The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-02-14
4 ( +. p cls.. Il, 4 ~
PLANTERS MIGHT
TAkEJAMES RIVER
Or State, Says Fish Commission,
May Prohibit Planting Above
Seed Line.
ANNUAL REPORT IS ISSUED
Time Seems Approaching When
Natural Rocks Viii Supply
Market.
ANNUAL REPORT is ISSUED

t'te. oS stcI trouble ana expense IN 1fe
James River By either prohibiting
planting bove the seed line or else BY
turning the entire thing over to plant
ers. The Com mission Of Fisheries yes
terday ade public its annual report 10
/ me Governor. AS usual, tho report
I gives large space TO the conditions on
| the James, although it is really but
a small part Of tho oyster grounds OF
! the State.
Renettion is made Of the argumen.
/ used before the Legislature last winter
in behalf of the bill for rearranging
] the lines OF the Baylor Survey in the
lanes. to the effect that tho ziEzag lines
OF the survey make strict administering
/, OF the law physical inpossibility AND
cause continual clash between tongc,
and planter.
/ he result is that one fourth Of the
/ oFster navy and of tho expenditures OF
| me commission are devoted to the
| lanes, which furnishes but one tenth of
| inc oyster industry. while It's seed beds
| form but a nineteenth part of the
/ states natural rock
/ Decrease In Planting.
/ treating OF the situation over the
i state generally. the Commission OF
| lsherles comments OH the decline OF
j revenue from plant grounds ana The
/ increase from tongers The returns
| rom planting grounds rented by the
| Siasc Tor tho past year show $i6766 as
! aSalnst S49,StS for the preceding year.
! Although the extension of time for. the
payment under the new laws affected
! this to some extent, the commission is
| convinced that some planters are Civ
/ ing UP their holdings On the other
! nand. the revenue from tonycrs in
creased from $1,000 to s13,iS4.
Few wears ago the State received
$4,000 annually from tonscrs and
! Nto'o0O from planters. The falling off
IS caused largely. says the report, BY
| ne severe blow struck the industry by
| pure food faddists' On this subject
The report WAKES warm. the person .
| VINO have been spreading false reports
/ a bout the healthfulncss Of tie Virginia
| oyster coming In for Instrumentation
Wnlch The commission admits 1t is I'M
| willing TO publish in It's entirety.
Mny Stop Cultivation.
| lie hnal result will be. 1t seems thai
SUCH a growth of oysters will be fos
tered and cropped from the public
area that planting and cultivatinE Will
be pretty well abandoned and that the
| State. If 1t demands better showinp
IN direct returns, will have to cast
about for other methods Of taxing The
branches Of the industry.
AS IT now appears continues the
report the era dually diminish hing
areas under lease will soon decline
| more RAPIDLY, while the natural CROWN
VIII DC all that the demands or fire
market require
ne commission believes tia the fsh-
.ies ser vice was never under a better
system and that with the prcsen, an.
| preparation and tho new laws. rurtbcy
improvements may be expected
n bout the ,Jarue ,.I
on me subject Of the oyster situation
IN Inc lanes The ropor, is as follows
IN nine tenths of our oyster section
theTe is Huietude and satisfaction ovor
( tnc marked Improvement within Jata
Years In all localities except Mohiack
Pay and the York River there has been
grea: increase in tn, n,tural
CROWN and output OF oysters This
has heen particularly so in James Riro,
ana It's tributaries Your cotnmissio,,
mas almost desparcd of done. anythinn =
A ~, ~ hei h nc once famous and produc,
I've hut now denudcd Mobiack RAY
lhe same is trnc TO a less 1crren ~
ORR kfVcr. IN these two sections ,te
tha s,nnnr, Of Fisheries has lacked
PIE What has been ACCOMPLISHED 70,
Locomokc sound the Rapp, hlnnocL
lhc lanes and other less known local.
l,,Gs ,b eoH Yar be aehieyed FOR Mobiach
!" remain-the one rractically barren
and the other showing only sligh,
improN cnlent--tntil residents ana poli
CA factors viii accord honesty IF n,r.
nose TO oyster officials and s,ppor,
them in their plans for resuscitatio,,
ohTe, ioig ago. these were fruitfil
aga prosperous bottoms having grea,
!eno"n a home and abroad
Lett TO themselves because az thei,
OWN violation. they have given official.
iittie concern Localities other thar
the James have also given h,t iii.
trouble chiefly because policies Of ON,
Gals We're accented and The rcsul, Ia,
heen 5000 with little trouble of adj
! lninist "a uon. More trouble and ex
pcnse. however, have been occa stone,
IN the lanes River than probably al
olher sections combined. YET IN,
a ian is SHOWING great improvement
~" M wonaer'iil advancement insofar a,
t'No ma NraI bees are concerned
Gets Into Papers
ihis river Is more largely in III.
PUBIC eye; for patent reasons than an,
Enthcr ndal section II has been bro,gh
by aGitators into undue pronnincnr,
& and Importance, 1t being the closest .
our oyster beds TO the cities of Rich
mond, Newport News ana Norfolk /
movement or act, 10 matter how sn,a II
: 70 'ge' into the papers. The Jane
and It's tributaries embrace but ono
! | tenth Of tic entire cyster ndustrv .
81 the state, ana but q nineteenth ,sr
4 q the States natural rock is foun,
: n the seed beds ~ the James True
9 ,he etnali area OF secd ground Is NOR
( yaiuaoie than an equal area in man,
o oihHr rlacsS AS 80 the 1921 acre
( within the survey IF the James Rive
/ seed grounds not 5000 ri them ar
9 prolific o. car lie utilized .
because. Of a Spirit that believe
4. az natural crcwth oysters belong a
" All times 10 Tidewsier citizens jnhre
e iof many years. and intensified by re
cent agitation, this Commission q
vi flhherleS has had 10 devote ,nwar
# ranted time and means to that terri
-ll tory. tThe Same, to,a large extent wa
II true OF our nrndccesso In fac
4. about one fourth of the navy and o.,
is expenditures are devoted 10 the jaime
The rest Of the territory througho,
our 3,5nh square miles Of uatroliin
have all been deprived OF their ds
J. served share OF policing because {
the lanes.
The State might be we'll rid Of III
James trouble and expense by eitht
prohihitinE planting akove inn ene