THE OYSTER-INDUSTRY. 53 



and efflux of sea- water. Tliis work is not yet completed and tested. If it should succeed, a large, new territory 

 will be added to the oyster-j;rounds of the state. 



Pawcatuck river. — The Pawcatuck river divides the state of Connecticut from Rhode Island, and is subject 

 to tides as far up as Westerly, at least. From a mile below Westerly to its mouth it is inhabited by oysters, though 

 of poor quality, and hence of small commercial importance. These are of two sorts : one kind, the "rock-oyster", 

 attaches itself to the rocks along the shores and iu the bottom of the stream, and grows singly to a good size ; the 

 other, called the "bed-oyster", grows in dense clusters, in crowded beds, and is of very small size; it is rarely 

 brought to market, and is considered by the fishermen worthless to transplant, on account of the clustered condition. 

 Sufticieut painstaking iu the matter would, of course, overcome this objection. For some years the oysters of 

 all kinds iu this river have been afl'ected by a disease which interferes with their sale, because, whether for good 

 reason or not, they are supposed to be unwholesome. The disease was described to me as producing little "boils" 

 on the body, inside the mantle, as near as I could understand. It appeared first as a greenish spot, then became 

 yellow, and liually turned into a black, rotten pustule. Various causes are assigned, but none are satisfactory. Dry 

 seasons, like the present, seem to augment the disease, which is perhaps a fungoid growth that finally "eats out a 

 hole", as the fishermen say, and it is not essentially different from the " greenness" of Somerset and Seekonk oysters. 



A large set occurs regularly iu this river, but in some years to a greater extent than in others. Three years 

 ago was said to be an exceedingly productive year. Young oysters were found upon everything all through the 

 river, and upon some rocky points down toward the mouth, they were said to have been seen lying on the shore 

 "iu windrows a foot deep"; this is an exaggeration, no doubt, but gives evidence that there was a vast quantity. 

 This was immediately following a dredgiug-out of the channel. Nothing of auy account was done toward saving 

 them to stock beds anywhere. Pawcatuck river is not considered suitable for oyster-bedding to any extent, unless 

 the ground should first be prepared by paving the mud and killing out the eel-grass. There are many impurities 

 in the water, also, arising from drainage and the waste of many mills, print-works, and other manufactories. In 

 W^ard's pond, on the contrary, a sheet of water affected by the tides, which lies four miles east of Westerly, is found 

 a most excellent place for oysters, wild and cultivated, but the people who inhabit the shores do little themselves, 

 and object to attempts on the part of outsiders. This i)ond contains between one and two hundred acres, and is 

 nearly everywhere gravelly or sandy on the bottom, with considerable fresh water flowing in. I was told that 

 nowhere iu this whole region did oysters grow so fast, and acquire so fine a relish, as here, but not having inspected 

 the pond myself, I cannot corroborate these glowing reports by personal observations. 



Area of pre-empted oyster-grounds in Ehode Island. — To recapitulate, I append a list of localities 

 where oyster- ground is let in Ehode Island, and the areas in 1879 : 



Locality. Acres. Locality. Acres. Locality. Acres. 



Kiokauiuit river 35 Sabine point G4 Caniniicut point 60 



P.ilmer'.s river 5 Pomham rock 1 WickCord harbor 1 



Warren river 141 Fuller's rocks 9 Ward's poud, Westerly 1 



Barringlon river 27 Field's point 23 



Runistick point 12 Starvcgoat island 27 Total number of acres 962 



Nayat point 46 Great Bed 160 



Drownville 25 Pawtuxet 03 Number of lessees 56 



Bullock's cove 13 Gasp<5 point 10 Average tract acres.. 17.2 



Bullock's point 239 



FUTITRE OF THE SHELLFISH-INDXTSTET IN Ehode ISLAND. — To the question : " Is all the suitable ground 

 in Narraganset bay taken up " ! the oystermeu almost always reply : " Yes". But they have been doing so for years 

 and years, yet from 100 to 300 acres have been added to the leased area every year, and applications for more are 

 now in. Below Caniniicut point is iin extensive basin, with plenty of hard bottom, entirely unoccupied, owing to 

 the depth of the water, which, however, over large tracts, is no deeper than is planted in Connecticut. The same 

 is true of Greenwich bay, where one man assured me a thousand acres would someday come under oyster-cultivation. 

 Not much experimenting has been done in either of these districts as yet, however, the cost of leases and the active 

 opposition of the scallop-interest deterring. It may be said, in general, that land enough unoccupied remains in 

 Ehode Island to give scope to all the capital likely to be invested there for many years to come. It has been asserted 

 more than once by the commissioners, that the revenue from her shellfisheries ought to, and in time will, pay all the 

 expenses of the state. 



20. SOUTHERN OYSTEES: TEANSPL ANTING AND TEADE. 



Bedding Virginia oysters. — Thus far the bedding and fattening of Virginia oysters, mainly to be sold 

 opened, has been the most profitable branch of the business. Of these oysters about .'iOOjOOO bushels are laid down 

 annually, at present. The vessels employed in bringing them are mainly owned on Cape Cod, and liave already 

 been named. None, so far as I could learn, hail from Rhode Island ports. The freight is about 15 cents a bushel, 

 in the fall and winter, falling to 12 and 10 cents in the spring, when quicker voyages for planting purposes 

 can be made. What part of the Chesapeake bay furnishes the best oyster for these waters is a question that has 

 received much attention. One gentleman told me that he had lost the whole of two years' labor, by trying to put down 



