THE OYSTER-INDUSTRY. 71 



The commissioners appointed were : the Hon. Robert Coit of Kew London (chairman), the Hon. H. B. Graves 

 of Litchfield, and the Hon. Charles W. Bell of Norwalk. They held meetings during the autumn of 1879, in various 

 shore towns, which were well attended by the oyster-growers, and to their report is probably due the new law passed 

 in January, 1881, and already quoted, in respect to the designation of grounds by the state. 



Such are the circumstances under which the oystermen in New Haven harbor and the contiguous sound are 

 able to do business. 



30. LIMITATIONS OF OYSTER-CULTURE IN THE NEW HAVEN REGION. 



Selection of oyster-ground. — As I have already remarked, the cultivation of native oysters has grown 

 up within comparatively recent years, to supply the altered conditions of the business and till the demand for the 

 home-bred stock. It soon expanded beyond the limits of shallow water, until now the hopes of all cultivators of 

 anj' consequence are centered upon the deep-water ground, to which the inshore tracts are held as subsidiary, being 

 largely used only as nurseries wherein to grow seed for the Qutside beds. 



The process by which a man secures a large quantity of land outside has been described. It is thought hardly 

 worth trying unless at least 50 acres are obtained, and many of the oyster-farmers have more than 100. These 

 large tracts, however, are not always in one piece, though the effort is to get as much together as possible. He 

 obtains the position of his ground, as near as he can, by ranges on the neighboring shores, as described in his leases, 

 and places buoys to mark his boundaries. Then he places other buoys within, so as to divide his property up into 

 squares an acre or so in size. In this way he knows where he is as he proceeds in his labors. Having done this, 

 he is ready to begin his active preparations to found an oyster-colony. 



The bottom of the sound opposite New Haven, as I have said, is much of it smooth, hard sand, with occasional 

 little patches of mud, but with few rocks. The depth varies from 25 to 40 feet. This area is almost totally void of 

 life, and no oysters whatever were ever found there, except after some "dumps" were made outside the light-house, 

 by the dredging boats which had been cleaning out the channel and deposited many living oysters along with the 

 other dredgings in the offing. These dumps very soon became, in this way, oyster-beds, supplying a considerable 

 quantity of seed, which was public property, to be had for the dredging and taking their share in the incessant 

 controversies as bones of contention. 



Preparation op a deep-wateb oyster-pabm. — When a cultivator begins the preparation of a deep-water 

 farm, his first act is to scatter over it, in t-he s])riug (about May), a quantity of full-sized, healthy native oysters, 

 which he calls "spawners". The amount of these that he scatters depends on his circumstances; from 30 to 50 

 bushels to the acre is considered a fair allowance here, I believe. The rule is, 1 bushel of spawners to 10 bushels 

 of cultch. He now waits until early in July (from the 5th to the 15th is considered the most favorable time), 

 when he thinks his spawners must be ready to emit their spat. He then employs all his sloops, and hires extra 

 vessels and men, to take down to the harbor the tons of shells he has been saving up all winter, and distribute them 

 broadcast over the whole tract of land he proposes to improve that year. These shells are clean, and fall right 

 alongside of the mother-oysters previously deposited. The chances are fair for catching of spawn. Sometimes the 

 same plan is pursued with seed that has grown sparingly upon a piece of ground; or young oysters are scattered 

 as spawners, and the owner waits until the next season before he shells the tract. Sometimes there must be. a 

 preparation of the ground, before any operations can be begun upon it, by elaborate dredging or otherwise. Within 

 the harbor, for instance, considerable muddy bottom has been utilized by first paving it with coarse beach-sand. 

 No spot where there is not a swift current, is considered worth this trouble. The proper amount is 200 tons of 

 sand to the acre, which can be spread at the rate of five sharpie-loads a day, at no great expense. The sand forms 

 a crust upon the mud firm enough to keei) the oyster from sinking, and it need not be renewed more than once in 

 five years. 



Expense of an oyster-farm. — In either case, therefore, the planter's expense has not been enormous. I 

 present herewith two statements of the outlay under the oiierations outlined above, which are as follows: 



No. 1. — Fifty acres. 



2,000 bushels spawners, at 30 cents $600 00 



15,000 bushels shells, at 3 ceuts 450 00 



Planting 15,000 bushels shells, at 4 cents 600 00 



1.6D0 00 

 Xo. 2. — Sixty acres. 



2,000 bushels of spawners, at 56J cents |1,130 00 



17,000 bushels of shells, .at 4 cents 680 00 



4,453 bushels Bridgeport seed, at 10 cents 445 30 



2,255 30 



