1/6 • THE OYSTER. 



disease sent by Providence upon the oysters, as a 

 punishment for the sins of the fishermen, who cer- 

 tainly were more worthy of such an infliction than the 

 helpless oysters. 



In all of these cases the exhaustion of the beds has 

 been brought about almost or entirely without the use 

 of dredges, although in a few cases dredges may have 

 been used to a slight extent. 



The list might be greatly extended were it not for 

 the fact that upon all the more southerly beds dredges 

 as well as tongs have been used. 



Enough instances have been given to show that the 

 prohibition of dredging will not save any bed which 

 can be reached with tongs, and as the dredge is much 

 more scientific, effective and economical apparatus 

 than the rude tongs which it has superseded, there 

 does not seem to be any reason why its use should be 

 prohibited. 



In one way the use of dredges is a positive advan- 

 tage to the beds. On a natural bed which has never 

 been dredged, the oysters grow side by side in clus- 

 ters, so crowded together that they have no room to 

 grow. Most of them die when very young, and the 

 others become long and thin. The dredge breaks up 

 and scatters these bunches, and gives the oysters room 

 to grow and to become valuable ; and by scattering 

 the shells, dredging causes an increase in the area of 

 the natural bed. 



It is asserted that the heavy dredges crush and kill 

 the young oysters, and drag them into the mud and 

 smother them, but the private farmers of Connecticut 

 find it to their advantage to drag over their farms, by 



