192 - THE OYSTER. 



not due to the nature of the oyster, I believe that it 

 should be made absolute, and that all laws which per- 

 mit any one to take any oysters from the public beds 

 at that time should be repealed. 



It is possible to stock oyster-farms and planting- 

 grounds without drawing upon the public beds, and 

 there is no reason why those oyster-planters who wish 

 to get their seed from the public beds should not do so 

 after the oyster season is opened. It is true that they 

 would then have to compete with the prices paid by 

 the packers, but as our present oyster policy is 

 opposed to any private interest in the beds, there is 

 no good reason why a planter should have oysters 

 from the public beds any more cheaply than any one 

 else. 



The law which allows any person to catch oysters 

 from the public beds at any time for family use or 

 for sale in the neighborhood, is a wide loophole for 

 infringement of the law, and so long as our present 

 oyster policy is adhered to, I believe that the public 

 beds should be absolutely closed during the closed 

 season. 



ON THE ADVISABILITY OF DIVIDING OUR OYSTER AREA 

 INTO OPEN AND CLOSED DISTRICTS. 



We cannot hope for any marked improvement in 

 the condition of our oyster-beds through the enforce- 

 ment of laws closing them for certain months in the 

 year. 



The rapidly increasing demand for oysters must be 

 supplied in one way or another, and the effect of a 

 closed season is simply to gather the oystermen upon 



