104 THE FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



of caj/ital it miglit be made productive, and there are very few out of the many planters in Bayshore who depend 

 to any considerable degree upon their oyster-beds for their support, even if you add to this the profits they derive 

 from clammiug. 



The use of "stools" to receive otsteb-spat. — Following the lessening product of the seed-beds and 

 the increasing appreciation of the oysters of this region, attention was tm-ued some years ago to the possibility of 

 saving a portion of the wasted spawn with which the imagination filled the waters of the whole bay, by giving it 

 suitable " stools " upon which to rest. 



It has Ijeeu the custom, therefore, for several years in Brookhaven bay, to spread dowu shells, scrap-tin, and 

 other cultch, in hopes of catching a quantity of oyster-spawn and so getting ])leuty of seed. This seems to 

 have succeeded just in proportion to the contiguity of mother-oysters to the receiving-bed, and the success has 

 generally been so imcertain, that no great dependence has been placed upon this som'ce of supply, nor has the 

 practice been systematically engaged in, as at New Haven and Norwalk. The experience of Mr. King Benjamin, of 

 Saj'ville, for instance, may be given as that of the average planter in this respect. He told me that it was his custom 

 to spread his shells at the middle of the spawning season, which here comes early in July, where the tide-currents 

 were tolerably swift, and spread them lengthwise of the current. Then across the tide, near the middle of the bed, 

 he puts a rank of spawning-oysters from the North river, and has rarely failed for ten years past to get a good set 

 to a distance of 15 or 20 rods, but no further. The risk now begins, and it is rare that any considerable quantity 

 of the seed so caught survives the bieakiug up of the wintep, when the ice goes out and the northeast gales churn 

 up the bottom of the shallow bay. A large proportion of all the oysters, large and small, in Brookhaven, which 

 have lain in health all winter, are destroyed every spring. This is one argument used to sustain the propriety 

 and profit of fallraking for seed. 



The spreading of shells, without placing among them mother-oysters, is steadily practiced, in, the hope of some 

 day catching a fortune, but up to this time this practice has hardly repaid the small expense incurred. On the 

 other hand, in spite of ill-luck, those planters who have worked more cautiously, placing spawners among their 

 shells instead of trusting to chance, have got plenty of young. There seems no reason, therefore, why the race of 

 "Blue Points" should become extinct for loss of seed, and no doubt a more urgent necessity than now exists -will 

 introduce into that locality the better methods of sa\ang spawn and safely raising the young, which are surely 

 possible. At present it is preferred to purchase seed of natural growth, or of somebody else's raising. 



That the Brookhaveu men consider the putting down of stools worth the effort, is evinced by their petition to 

 the town -authorities in May, 1880, for additional ground for this purpose on the southern, and as yet, useless 

 shore of the bay. After long discussion, this petition met with the following response, which opens a new field of 

 industry to Patchogiie, which there is every reason to suppose will prove of profit. The town decreed as follows : 



Whereas, there is a large portion of the South bay adjoining the South beach which is clean sand-bottom, and could be made 

 available for raising seed-oysters liy the spreading upon said ground shells for seed to catch upon, thereby making the; tlats and shoal- 

 water ground i)rodnctive to our citizens, and an increased revenue to our town : Therefore, be it 



Mesolved, That this board of trustees lease four acres of such ground to the west of Blue Point and east of aline drawn south from 

 Munsell's landing, lo any citizen of the town of Brookhaven, for the purpose of propagating and raising seed-oysters thereon, whether a 

 lot for growing oysters in said bay has already been leased to him or her, or not, at the annual rent of §1 for the term of one year, with the 

 l)rivilege of renewal annually for nine successive years thereafter, and on the other conditions upon which the board of trustees are now 

 granting leases for the purpose of growing oysters. 



Otstee-vessels and otsteemen at east end of Great South bay. — The fleet and the number of 

 persons supported by the oyster-industries of the eastern end of the Great South bay are very large, but it was 

 impossible for me to get exact statements in respect to either. At Patchogue and neighborhood, however, an 

 estimate of 2.50 boats was concluded upon after much inquiry. Eastern Islip will add to this 200 boats, and the 

 shore from there westward to Bayshore from 100 to 150 more; say the lesser number. All of these boats are 

 sloops or cat-rigged, and are of good size and quality, so that they will range from $600 to $1,G00 in value. The 

 minority, however, are of the more expensive pattern, and about $750 would probably fairly cover the average 

 value. This would make the 550 sail-boats, built for the oyster-business and used from two-thirds to the whole of 

 the time in that business, owned from Bellport to Bayshore, represent a present cash value of about $425,000. 



In addition to this must be counted, say 500 skill's, worth, perhaps, $25,000. It is probable that $50,000 more 

 would not more than cover the value of ground, sheds, implements, packing-tools, etc., required, so that the floating 

 property of the oyster-planters from Bayshore eastward to Bellport, concerned in that business, nmst be estimated 

 as high as half a million of dollars. This, however, is distributed among about COO planters, 400 of whom live in 

 Brookhaven and the rest in Islip. These are all, supposably, heads of families, and they employ, or otherwise 

 support, perhaps GOO more men and boys to help them in the busy season, half of whom thus support families. It 

 may thus be said that in Brookhaven 000 families, and in Islip 300— total 900 — derive their susteuauce directly or 

 indirectly from oysters, though most of them, at the same time, are, to a considerable extent, farmers, or fishermen, 

 or both. 



Yield of Blue Point oysters in 1879-'80. — The past year (lS7t)-'80) has been a very poor one, both 



