THE COAST FISHERIES OF TEXAS. 393 



unsatisfactory enactment of 1887. The natural oyster beds preempted 

 are fished on by the public without molestation; and of the rem?in- 

 ing portion of the ground but a small area has ever been cultivated. 



The most elaborate attempts at cultivation have been made in Gal- 

 veston Bay. In 1889 and 1890 one oyster company secured several 

 thousand acres of sea-bottom located x>artly in Galveston Bay and 

 partly in Matagorda Bay. During the last week of April in 1890 about 

 6,000 bushels of oyster shells were planted for the purpose of obtaining 

 a " set " on a part of the grounds in Galveston Bay. This is reported 

 as being the first attempt of the kind made on the Texas coast. On 

 May 10, of the same year, the shells were examined and found to have 

 caught an abundant quantity of " spat." On August 2 following the 

 young oysters were reported to be one inch and over in length. At the 

 time of my visit, in January of 1891, it was found that they had lived 

 well and would then " run " about 1,500 to the barrel. 



In the winter of 1890-91 about 20,000 bushels of oyster shells were 

 planted, but with what success is not yet learned. The priv^ate 

 grounds in Galveston Bay are also used for planting the small or 

 "cull" oysters obtained from the natural beds, about 45,000 bushels 

 having been planted there in 1890. That was the first year in which 

 this was done on so extensive a scale. 



On the whole the cultivation of oysters in Texas waters gives every 

 assurance of success. While the area of natural oyster beds is com- 

 paratively large, yet these reefs do not seem to possess as much re- 

 cuperative power as the majority of beds on the coast of the Middle 

 Atlantic States, and will more readily suffer from extensive fishing. 

 The destructive spring freshets will also probably hasten the cultiva- 

 tion of oysters, by causing the fishermen to remove the young oysters 

 from exposed places and to plant them in sheltered localities. 



MARKETING OF FISHERY PRODUCTS. 



At nearly all the fishing ports in Texas a number of men give their 

 attention to thewholesalemarketingof the products taken by thefisher- 

 men. These men have market houses (ranging in value from |500 to 

 $10,000) located on the shores of the bays, from which piers 100 to 400 

 feet in length usually run out into the water. Tlie products handled 

 in these markets consist almost entirely of oysters and the catch made 

 by the bay-seine fishermen, with at times a few flounders, catfish, turtle, 

 and terrapins. The products of the other fisheries mostly find their way 

 into local consumi)tion without going through the wholesale nuirkets. 



Each marketman usually has a verbal agreement with a number of 

 fishermen for the purchase of their catch at a price fixed for the season. 

 Tie endeavors to so arrange the fieet that a (icrtain nund)er of boats 

 may land their catch on each shipping day. When the fish are ac- 

 cepted ])y the dealer, the fishermen transfer them from the "live cars" 

 to the market-hcmses. While doing so the "]>oor fish," yiat may have 



