The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1907-04-12
OYSTER CULTURE.

Judge A. Nice. Mathewson, who for
number of years was connected with the
Board of Shell Fish Commissioners of
Connecticut, in speaking of the best
method to be.adopted in operating the
new oyster law in Maryland, said:
s'We have in Connecticut 5000 acres
of natural oyster beds. The trouble |
which we encountered was in defining |
these beds and drawing the distinction
between the natural beds and barren |
bottoms. I understand that the same
problems confront the Maryland Com
mission and from the same causes.
When, however, we established the line
our troubles were over. The Supreme
Court of this State rendered decision
confirming the boundaries of the natural
oyster beds which had been defined by
the Legislature and as soon as these exact
boundary lines were established the rest
was easy. Your Maryland Commission
will make its task easy if it will definitely,
finally and resolutely fix the boundaries
of the natural beds. After we had es-
tablished these boundaries, the laying out
of the barren lands became an easy task.
The planters took up the land which was
absolutely worthless and have transform
ed it into valuable oyster beds.
The greatest problem which the Mary
land Commission must settle, and settle
amicably and at once, is the controversy
between what we call the natural
growers and the cultivators. 1t ought
not be difficult to settle this question.
The natural growers will soon be con-
WINGED that oyster cultivation is of the
greatest benefit to them and in five years
they will be surprised that they so long
opposed cultivation. They will find their
opportunities greatly extended.
The cultivation of the oyster has reach
ed high degree of development. Each
of the larger cultivators has his various
kinds of ground on which the oyster will
set, grow and fatten and they are trans
ferred from one kind of ground to another
in the preparation for the market.
The grounds in the rivers and harbors
are used mainly for fattening or maturing
oysters taken from deep water. At
New Haven about 200, 900 bushels of seed
oysters are planted each spring for fall
and winter use. The inshore oyster
grounds are often valued as high as
thousand dollars an acre. Some men who
are fortunate enough to own five to ten
acres obtain comfortable living by
stocking an acre or two each year with
seed oysters bought from the sound
(Long Jsland) planters. The sales of
matured oysters amount to one or two
thousand dollars year. The capital in
vested is small and the owners have much
time for other pursuits.
The system of sound planting, or more
properly, deep water oyster farming, is
more complicated. 1t began in 1865 in
water twenty to twenty-five feet in depth,
between Fish Islands and Norwalk
Islands. In 1870, the planters began out
side of the Norwalk Islands and few
years later off New Haven Harbor. The
planting consists in the strewing of three
or four hundred bushels of oyster shells,
and thirty to forty bushels of mature
oysters to the acre, to settle on suitable
bottoms. This is done in the months of
July and August. The planting of the
old oysters is often omitted when adjoin-
ing beds are likely to furnish spat for the
new bed. Experiments have been made
with crushed blue stones. Gravel has
also been sown, the ,spat will adhere to
anything that is clean; even old rubber
boots have been dredged up with
thriving colony attached. If there is no
spat, as in 1888 and 1889, which were
gloomy years for the oystermen, the
shells or cther material must be dredged
up to be dried on the docks for use the
following season. If permitted to remain
under water they become Shiny and
therefore useless. After the beds are
prepared the planter is kept busy watch
ing for the star fish and dredging them
up; he is also stirring up his beds at the
proper times. Then comes the dredging
and sale of seed oysters. The successful
planters are at work the year round, for it
is in this as in other occupations-to we'll
directed industry nothing is denied.
Cultivation has been extended to bottoms
sho,uht unfit nxaviau m aofknees and nfha~