THE OYSTER. 1 85 



thousands of bushels of oysters were packed away 

 under blankets of sea-weed, in scores of cellars. The 

 first day was the great day. By the next day the rustic 

 crowd had departed, but the oysters continued to be 

 sought. A week of this sort of attack, however, usu- 

 ally sufficed to clean the bottom so thoroughly that 

 subsequent raking was of small account." 



For a few years the bed was able to resist this 

 attack and recover from it, but it was not long be- 

 fore all the mature and full-grown oysters were caught, 

 and at the present time the bed does not yield market- 

 able oysters, although it still provides seed oysters for 

 planting. 



It is clear from the history of this bed, and of many 

 others which might be referred to, that as oysters 

 grow scarce and the demand for them increases, the 

 only effect of a closed season is to assemble all the 

 oystermen upon the bed at the end of the season. The 

 oysters which would otherwise have been removed 

 slowly are then taken away rapidly, and the plan has 

 no advantages as a means of protection unless the 

 closed season is long enough to allow a new genera- 

 tion of young oysters to grow up and replenish the 

 beds. 



Although the closure of the beds for a part of each 

 year is of very little value in itself, a closed season is 

 a great help in the enforcement of other means of pro- 

 tection, and many of the States which own oyster-beds 

 have passed laws to prevent the taking of oysters in 

 certain months. 



In Massachusetts any resident may take oysters for 

 family use between September ist and June 1st, but no 



