The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-22
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.,

OuSi oNerlOokcd mat the tim
spent IN searching for tho latte,
MAKES further work unrcmuneratiye
al this stage of temporary abandon
ment the rock consists of !. few anal
patches Of productive bottom, area.
| which arc practically bare Of market
| oysters. and others which have been
worked over but still retain GONE oys.
! .ers scattered over them by the opera.
mons OF longing. 1t is of course i'm.
possible from the complexity and ir-
Regularity OF the conditions obtaining
on an oyster bed. to fix limit of more
than reasonable accuracy.
On the Natural Rocks.
AS 10 the condition OF all the ma
,ural rocks included in fho nnbItc
bottoms, the report gives the followinc
seneraly summary:
Tho public grounds in the region
covered by the survey and OF which a
detailed discussion Is found In tho nre
ceding pages cover an area OF 2s tDs. (;
acres as computed I'M the report OF the
SAVIOR survey. or this acreage, 12.7e0.s
acres lie below the line drawn between
Deep creek and Days Point and 1851. &
acres lie above the line, The beds of
the former region are ayailabIs Tar
the production of marketable oysters
only. the law requiring that all oysters
under three Inches long be returned To
the beds, while the latter region 10 scr
apart for the production of seed oys-
Iers. and the Gull law is not applicable
except In so far as 1t forbids the re-
moval of shells.
or the entire area the recent survey
shows that 2.c27 acres may be classod
as bearing a. dense growth. e.o7s as
scattering. 1.s4s a. very SCATTERING.
o., as depleted and l5,3T1.4 as barren.
Inc barren and depleted bottoms to-
sether comprise 1864 acres or about
.. 20 per cent of the total. and all bot
tom which can be construed as pro-
ductiye aggregates 7,I53 acres. or OF |
per cent. of the entire bottom Included |
within the Baylor lines. Owing 10 tho I
difference In the provisions OF the law
appiicable TO the two regions and the |
resultant difference In the character of |
thelrs product, 1t Is necessary to present |
sparato summaries OF their present con-
ditionn
While Or. Moore carefully avoids,
erg rs SIDES for or against {he plant
pleted bottoms. he has this to say of
Lne rocks which are at present un- I
THE depleted bottoms. az /, whole.
i is, neither present nor prospective
49, u1 ii&ituTdl conditions, though
the bottom Is generally OF such char
tcter that If It were feasible to rent
t out for purposes of oyster culture
7 could be made highly productive.
' ha; OF II Is SO situated. however.
'ons OF administration, it would be
advisable to ALLEVIATE 1t from the gen +
'ral grounds. Concerning the great
n ,rea o. barren bottoms, the same state
proportion OF 1t lying in the channels. r
md deeper holes between the beds or
n other situations which would make
;roun agu IN TO delimit It from the public
.ollclng OF the public rocks and pre- ;
.enL abuses which experience shows
louid Undoubtedly be attempted. There
t.o h,e,.' certain areas in consid-
Or purposes OF oyster culture without ,
materially reducing the area Of tho I
atural rocks included in the public
only Suggestions Made.
~. Moore makes only the most general
usgesttons regarding the use Of these c
eplettcd rocks. The State. Inc thinks /
an either maintain the public grounds Il
5 ihcluded In the original Baylor Sur t
ey, or It can abolish the survey in $
10 - .,e or u can rent out to individuals q
uctiye rocks. He states the argu- S
ents for and against these different S
ans as follows:
Tho first course-that tho beds be
stalned In the present status-hardly
eeds discussions, 1t has been tried,
I'D Its results arc known, largely as ;,
&c effect of the acrimonious disputes = =
! which 1T has given rise. The mat 4,
rs of fact, which have been at issue =.
these interminable discussions, as !.
. whether or not the public grounds 20
any considerable area of bar Il
~ bottom, have been dealt with In -
g preceding pages and speak for =,
emselves. It should be pointed out. -
'wever, that while the barren area
shown SHOWN to constitute a considerable
!. IT IS SO related to tho productive S
'ttom that 1t could not be eliminated Est
luef any scheme permitting OF prac- | tn
,al administration. al
me second alternative-the total sda
clifton of tho public grounds and ita nc
rollary,. tho opening of the whole tn
ca for leasing--is drastic. On broad CO
onomtc grounds the proposition is1ns =
; ;1,, and legitimate as the sale of --
Pic timber land or the breaking up n
onf GGfne pnblis rangsa Ct the West
ster ~ sessile, 1t has nothing In COM
N with an alienation Of tho common II
merry for nomadic species. The law II
Already recognized that under con- II
Ions an oyster in stu may be props Il
,ome such until caught. The break II
UP of the public grounds into II
seholds under private control would II
rease heir productiveness preciselylli |
the breaking up OF tho common
nomic efficiency and greater pro- Hi
'tiveness. Il]
This course would, furthermore,
Id a return to the State. where II L
re H. now q net tlay for policing Il AL