The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1907-04-19
OYSTER PLANTING in NEW YORK.
Report OF New York Fish protec-
tive and Game Commission.

Upward of thirty thousand acres in
New York State waters, most of which
was formerly waste land, have been
! granted by the State for shell fish cult
walton. The separate tracks have been
surveyed by the State Surveyor of oyster
lands and for the purpose of preserving
the records of boundaries, accurate maps
have been made and during series of
years have accumulated until these maps
with the notes of surveys, constitute a
mass of records of great and permanent
! value to the State and to the she'll fish
planters.
During the year 1905 leases of land
amounting to 1895 acres have been
granted. In addition to this, about 500
acres are in process of being leased. max.
ing an increase during the year of ALAG
acres.
Under system of State control lands
under water are granted to oyster plant
ers at a fixed rental. The planters are
encouraged to make every effort and
adopt every improvement which may be
expected to increase the quantity and i'm
prove the quality of the oysters. Millions
of dollars are now invested in the in
dustry. Each planter may know his own
tract and feel that he is protected in his
property rights. Without known and
visible lines and boundaries, punishment
for the larceny of planted oysters could
hardly be depended upon. The main
tenance of the State control system has
resulted in the growth of an immense in
dustry, furnishing direct employment to
thousands of men and livelihood to
many more thousands, constituting their
families and dependents. There are two
classes of oyster planters The first is
represented by the poor layman who,
without capital cultivates small piece
of ground by his individual labor, with
possibly the assistance of some member
of his family or of similarly situated
partner" There are many hundreds of
these who by arduous toll, while subjected
to constant hardship and exposure,
manage to wrest from the sand and mud
of our bays and harbors frugal livelihood
| for themselves and families. The NUM-
Der of this type are constantly increasing.
Second, the planter with capital sufficient
to enable him to use every device and
appliance necessary or convenient to
large operations, including the employ
ment of we'll manned steamers equipped
with steam dredges, together with ex-
tensive oyster houses where oysters are
opened or otherwise prepared for ship
ment and from whence the product is
sent throughout the country and indeed
to all parts of the civilized world.
The planter begins his work of cult
walton when the young oyster has COM
pleted the. first, or freeswimming, stage
of its existence and attaches itself to the
oyster bed; or, rather his work antidates
this period, for he must prepare the bed
and have it swept and garnished and
made suitable or the minute oyster will
have none of it. The uncertainties of the
business to the planters are apparent.
The spawn of the oyster on his own
grounds may be carried miles away by
the currents while set upon his lands
comes from unknown quarters; or he may
fail entirely to get a set with the result
that the money spent by him in pre-
pairing the beds has actually been thrown
away. The planter at the proper season
carefully cleans the beds by scraping over
them with dredges and tests the bottom
so that he may have full information of
its character and formation. Oysters
cannot live in mud or slime. They re-
quire a clean, gritty surface. He then,
selecting those portions of his lands
which he has found suitable, spreads over
the bottom covering of shells, which
have been cleaned and dried, or strews it
with clean broken stone. This is done in
the early summer just prior to the spawn
ing season. Sometimes the experiment of
placing upon the beds large oysters,
called "spawners" which are ready to
exude their eggs and milt is tried, but
the oyster set may be said to do like the
wind 'None can tell hence it Cometh."
As may be imagined, the planters anx-
iously watch for the first indications of
set of young oysters. and when it is
daft uifetx n afar,,;,,ad that tha~a 20 ;,,daad
good set, their joy may be said to be
full, for an abundant set of young
oysters means replenishment of stock
which may be to extend over several
years of dearth of set. A satisfactory
set of oysters is not by any means a cir
cumstance of annual occurrence. From
the summer of 1899 to that of 1904 there
was no general set in New York. Here
aud ftxa~a s.aE eSia zr@fe 90 49,.