THE OYSTER. 1 29 



fifty thousand dollars from nearly a million acres 

 sinks into insignificance when compared with the 

 eleven thousand dollars which Rhode Island receives 

 from her eleven hundred acres, and her beds are con- 

 stantly improving in value, while ours are rapidly 

 becoming worthless under our present policy. 



In the early days of Rhode Island oysters were 

 found there in the greatest abundance, but although 

 dredging was forbidden in 1766, under penalty of ten 

 pounds fine, the natural beds have been so depleted 

 by excessive tonging that they are now of little value, 

 and they supply only a very small part of the seed 

 used in planting. If all the area of our own State 

 which is proper for oyster-planting were used in this 

 way, it would, if no more profitable than the oyster 

 grounds of Rhode Island, bring the inconceivable 

 sum of two thousand million dollars into the hands of 

 the planters each year. 



The oyster industry of Delaware furnishes an in- 

 structive illustration of the value of oyster-planting. 

 The natural beds of this State are not equal to a two- 

 hundredth part of those of our State, but under a law 

 which allows any citizen to appropriate fifteen acres of 

 ground where there are no natural oysters, upon pay- 

 ment of a fee of ^25 and an annual license fee of ;^3 

 per ton for the boat used, a system of planting has 

 grown up which is encouraged by public sentiment 

 and is a great source of wealth. 



Until recent times nearly half of the million bushels 

 of seed oysters which were planted annually upon 

 these beds were taken from our waters, and they cost 

 the planter less than twenty-five cents per bushel, put 



