The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-10-02
Cultivation Of Natural Oyster
 Beds Proposed Natural Growthers Will Ask State to Save Bridge
 port Set" SEED FAILS, FIRST
 TIME IN 35 YEARS Privately Owned Beds In Local Waters Show Sat
 isfactory Results

the largest in Connecticut waters, has failed of set, and today the last of the natural growers oyster fleet left this harbor to try their luck at the so-called Savi1 Rock beds, off New Haven. Until this year and, since 1873, the beds off Bridgeport harbor and Stratford light, have been the most productive beds in the world. Bridgeport or Stratford grown oyster set has commanded the best prices beds.
 There is some set, but not enough to pay the natural growers for work ing the public beds.
 With the opening of the season the price for oyster set was 50 cents per bushel This quickly dropped to 25 cents when a few days dredging di- vulged the fact that there was but little set here and poor set at that. Oystermen who have left here for the SaTin Rock natural beds report that the set is obout three times as great as off Bridgeport and Stratford and since the water there is shallow the dredging can be carried on twice as fast.
 Captain William A Lewis, one of the inspectors of the natural beds off this harbor and Stratford, as well sas others who are interested in the nat ura1 beds believe that the poor set is due to lack Of cultivation. Year aft ter year for thirty-five years the nat ura1 beds have been dredged for set or the seed of the oyster. The first dredging began in 1879 when some business men Of Greenpoint |. l.. and Gardiner's Bay conceived the idea of planting oysters there. They came to Bridgeport to buy seed and then began in this vicinity this particular branch of the oyster industry.
 Since that time ssBridgejort set'' has 4- EH- ter growing grounds in the world, the Chesapeake Bay district, and tsBridgeport set'' still commands the highest prices from growers on those grounds and in the Delaware River district. Bridgeport set'' has also been carried to the Pacaf1c coast and it has been soWn freely in the waters of Puget Sound when the oyster in dustry there was in its Infancy.
 Lack of cultivation is said to be re- sponsfble for present conditions on the Bridgeport natural beds. The ad- Joining, beds, privately owned, have a fine set, and their owners are well sal- isfied with the outlook so far this season. The Bridgeport and Strat- ford public beds have stood uncu1ti- Vated for 36 years The bottoms are foul. Huge rocks sediment. sea weed, and everything else that tends to pre- vent the growth of oysters abounds
 
 dy of conditions
 Tn the sayin Rock waters there is plenty of highly prized Jingle set, once prevalent here but now almost unknown. In the Savin Rock waters, are many Of the sandy hilIocks be- meath the sea. which are particularly fine spawning ground and which al- ways produce the jingle ''set. Over these grounds the fleet which always sailed out of Bridgeport is now doing their work in the Savin Rock district
 The natural growers have a state association and agitation is now on for the presentation of a bill to the leg fsIature at it's next session for an ap- propriation for the cultivation of the natural beds Growers believe that if the methods of private owners are followed and steam travis with ra,kes are sent over the natural beds during the closed season, July 20 to Septem- Der 1, the bottom will be stirred up so that 9. good set will result next season. At present the natural grow CT pays small license fee of $5 for each vessel of five tons or under and ts1.5o for each additional ton over the five
 The oystermen propose to raise this
 minimum license fee to $25 or more and thus defray the expense of cu1ti- vating the natural beds. Oystermen claim that with a. good set the increas- ed fee could easily be earned in one day.
 In late years many of the private 1 oyster cultivators who were large buy CTS of seed provide themselves from their own beds. Mill, Lounds & Okes | of Greenpoint. once the largest buyers l of Bridgeport set, no longer buy. The oyster companies in5 which Andrew I Rade1, of this city, is interested also raise their own seed. Nevertheless l the demand for Bridgeport set has not diminished and it would again 1 bring top prices if it might be brought l to the standard of former years | The sailing of the oyster fleet means 1 a considerable loss in income to the merchants of Bridgeport, but the fleet l may return for another try after the l other beds have been worked.