THE OYSTER. 97 



OYSTER FARMING IN AMERICA. 



The American system of oyster farming, which pre- 

 sents some features of resemblance to the French sys- 

 tem, and also many differences, has grown up as the 

 result of private enterprise, without any help or any 

 direct encouragement from government. 



The French people are generally held to be the orig- 

 inators of modern oyster farming, but, as an Ameri- 

 can, I take pleasure in pointing out that our own in- 

 dustry, which is now so extensively developed in Con- 

 necticut, has not been borrowed from France, but has 

 grown up independently. 



Several years before Coste and De Bon commenced 

 their experiments, the oystermen of East River, hav- 

 ing observed that young oysters fastened in great 

 numbers upon shells which were placed upon the 

 beds at the spawning season, started the practice of 

 shelling the beds, in order to increase the supply, and 

 in 1855, or three years before Coste represented to the 

 French Emperor the importance of similar experi- 

 ments, the State of New York enacted a law to secure 

 to private farmers the fruits of their labor, and a num- 

 ber of persons engaged in the new industry on an ex- 

 tensive scale. Among these pioneers in this field were 

 Mr. Fordham, Capt. Henry Bell, Mr. Oliver Cook, Mr. 

 Weed, Mr. Hawley and others. 



The industry has grown steadily from that time, 

 and East River is now said by IngersoU to be the 

 scene of the most painstaking and scientific oyster cul- 

 ture in the United States, and the interest and import- 

 ance of the subject is so great that I quote the whole 

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