Dr. Grave's Address 19 



duties in the University, he gave his entire time for eigh- 

 teen months to the study of the economic side of the oys- 

 ter question. A laboratory for conducting experiments 

 in the propagation of oysters was established at Hamp- 

 ton, Virginia. Surveys were made of the oyster bars in 

 order to determine their actual condition. Careful studies 

 were made of the oyster industries of European countries 

 and Northern States, special emphasis being placed upon 

 methods which have been employed elsewhere to bring 

 exhausted or depleted oyster beds to a satisfactory state 

 of productivity. Many of these methods were tried on a 

 small scale in the Chesapeake. In 1884 the report of this 

 work was published, in a quarto of 200 pages. In addi- 

 tion to descriptions of the above lines of investigation, it 

 contained recommendations for legislation. Nearly all 

 of the recommendations were disregarded by the Legisla- 

 ture, partly because of the effect of a minority report by 

 the dissenting member of the commission, but mainly be- 

 cause the measures recommended were far in advance of 

 the times. 



Dr. Brooks saw clearly now that the oyster question 

 was not an economic one to be worked out in a scientific 

 way, but that it was a social problem, the solution of 

 which could only result after long years of discussion 

 before, and consequent education of, the general public. 

 Such a campaign of education he undertook to carry 

 on by frequent public lectures on the oyster, by discus- 

 sions in the newspapers, and, finally and more effectually, 

 by the publication, in 1891, of a popular treatise, entitled 

 "The Oyster." This book is described by Dr. D. C. Oilman 

 as "scientific enough to be accurate, not so scientific as 

 to be hard of understanding." It marked a very long step 

 in advance. Its immediate effect was to bring to the aid 

 of the cause men of large influence in public affairs. The 

 book, written so clearly, covering fully the subjects of 

 oysters and oyster culture, was read with enthusiasm and 

 profit in every State and couutrv where ovsters are 



