Dr. Grave's Address 17 



DR. CASWELL GRAVE 



The debt owed to Dr. Brooks by the State of Maryland 

 for the studies made by him of her most valuable resource, 

 the oyster of the Chesapeake, for his long-continued 

 efforts to create a proper realization on the part of the 

 State, as a whole, of the possibilities of this resource, and 

 for his suggestions of methods for husbanding it, is recog- 

 nized and appreciated by so few persons that I esteem it 

 a great privilege to have the opportunity on this occasion 

 to speak of the work of Dr. Brooks on the oyster and of 

 its far-reaching importance and results. 



After the publication of his book, "The Oyster," in 1891, 

 Dr. Brooks's personal activity in the work of arousing 

 interest in the oyster question ceased, but there were not 

 lacking men, consciously or unconsciously inspired by 

 Dr. Brooks, to take up the work. Such was the retiring 

 disposition and modesty of Dr. Brooks that his name 

 gradually ceased to be closely associated with the agita- 

 tion of the question which went on. Some of the measures 

 advocated by Dr. Brooks were entirely dropped, while 

 others were modified in order that the time of their adop- 

 tion by a hesitating public might be hastened. To give 

 due credit to Dr. Brooks for his pioneering work in this 

 field, it is not at all necessary to take from the credit of 

 those who have borne the brunt of the fight in later years. 



Dr. Brooks established the Chesapeake Marine Labora- 

 tory in 1878, at Fort Wool, Virginia, his purpose being to 

 afford opportunities for the study of living marine 

 animals for himself, his associates and students. It was 

 at this time and place that Dr. Brooks began his study 

 of the oyster, and so interested did he become in it that 

 he was encouraged by the University to give his entire 

 time to the subject during the following season, and to 

 this end, in 1879, the Chesapeake Marine Laboratory was 

 transferred to Crisfield, Maryland, this locality affording 



