The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-02-18
PAST PONY JENNINGS.
FEWOF THESE AEIMALSJN CHINCO.
TEAGUE ISLANDS.
The " Round Up" Almost a Thing Of thu
Past With the Islanders-wild Game
Said to be Scarce.

CHlNCOTEAGUE ISLANDS, VA, Feb.
17.-Speclal.-Years ago when. but here
and there throughout our beautiful is
land. there stood a modest home.-the
entire population not exceeding a few
hundreds. the greater portion of both
highlands and marshes unnclosed, there
roamed at will. herds of the celebrated
Chincoteague ponies. wild by nature, yet
possessing owners.
The sturdy islander looked upon them
with the greatest pride and considered
them valuable adjunct to his stock in
trade. They were watched as a shepherd
guards his Hooks. The owners vieing
with each other in their efforts TO exhibit
the finest specimens at the annual pony
penning, a memorable day to some of
those still living. A day set apart FOR
their rounding up" branding the colts,
and selling those for which there might
be a demand, in many instances at fabu-
ious prices 10 their wealthy northern
purchasers.
But alasl time has wrought change.
Partly by the steady increase Of popula-
ton, the erection Of homes incident there
10, thereby depriving them of much Of
their natural forage. and partly by other
natural causes, but few hundred re-
main. Scarcely any look upon them as Il
paying investment. The pony pennings
are not the gala days as of yore.
Myriads or wild Fowl.
Then myriads Of wild fowl frequented
the marshes an the bays, the goose
swan, brant. red-head, canvass back, and
many other specimens Of large game.
to say nothing Of the curlew. snipe, and
other birds that could be seen by the
thousands. But q few steps from his
hearth store, the pater-familias could
brlng down numbers Of the feathery
Injuries with but one charge from his
old flint lock. These. too. are each year
becoming fewer I'm number. some species
being entirely extinct. The old people
look back I'm sadness. and exclaim: "We
arc not blest by nature as in the long
ago"
Then tho oysters in tho adjacent waters
grew on their natural beds as the sands
on the sea-shore. bays and narrows were
fun TO completion. They could be taken
by hundreds Of bushels. without longs
or boats. Schooners were loaded for tho
city markets from the natural rocks
and the planting Of oysters would TO
them have been the Neriest fiction
Looking back thirty years, on up, step
by step, until the present by natural
increase and steady immigration the L.
land has made an unparalleled growth
in population. As population advanced.
the oysters retreated. and years since the
natural rocks were no more. We can no
longer depend on n,sure but are, I'm Il
measure. thrown upon our own resources.
unfayorable though they be. Planting
long since became our only hope, and
now so barren are our home waters we
are compelled. in many instances, to
travel sixty miles for plants.
The Sand Shoals.
The bottom Of our waters consists OF
sand-shoals. mud grass flats. not more
than one-third of which being available
for the purpose of growing oysters and
this small proportion. by no means al
ways proving remunerative.
1 have lived on this dear old spot a
number of years and have yet TO see
the year when one half of the oysters
were marketable at n paying price.
1t not infrequently occurs that when
one Of our planters makes an effort 10
take his stock up" for market all Will
be found killed by ice, mud or sand
from winter storms. or some other or the
many enemies Of the oyster. They are
at times effected by green gill; and are
81 I4al n