Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-11-13
POCOMOKE VERSUS JAMES.
Oyster Conditions in A Territory
That Could Swallow the James
Beds and Forget II.

bSuS dhu iVi Stt Tie
The Richmond and Newport News
papers that are making such an ado
over the little strip on the James that
failed to furnish seed-oysters at ten
cents bushel to hungry planters who
want the earth and the waters under
the earth, might we'll look into it
and see how small part Of our oyster
! territory they are kicking up about.
Here is letter in the Times-D Dispatch
from Capt. John brewer, of Saxis
Island, who for years was the leader
of the Eastern Shore people that helped
gut the James, and who knows as much
about oysters in the James, Pocomoke
and Tangier as any man living:
MORE LIGHT ON THE OYSTER QUESTION.
Editor Times-Dispatch:
"Sir,-It is really amusing to read
after the newspaper men of Richmond,
Newport News and Norfolk on the oys-
ter situation in Virginia. They talk as
though the oysters are gone from the
State. The cry goes out, there are no
oysters.
Now, Mr.. Editor, the reading pub
nc should know what is the trouble in
Virginia, If any. and other sections of
the country. Virginia people today
have more oysters than they can SELF.
Why? One reason is because last sea
son the most of our planters had poor
oysters, the demand was not so great
at the fancy prices as they were the
previous season, and so the planter held
his oysters for this season, expecting
better prices and fatter oysters. Now
1t looks as though they will be no bet
ter Oft this season, and they want to
place the blame somewhere, on one
man. No set of men can make either
fat oysters or produce a "strike'' of
seed oysters. Any reasonable man
should know that nature itself has the
constructing and handling of such.
Take the ocean side of Accomac and
northampton counties. Such Strike
OF SEED oysters has never been known
there. Plenty of oysters on the seaside
for seed.
Zone trouble, Mr.. Editor. is lust this
"a large percentage of the planters
who invest their money in the business
nave all they possess there, and they
have no more to put in. The natural
rocks of Virginia Exclusive of a little
sphere on the James) have replenished
themselves so that there is an over
production of oysters. In Tangier
Sound, for instance, the cry is s'plenty
OF young oysters"-more than has been
for years. For the benefit of those
kld-glove newspaper men who seem to
know 1t all on the oyster and fish ques-
comoke Sound. With the exception of
few wind leads, there run rocks
twenty miles in length and thirteen in
width with more young oysters on them
than have been for twenty-five years.
This does not look as if all the oysters
are gone.
I'm Pocomoke and Tangier Sounds
we are observing the Gull law: our oys-
termen have seen the mistake thew
have made in the past by violating the
oyster laws, and now are helping the
police by reporting any one they see
violating the law. In reference to the
James river, the people of Saxis and
other sections who are reliable and
nave experience say they do not think
and never thought at the time they
went TO the James river, that there
had been any violations through the
closed season. Their argument is a
true, plain and simple one They say
last season was an open weather one;
people worked in the river all season.
and worked the rocks well down. The
closed season was a very wet season.
which, of course, meant no strike in
the upper James. Our people left the
James for their homes on Pocomoke
Sound because they could make good
money at home. To show you and the
public why they came home, last week
only the oystermen here realized from
$4O to $50 to the boat, two men and q
culi boy. for five days work. and hav-
hnr 90
80 cents per bushef. The same class of
oysters sold last season at 81 and 81. 20
per bushel. Does any reasonable man
plane those people for coming back
home! There are today in Pocomoke
Sound over 500 boats longing oysters,
with 1000 people employed on said
boats -something not seen in the past
twenty-five years. That does not look
as though the oysters are all gone.
We extend an invitation to the edi-
tors OF these critical papers to come
down where the business is going on
and spend few days where they can
see for themselves what revenue we
people are paying from the oyster in
custry, direct and indirect, and learn
the condition of our rocks as compared
with only a short while ago.
1--WE are really glad that the Legis-
lature was wise enough to allow an ap-
preparation sufficient to give better
protection to the oyster industry. No
Commission of Fisheries should be crit
icized by the public-and especially by
those who know nothing about the indus
try except what they hear some one else
say-for we believe that every Board
OF Fisheries has done and will still con-
tInue to do what they think is best for
the public and for the State.
=, Il hope this may give some light on
the conditions of things.
Respectfully,
81. r. brewer.
"Saxis. Va, November 6, 19O8."