56 THE FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



good set; but on a closely adjacent bed, where there were no "mothers", not a young oyster was to be seen. He 

 had had the same experience in the Kickamuit. On the other hand, the simple tumbling over of shells in the hope 

 of catching drifting spawn, has proved almost universally a failure here. One man told me he had planted shells 

 steadily for thirteen years in Providence river, and had got only one set worth mentioning. 



Native oysteks at Block island.— On Block island, many years ago. there was an abundance of small 

 oysters living in the pond that occupies so much of the interior of the island. For some reason, however, they 

 were rarely found in a fit condition for food, but would serve to transplant. The oystermen at Clinton, Connecticut, 

 and elsewhere, used to buy them, the price being 2j cents a bushel, delivered at their destination. The shells of 

 these Block island oysters were so delicate, one planter told me, that it was easy to pinch your thumb and finger 

 through them, and often there would be so much air and fresh water held within their half-vacant shells, that they 

 would float when thrown overboard in planting, and drift away. All these oysters long ago disappeared, and no 

 cultivation has been tried to replace them. 



Eeturning northward, I find that, at Bristol, several attempts to raise oysters have foiled, and that the markets 

 of this ancient and beautiful village are now supplied by Providence. 



22. ENEMIES OF THE OYSTER IN NAREAGANSET BAY. 



Men and starfishes.— The active enemies of the oyster in these waters are five: human thieves, popularly 

 known as "ten-flugers"; starfishes, or "five-fingers"; winkles, drills, and annelid worms. I will not dwell upon 

 these here, because the subject is fully discussed in another chapter devoted especially to these pests. Stricter 

 measures of both guarding and punishing have, of late, put a stop to the stealing to a great extent. The starfishes 

 have not been seriously troublesome, except in limited spots, since their memorable visit in 1800 and ISOl, when 

 they all but extirpated the business, and compelled it to move up to West and Diamond beds, now abandoned, 

 where the water was too fresh to permit the starfishes to follow, and where a heavy fall of snow came to the aid 

 of the oystermen, and finally killed the five-fingers, by freshening and chilling the water beyond their endurance. 

 During the last two or three years, however, starfishes have become more numerous, particularly in the Bullock's 

 Point region, and have done much damage. 



MOLLITSKS AND WORMS.— The wiukles, or " wrinkles ", Sycotypus canaliculatus, seem also to be on the increase, 

 and commit considerable damage. In many parts of the bay drills, Urosalpinx dncrea, occur abundantly, and rapidly 

 destroy the seed and younger oysters, not attacking the old ones so readily. In Taunton river, a few years ago, 

 this little mollusk made clean work, eating nine-tenths of all the seed between Somerset and Assonet. In Pawtuxet, 

 this year, the oystermen have been greatly troubled by multitudes of annelid worms, Soyulcc, whose tortuous, 

 cyhndrical cases are formed thickly upon every sheU, and serve to collect a coating of cases, sand, mud, etc., which 

 is often half an inch or more thick. This is known locally as "sanding-up" or "loading", and under its infliction 

 the mollusks suffer greatly in quality, probably through the fact that the parasitic worms, which feed upon the 

 same organisms as the oysters, extract much of the nourishment from the water, which otherwise would go to make 

 them fatter. One or two other minor animal agencies inimical to the oyster are at work aU the time. 



23. STATISTICS OF THE OYSTER-TRADE OF RHODE ISLAND. 



Capital invested. — The amount of capital invested in this district it is almost impossible to come at. It 

 probably approaches $1,000,000, including perhaps $300,000 or $350,000 worth of seed-oysters growing on the beds. 

 One third or more of this property is owned in Boston, and the necessary money for carrying on operations comes 

 thence, but is represented by men who also do more or less private planting on their own account. Of coiuse this 

 is chiefly in the hands of a dozen or more planters on the list ; the forty or fifty others will not average a greater 

 sum than $1,000 each invested in this business, which is chiefly conducted personally, close to their bay-side homes, 

 and without hired help, by selling to home-shippers. The expensive warehouses required by some of the wholesale 

 dealers and shippers in the city of Providence count largely in the estimate of capital involved; and the boats used 

 are of a good class. 



Yield and value of the oyster-beds. — The yield of the beds and its value, appears in the following 

 table : 



BuRhels. 



1879. Native oysters produced on beds owned in Rhode Island 108,200 



Southern oysters, ditto 274,:i00 



Native oysters produced on heds owned out of the state 40, 000 



Southern oysters, ditto 238,000 



Total Narraganset production 660, 500 



The total value of this, and some additional annual business, will amount to at least $600,000, at the original 

 wholesale price paid the jiroducer. 



Prices and wages. — The prices at which oysters were sold by wholesale dealers in the city of Providence, 

 during 1879, were the following : Virginias, in shell, selected, $1 to $1 25 per bushel; Virginia plants, common, 90 



