The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1903-04-24
OYSTER PLANTING.

A dispatch to The Sun" from Prince
Frederick says that many tongers in Cal
vert county have taken up lots for plant
ing oysters. This is gratifying intelli-
gence and indicates that the oystermen
are beginning to awaken to the situation.
There has been much complaint lately of
seed oysters being taken from the State.
1t is to be hoped that great number OF
lots will be staked off before the supply
of seed oysters is exhausted. Then the
oyster planters will have to 60 to the
Legislature for the enactment Of law
which will protect them from marauders
who come by night and carry off their
property, as we'll as those who despoil
them by legal process. The present law
under which these lots are staked off and
planted affords no manner of protection
to the industrious planter. Planting on
natural beds is prohibited. and the COM
mon practice is for persons interested to
wait until the oysters in private lot are
marketable, and then they 60 into court
and prove that at some time long past
the lot staked off was a natural bed. This
is easy to do, as in past years nearly the
whole bottom of the coves and creeks
where oysters will grow had oysters on
them. After this proof is submitted the
Court orders the lot to be vacated, and
have been planted This has gone on so
regularly and persistently that it is sur
prising to hear that men will take the
risks. II all or large majority of those
interested in the oyster Industry in a
locality become planters, then all will be
eqallY interested in protecting the beds.
Then the oystermen will, perhaps, cease
their opposition to the enactment of law
which will protect planters in their rights.
The effect of reasonable law for the
protection of planters is illustrated by a
comparison of the productiveness of the
Potomac and the Rappahannock rivers.
The latter has law protecting planters
and the former has not. The result is that
the Rappahannock sends more oysters
to Baltimore in one year than the Poto
mac does in ten.
While Maryland is neglecting her op-
pcrtunities and frittering away vast
mine of wealth, other States, by englgh
tened legislation, are growing rich from
oyster bottoms greatly inferior to ours.
Not only is great food supply disap-
pearing, but people are losing profitable
employment and oyster canneries are
moving from the State to other States
where supply of oysters can be pro-
cured.
In the last year or two the Louisan-
ians have discovered that the Pelican
State has a very valuable property in its
oyster beds The Louisiana Legislature,
with the object Of securing to the people
of that State exclusively benefits to he
derived from this source of wealth, pass
ed law prohibiting any persons except
citizens of Louisiana from engaging in
the oyster industry. According to New
Orleans dispatch, the enactment Of this
law has brought about a curious comb
nation of effects. In the first place, it has
produced friction between Louisiana and
Mississippi over their water boundary,
and has at times nearly led to physical
struggle between citizens of these States.
The Mississippians, it seems, have long
been accustomed to taking oysters wher-
ever they could find them, without re-
gard to boundary lines. Now, however,
they are denounced as "pirates" by the
Louisianians, who have an "oyster gun
boat" in commission and are disposed to
! make war upon all Mississippians who in