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natural, but these are so far depleted that there is little chance 

 for recovery so long as they are fished on. If left undisturbed, 

 they would build up again, but the time required for this 

 could be made more profitable to the state, and especially to the 

 industry by cultivating these grounds and supplying the already 

 hardened bottom with a suitable cultch. There are no bottoms, 

 at the present time, profitable to oyster raising, that ought not to 

 be subject to lease. The large reef off Last Island together 

 with possibly several small ones in the Calcasieu Pass and Missis- 

 sippi Island are the only ones that may be considered as 

 natural reefs. 



Culling of Oysters. — The practice commonly demanded of 

 culling oysters on the reefs and throwing back the shells is good, 

 in that it maintains a suitable bottom. The shells thus returned, 

 soon after taking, are in themselves unsuitable for cultch, since 

 they are covered with plant and animal growth. Practical re- 

 sults and large returns could be gotten by drying these shells 

 and then returning them. This can, however, be done only on 

 private beds. On public reefs the best that can be done is that, 

 that is required, namely, to cull and return the shells to thy 

 ground from which they were taken. This keeps the bottom in 

 such a condition that it can at any time be leased and made to 

 return a good profit. 



GENERAL CONDITIONS. 



Necessity for Cultivation. — Louisiana has reached the stage 

 that Maryland did many years ago, namely, that of the deple- 

 tion of natural reefs. The oystermen must wake up to the 

 fact that no longer is it profitable to depend upon going from 

 reef to reef and obtain a handsome return for a day's labor. 

 The time has come when the oyster must be cultivated. The 

 leasing of ground gives a man control of that area, and he can 

 thus acquire a right to utilize the bottoms of any particular sec- 

 tion for his own profit and to exclude others from molesting 

 what may be called his own personal property, tor oysters raised 

 on leased bottoms are such as much as a horse or cow. Havin?^ 

 then been granted this privilege, it should be natural for a man 

 to make the most of it. 



