Show Something Abont Oysters We are glad to learn that Gov Bowieof Marylandpurposes to lend his executive influence to the development de-velopment of the fisheries of the I basin of the Chesapeake which including in-cluding oysters shad and herring I are of more commercial value than all the inland fisheries of all the States combined and which will eventually form a source of wealth for the states of Maryland and Virginia Vir-ginia the enormous prospective value of which is at this time diffi cult to estimate We have recently had a glance at an able report lately furnished by Capt Davidson in command of the Oyster Police for the State of Mary land which certainly deserves the honors of print as s document of almost universal interest I From this report we glean some curious rious facts as new to us as we suppose sup-pose they are to a majority of our readers Though there are excellent cellent oysters at different points along the gulf coast there are climatic cli-matic and other reasons forbidding their ever becoming of commercial importance while the beds north of the Delaware are ail supplied from the Chesapeake hence Maryland and Virginia may be said to virtually tually possess the monopoly of the oyster trade of the North American continent The area in Maryland covered more or less densely with these fish is immense amounting to something near 350 square miles and on the surface they are found at depths varying from four to sixty feet The oyster is said to be hermaphroditic herma-phroditic It spawns in the months of April May June July and August Au-gust and is wonderfully prolific each mature mollusk producing annually one million of young but as a wise check upon this marvel ous facundity nature has created for it innumerable enemies among which may be enumerated the starfish star-fish the drill the winkle the crab the drumfish and the sheepshead but far more destructive than all these combined is the reckless use I of the heayy iron dreges which dragged over the beds night and day in every direction in shallow as well as in deep water from Sep tember to June destroys thousands of oysters for one taken indeed so destructive is this process as now carried on that the oyster fisheries of the Chesapeake like those of France and England will soon cease to be productive and a great source of wealth lost to the state Without proscribing the dredge altogether its use should be rigidly restricted to daylight and to water too deep to be sounded by the tongs We learn from Captain David sons report that the number of oysters legitimately taken with the dredge to say nothing of those taken in violation of the law within the waters of Maryland amounted last year to 6305000 bushels while those taken by licensed canoes and for private use amounted 3729000 O bushelswhich gives an aggregate of 10000000 bushels as the annual product the Maryland beds and it is confidently believed by those who have made this subject a study that under regulations such as are now so successful suc-cessful in France this product might be increased tenfold and the fisheries would afford employment employ-ment to 20000 laborers Alluding in his report to the profits pro-fits of oyster culture Captain Davidson writes as follows I know of no enterprise which is more remunerative and which give less anxiety to the certainty of results re-sults if ordinary personal attention is given to the business Almost every bend in our shores protected from the storms is a mine of wealth if the efforts of our people can only be turned in that direction Few people not engaged in the trade are aware how rapidly oysters I will increase in size and condition I when taken from their native beds in clustered heaps and then culled and planted singly and permitted to rest undisturbed for a season I know of an instance where 15000 were thus treated costing not exceeding ex-ceeding 30c per bushel from first to last and every bushel of which is i now worth in the market 6150 Turf Farm and Field |