Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-12-22
1nlas Oyster Problem Why Newport News IS Interested
u Mrmmmu mhmghnmen


together all the material should like
TO put before you this evening, in ref
erence to the oyster que stion i'll Vir-
ginia; aud It's special bearing on this
city and section.
! hope. however. to give you some
Interesting facts, and to show Won a
rev OF the great possibilities in prop
er oyster culture and the tremendous
loss through lack of it. 1t is no long
er necessary TO employ guess work in
this matter, as the full reports of the
conditions existing in other states on
the seaboard are now available, and
1t Is simply matter of reading. to
compare the results OF the different
policies pursued by these states, with
our own.
| am assuming at the outset. that
you know little or nothing about this
subject SO shall at once endeavor to
explain, in as brief manner as pos
siblc
Perhaps the hest and most COM
prehensiye way of doing this. Is to say
That oyster growing is nothing more
or less than farming. conducted be-
meath the water, ana most of the rules
that govern the one will he found tt
govern the other. am sure It is safe
10 say that farming is fairly we'll un-
dcrstood by all of you
The oyster planter raises or buys
the seed oysters best suited to his
needs plants the same on his beds.
and then proceeds to attend to his
beds precisely rs the farmer does If
oysters are too thick. they are thin
ned out by taking some to other beds.
ii they refuse to fatten for market.
they are given another change: il in
tended for one market. they are han
died In one way. and in different
way for another mtrket; all of which
requires vast amount of labor and
care; but first OF all, as stated above.
the planter must buy his seed, for
without seed he is in the same fix
that corn planter would be. if he
suddenly found that he could not get
seed corn.
Here is where the interest of your
city comes in. for at your door lies the
greatest seed producing river in this
state. and yet of the vast amount of
wealth produced by this river. it Is
safe to say that Newport News gets
less than one per cent. Now | think
that the problem that interests YOU is.
how is your city to get more of this
business. and also how can you help
Increase 1t so that the share of your
city will be greater
In the first place. when your CITY
Logan to grow its growth was along
entirely different lines from those of
oyster growing. and few, If any, un-
herstcod or cared to understand the
business; they were doing very well
as sufficient work was found in other
directions.
When the time came that a few
persons began to take interest In the
work. the business had already reach
ed Its full development under the
present conditions. and there was lit
Tie If any opportunity to enter, and
what did offer was hardly worth the
taking as the chance to make profit
was gone.
SO that. as I said before. Newport
News finds herself today getting no
benefit from this business and little
chance of her getting any for many
years to come, unless conditions are
changed.
Now let us examine these conditions
and see what has brought them about.
and also how to change them; to do
this we had best look back little
over the history OF the business I'm
o'ip State so that we can better under
stand what we are trying to get at.
the early constitutions of Virginia
provided that all bottoms of the State
should be available for her citizens to
work upon. as they might desire. and
this condition of affairs continued
down to the early eighties. and al
though those following the business
Tor a livelihood had had unrestraineG
use oil these bottoms. little or no dam
age was inflicted upon them, there
were more oysters than there was
market for, and there were plenty of
small or seed oysters at all times !:
bui ut this point We should notice
mat at that time the population OF this
country was many millions less than
at ms lime. transportation was very
poor compared with what ii is now.
mus Keeping the oyster n"t of many
markets. that are now reached. and
inc desire and ability of The people
10 clialn oysters was almost nothi. q
as compared with The present
as early as the eighties few far
sighted men saw that the ia tural oy-
stcr beds could not long stand the
dram mat would soon be upon them,
JUS, as few today see. that our nat
urai timber supply cannot stand the
drain upon it. and are going syste-
matically into the growing of for
esie.
These men. in the face of srna. on
position including statements rom all
sides that it would ruin the iaborer.
ruin the business. and in fact ruin
everything everywhere induced tho
legislature of Virginia to allow them
To nCnuirR nnder a twnntN ron,. t..n.,