Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-01-13

investigate the conditions Of the oyster
In foreign countries. What he had 10 say
was based upon the experience thus us
rived. In 1880 as flsh CoInii,iss'Vh .sis Vs,,hiect
to the Legislature, I'm which he expresseu
the view that he held to-day. ms W.. Nv
was that the State should take such STEPS
az would place the oyster interest unui M
nrivafe etferprise for development. iils
renort went TO the Committee on ,he
c,besaneake and lts Tributaries. whiah
proved its cradle and its grave
GOVERNOR MKINNEY'S POLICY.
But conditions had changed. Under the
lead Of Governor Mckinney the state ntu
entered upon a new policy regarding the
oyster interest and industry-a polIS
which. In the speakers Judgment wouIu
Increase ten fold the oyster piouucalso,na,.
The policy to be applied to the oysts,
was the same that is applied 20 all QUIT
Industries OF the State. The state shouil
encourage the enterprise and proteG.t
capitai Invested I'm II. In former years II
had been insisted in the oystT country
that fishing should be Tree ana ~ c'i,i ~
mon. II that was the proper policy 10
apply to the water y vas the proper
The speaker demonstrated the fallacy
Of cultiyating land in common ana mar
Vestfug the crop In common, ana, Cou.
tinuing. said the state had a IaReh ere%S new
poljcy. which she had enacted into law;
which marked the metes and bouQus OF
the national Oyster-beds or the state. lns
he regarded az one Of the most iihpor 'tt,e I've
steps that had ever been taken by ths
Commonwealth The law was deiectlNei
however. in the provision 1t cohtllle',
regarding the discovery OF new natural
The deilmitation Of the .oyster-rr93ck@s, @
Colonel Mcdonald continued, shOuid DC
made permanent.
ONLY PART IS GOOD.
Next the speaker took up the plannttlhgi- plan tni- :
grounds. Those, he SAID, who leased Mi hi
toms. where the conditions for the cultlt
walton Of the oyster were natural Evt
a bargain when they paid only = ~
acre But there were thousands OF act >
which had 10 be put In condltloh Ioi
planting artilcially, and our present laWS,
he said. did not offcr any encOuraSemr NJ
for the development Of these pot'oHi.S
The policy should be to sell In zee siil,
that riparian rights should be NOR
clearly defined and capital be encourase't
TO dyke the marshes and hats. 50 tua
the tide could BE- utilized to carry 70 t3,ea'. ~
oysters tho food for them tAat th'97
fats and marshes afforded
Professor Brook-'- Address.
At the conclusion Of Colonel McDonalh
remarks the chair introduced Professor
Brooks OF Johns Hopkins INVERSE,
who delivered an exceedingly interesting
+1i The oyster question. said Professor
Brooks, is many-sded one. me lISt
thing 10 be done was TO teach the p1'lIo
10 supplement by their energy ana en-,
tarurise the houuties Of nature. lie hah
selected for his subject the wv ora OF uir
oyster II was estimated. he continued
that since the commenceinent on toi tlg ooo "a
tcr-packing industry N ~ 1v,'Vgr,vno 49,,
bushels of oysters had been taken from
Chesapeake Bag. This was from a haL
vest that nature had sown. ifut thlS idi ai.
vost has never approached what II might
have been II man had supplemented Id
tuTe
''''' ONLY THE WILD CROP.
Four hundred million OF bushels was ne
Wild crop-as much WIZ crop ~ ,r.
nuts gathered in the forests or the bcr-
ries Gathered I'm the old field. When the
oyster was brought 70 cultivation the ~
0l0 OpO bushels would not be consldered a
large crop. There woull ne sIIIne I,,, ~ 50
I'm cutivating the oyster, but not >"
much as attaches 10 farming. under cul-
tivation the crop Of one year "ouiI, e W.
as great as the crop OF the past Illy
wears This was susceptible or ,Ptoot
from the history Of the oyster industry
in other countries and from the natural
history OF the oyster
THE OYSTERS NATURAL HOME.
Professor Brooks then went on to
show that Chesapeake Lay was the hd-
tural home Of the oyster. and us bottoms
v.arn REGULARLY adapted 20 IT'S cultivation
and gave "a most Instructive description
~ tho manner in which the oyster was
fed lie said that in food W. nav" 20 -
h,ck TO vegetable life at last, ana iol-
ioo@5 the process Of the vegetable,
whether land or marine, drawing It's sus,,
t,nonca from the soil. and the animal
kingdom drawing sustenance from ihe
rIlnt The oyster was peculiarly adapted
far living near the mud that was forme
from the washinps from the land, and
feeding on its organic matter ana ior
being turned into a rich food for men.
The address was repieie WIN Sclehli nc u.
Inflammation along the line Of the reV"la-
lion OF the microscope. but was almost
entirely fI'e from technical terms ana
was greatly enjoyed