494 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



three years the loss in numbers is not more than compensated for by 

 the increase in size. 



These losses are not wholly due to eelgrass. The formation of ice 

 during the winter season also causes considerable damage. Heavy and 

 continued winds often blow the water out of the bays to an extent suf- 

 ficient to perceptibly lessen its depth. These are called by the oyster- 

 men " blow-out winds." If the ice forms immediately after one of these 

 storms, the oysters in some instances become attached to it and are 

 carried away when it breaks up in the spring. Some of the grounds 

 also, in very shallow water, become dry at low tide and the oysters are 

 destroyed by the extreme cold weather. 13ut these conditions have 

 always prevailed and are not probably more destructive now than in 

 former years. There is also some destruction caused by borers and 

 winkles, but it is not very considerable. 



CAPE MAY COUNTY. 



The principal localities on the east or Atlantic Ocean side of Cape 

 May County wliere oysters are i)Uinted are Ocean City, Beesley Point, 

 Clermont, Townsend Iidet, Svrain Station, Holmes Landing, Cape May 

 C. H., Eio Grande, and Cold Spring. In 181)2 the total number of plant- 

 ers or proprietors of planting-grounds in all of these localities was 97. 

 This number does not include help employed by the planters. The 

 business in most instances is conducted on a very limited scale. Many 

 of these planters x^lant less than 100 bushels of oysters per year, while 

 com])aratively few plant more than 1,000 bushels annually. The greater 

 part of the seed oysters used are brought from the Chesapeake Bay, by 

 transporting vessels, during the month of April. These vessels usually 

 make about three or four trips to the Chesapeake each spring. The 

 quantity of seed planted is about 40,000 bushels. Of these, fully 40,000 

 bushels are southern oysters and the remainder are native seed. 



The grounds utilized for oyster-planting are located in the numerous 

 coves and thoroughfares along the shores inside of the sand beaches 

 which front the ocean. These inside waters are in most cases very 

 shallow. The Avork incidental to the i^lanting operations is done in 

 small boats, and the oysters are taken with oyster tongs. The total 

 quantity of oysters taken from these giounds for market in 189U was 

 40,775 bushels, valued at |4G,456. This crop was not in any considera- 

 ble measure related to the planting done in the spring of the s-''meyear. 

 but resulted chietly from oysters planted two or tliree years previously. 

 The greater part of the seed is small when planted and requires from 

 two to three years to grow to marketable size. The methods of con- 

 ducting the industry do not differ essentially from those practiced in 

 the counties of Ocean and Atlantic. The dredging vessels owned in 

 Cape May County operate in Maurice Eiver Cove. 



