THE OYSTER-INDUSTRY. 51 



similar exporiments, but they cannot afford to pay $10 an acre annual rent for such a purpose, especially as several years must elapse 

 hefoi-e they would get returus, even if successful, and that the Connecticut men have the advantage of iiayiug only $1 annual rent for 

 each acre. 



Under the present law the commissioners are not allowed to lease land for less then §10 annual rent for each acre, and we respectfully 

 suggest that the general assembly inquire iuto the expediency of granting more favorable terms to persons who may wish to experiment, 

 with a view of making productive our annual crop of oyster-spawn. 



It is probably unnecessary to say anything further with respect to the law, unless it be to state, that although 

 not required by any express provisions of the statutes, the commissioners have always held themselves ready to 

 attend to the prosecution of ofl'enders against the oyster-laws, whenever reasonable evidence has been presented to 

 them, and have prosecuted many offenders, without charge for legal services. "It is evident," they rei)orted, "that 

 there have been combinations for the purpose of stealing from these beds, which is done in the night-time by men 

 in row-boats, with watchmen ready to give alarm at the approach of danger, and thus, in many instances, they are 

 able to escape detection." The arrest and conviction of several put a strong check upon these thieves, who stole 

 the oysters and then inflicted additional injury upon the bed- holders, by underselling them in the markets. 



19. THE PLAJTTING-GEOUNDS OF NARRAGANSET BAY, 



The east side op Narkaganset bay. — Tradition says that oysters used to grow in Mount Hoi)e bay proper, 

 below the mouth of the Taunton river; but I could get little trustworthy testimony on this point. Beyond that, 

 on the eastern side, I could not learn of any oyster-beds, ancient or modern, until I reached Newport, where now 

 none are growing or planted (the city deriving all its sujiplies from Providence), but where, in some of the larger 

 salt water ponds, they formerly existed in considerable quantities. They were described to me as a large, round, 

 scalloped oyster, quite different from those anciently found in the pond on Block island, which were said to be long, 

 slender, and very good. It is i^robable that a careful survey of ponds and inlets along the eastern bank of the 

 Scoconet river, and around Scocouet point, would disclose the remains of many extinct beds, and perhaps some 

 living colonies of oysters. The same may be said of Newport neck and (Jonauicut island. 



The Kickamuit river is an inlet of Narraganset bay, at the extreme eastern boundary of the state, which has 

 an entrance only a stone's throw in width, but expands interiorly iuto a bay about three miles long and one wide, 

 the narrow upper portion of which is called Palmer's river. The water is shallow, of course, and the bottom of a 

 very varied character. Forty-one acres have been leased, distributed among eight planters. Native oysters grew 

 there of good size and quality, and some are got yet, but the chief value of the ground is for planting; and -aS. yet 

 the experiment is too slight to afford much judgment. There seems good reason to expect success, since it used to 

 be a famous place for "set". The bottom is also said to be full of fresh springs, which is highly in its advantage. 



Westward of the Kickamuit river are Warren, Barrington, and Palmer rivers, joining in an inlet of Providence 

 river. In these three streams is leased a total of 173 acres, distributed among thirteen proprietors, some duplicating 

 Kickamuit, Drownville, Providence, and Boston names. The shell-heaps strewn upon the knolls along all four of 

 these rivers, show that the succulent bivalves have lived in their waters since time immemorial. Occasionally the 

 natural oysters are still to be found; and that twenty years ago many remained, is shown by the fact that in 18G0 

 an extraordinarily large number of infant oysters "set" on the shores. These native oysters were very large and 

 long and slender. Their shells were not usually very heavy, and they were held in high esteem. At present there 

 are none to be had of marketable size, and there are not enough young ones to be found in these rivers to amount 

 to anything. Nevertheless the Warren and the Barrington are among the best places in Rhode Island, apparently, for 

 oyster-culture. The water is wonderfully pure, sparkling, and salt, and flows in and out with a swift tide. The 

 bottom is very hard, as a rule, and in places rocky. This fact makes the oysters there come to have a round outline, 

 and a firmer, better substance within, though they do not grow so fast as they would lying upon mud. 



A score of years ago planting was begun above the road and railway bridges, in Barrington river, and among 

 the first leases taken out was one for the acre or two of "quick-water" between the bridges ; but it is only within two 

 or three yeurs that operations have been extended below this part into the main river, where the water is salt, and 

 ranges in depth from 9 to 18 feet, over a hard bottom. 



The Virginia oysters bedded here do very well, indeed. They are handled mainly by one planter. His plan is 

 to lay 75 bushels on an area 50 feet square, distributing them by shoveling overboard from the large crafts known 

 as "planting-boats". Ten men, the usual number engaged on a single cargo, will thus unload and put upon the 

 beds from 2,000 to 2,500 bushels a day. The Virginia oysters cost, put down, about 35 cents a bushel. On good 

 ground the growth is gratifying, although about one-fourth of the original number put down are expected to perish. 

 The large amount of cultch spread upon this gentleman's teriitory, had thus far yielded him no return of consequence, 

 since he had idanted with it only a few natives. On the contrary, another prominent lessee in Warren river, gave 

 his whole attention to rearing native oysters, and paid no attention at all to "Chesapeakes". He procures his 

 seed, like all the rest of the dealers, from Somerset, Wareham, Pocasset, etc., but mainly from the Connecticut 

 shore. Formerly he got it much cheaper, but now it costs him from 50 to 70 cents a bushel. The several hundred 

 bushels he put down three years ago lived well, and he now considers them trebled in value. He has adopted the 



