Savannah would
gladly have entertained a thousand such
men.
There were representatives from over
half the states IN the union from Maine
to Florida and from Iowa to Georgia. The
majority were successful agriculturists,
who have studied their calling and are
thoroughly acquainted with it in every
detail. men who are anxious to see agri-
culture placed upon the high plane which
it properly belongs and a general improve
ment in the condition Of the masses of the
farmers
The papers which were read before the
congress were able and well prepared
and it would be well if
they could be placed in the
hands Of every farmer in the country.
s-e II,
out the country has taken in the congress
is evidence of the Importance with which
its deliberations are regarded throughout
the country.
The last session was lengthy
but interesting, and was filed with lively
discussion and debates upon the various
resolutions proposed.
The congress was called TO order at
1920 o'clock by Chairman Purse, who
called Mr.. Powell, Of Pennsylvania to
the chair. while he went out to hasten
the work Of the committees. The attend
ance was small during the first hour, the
delegates coming in slowly.
THE OYSTER AS A SOURCE OF FooD.
DR.. Oernler stated that, notwithstand-
ing the prodigious fecundity of the oyster
Ia single large specimen laying 60 000,0 600
eggs in single season., comparatively
few survived, owing TO its numerous enc
mics and uncertainties under natural
conditions. The food of the oyster con-
sists principally Of microscopic aquatic
plants.
OF the seventy living species Of the
oyster, but one occurs on the Atlantic
coast Of North America.
4 fof1r,1 frorn tho 80
renee TO the Gulf of Mexico, with the ex-
ception Of | 900 miles of coast line north
Of Damariscotta, Me. In the river of that
name there is not a single live oyster, but
along its shores ara shell heaps 5000, 0O0
cubic feet in extent, showing the former
abundance and present scarcity of the
oyster, caused by free oysJeriRg
Owing TO the great fecundity of oysters,
wherever the conditions were favorable,
the natural beds all were productive until
destroyed. Numerous instances of such
determination in Europe and America
were cited, causing destruction of these
sources Of food, and Of employment Of la
Dor. and resulting in the adjustment of
free fishing.
SUPPLIED CHEAPER FOOD.
On the other hand it was shown that
systematic oyster culture had benefited
the people at large by supplying them
"Ath NANN FNh AOyAf w LtuuGilk
and by giving employment to labor. A
comparison was instituted between the
system OF production in vogue in Rhode
Island and in Connecticut, with that OF
destruction in Maryland, the for
mer each deriving a revenue of about
5000 from its oyster industry,
while the people Of the latter are taxed 10
the exten. of half that amount, when 1t
ought to produce 400, 600 600 bushels an
nually ana derive revenue Of &C, 200, coo
4 firm IN Baltimore had actually been
compelled 10 import $50, 900 worth OF oys
ters from the north 70 supply the western
demand for line raw oysters in 1892, when
the natural beds Of Maryland are 1913. 52C
acres IN extent, and she has $4,000 acres
tt for oyster culture unused.
Letters from Prof Brooks, from Ensign
Drake, from Yokohama, and a speech
from Prof Mobius, in Berlin, were given
expressing the opinion that cultivation OF
the natural beds was the only means of
preserving them for the benefit of the
public ana for tho good Of future gener-
atoms. Ensign Drake states he would have
curtailed tne celineations much more
than in bulletin No. 10 for the good of the
state and its useful citizens had he known
the legislature would have adopted his
survey as legal evidence of the public
oyster grounds.
WHAT CONNECTICUT IS DOING.
A recent letter from the oyster com.
mission OF Connecticut is as follows:
Prior to 1881 the state had no income
from the oyster industry, now there are
about 81 900 annually from taxes. want
TO say however, that the laboring men
have been decidedly benefited by the sys.
tematic oyster culture, and thousands
who formerly eked out a precarious liv.
ing. now earn good wages and have steady
employment; some have become well 4,
many are making good living through
the summer by collecting shells TO be
sold to the large growers There
IS marked Improvement il
the laboring class in the shore
towns. Without our system CT culture
there would be no oysters in Connecticut
worth talking about, not even on the
natural beds. You can say TO the labor
ing men of your locality that the only
hope for the perpetuation of the oyster Is
by systematic cultivation MARYLAND
VIII soon be without oysters unless
something is done. Everyone knows
that there has been an immense decrease
OF the oyster. production in that state
and II viii be so in Georgia, unless efforts
are made in the way of cultivation The
laooring man stands in his own light
when he opposes systematic oyster cul.
ture protected by law. Our natural beds
would be of little value to the poor man.
were 1t not for the hundreds Of cultivated
acres surrounding them and furnishing
spat.n