470 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



There lias been cousiderable friction, however, between the oyster- 

 planters and the clam fishermen relative to the acquirement and hold- 

 ing of grounds for planting purposes. The clam fishermen, refusing to 

 recognize the right of the j)lanters to the possession of bottom for pri- 

 vate enterprise, have at various times trespassed upon the cultivated 

 beds under the pretext of taking clams, and numerous cases of litiga- 

 tion have ensued, which have usually terminated in favor of the oyster- 

 men. Out of these difficulties grew the necessity for the organization 

 and incorporation of what is known as the Oystermeu's Protective 

 Association. This association maintains a watch boat, with a crew of 

 two men, whose duty it is to patrol the locality where oysters are planted 

 and report to the members of the association any person who may be 

 found trespassing upon the grounds. There is also a watch-house, 

 where one man is stationed for a similar purpose. The expense and 

 difficulty of securing protection in the prosecution of the industry has 

 doubtless, in some degree, retarded its progress. 



The planting- grounds are located directly opposite the town and 

 within a short distance of the shore. The depth of the water varies 

 from 2 to 16 feet. The central and northeasterly sections consist of 

 mud or soft bottom, while the marginal portions have hard bottom. 

 The soft bottom is utilized for j)lanting small seed oysters and the hard 

 bottom for the large oysters from southern waters, and also as trans- 

 planting-grounds for oysters that have been matured on soft bottom. 



Planting methods. — Each planter designates the boundaries of his 

 grounds by stakes, which usually serve to identify them, but if the 

 stakes are carried away by storms or ice, or are hidden by high tides, 

 ranges are resorted to as a sure method of determining their location. 

 They are divided into lots in a manner similar to that already described 

 for Perth Amboy. When oysters are being i^lanted or transjilanted, 

 these lots are subdivided and staked off in small squares as an assist- 

 ance to the planter in distributing the proper quantities on the ground. 

 This system of planting lacks the element of completeness practiced 

 by agriculturists. The farmer measures both the seed and the ground 

 on which it is to be sown, and distributes a specific number of bushels 

 to the acre. The oysterman decides the question by the eye. He may 

 possibly know the number of bushels of seed he intends to jilant, but 

 generally he does not know the number of acres of ground on Avhich 

 it is to be planted. When the oysters have been planted, the small 

 stakes which have been used for subdividing the lots into squares are 

 removed. 



Both native and southern oysters are used for seed. The native 

 oysters are chiefly from the natural beds in the Raritan Eiver, i!^ewark 

 Bay, and Staten Island Sound (Arthur Kill). These are termed "hard 

 oysters," and cost on an average 50 cents per bushel. They are planted 

 on soft bottom in deep water, where they lie from two to three years 

 before being shifted to hard bottom. They usually require a consider- 

 able amount of culling when shifted, before being replanted. This the 



