THE OYSTER INDUSTRY OF NEW JERSEY. 495 



III.— THE NEW JERSEY SIDE OF DELAWARE BAY (MAURICE 



RIVER COVE). 



The oyster-ground)^. — That jjavt of Delaware Bay subject to the juris- 

 diction of 1S&^ Jersey is the State'.s most extensive and most produc- 

 tive oyster region and is generally designated as Maurice Eiver Cove. 

 Originally Maurice Eiver Cove was considered to embrace the waters 

 at the mouth of Maurice River, lying inside of East Point on the south 

 and Egg Island Point on the north, and comprised the greater part of 

 the area which, in the early history of the oyster industry in this section, 

 was used for planting purposes. At an early period, however, the 

 name "Maurice Eiver Cove" was applied not only to the cove j)roper, 

 but also to the adjacent waters of the bay, and has become, in com- 

 mon usage, a general term to designate the waters of Delaware Bay 

 between Egg Island Point and Cape May Point. The oyster-planting 

 territory was also extended, reaching farther south, and off shore. 

 The inshore grounds, within the first-named limits, were practically 

 abandoned, being considered to be worn out or exhausted, and new 

 areas of bottom lying in deeper water were appropriated. At the pres- 

 ent time the region which includes the oyster-planting grounds may be 

 approximately bounded as folio w*s: Beginning at Eg^ Island light- 

 house and running direct toward Cross Ledge light-house about 2^ 

 miles, thence SSE. J E. about 9^ miles, thence easterly by an irregular 

 course (excluding Dead Man's Shoal) to the-^cape shore near the north 

 end of Fishing Creek Shoal, thence following the line of the shore at a 

 distance therefrom varying from ^ to IJ miles and sweeping several 

 miles seaward off the mouth of Maurice Eiver to the place of beginning, 

 and containing about QS sq^iare nautical miles, or 57,054 acres. Of this 

 area probably not more than one-fifth is under cultivation. The depth 

 of water on the cultivated beds varies from about 5 to 24 feet and the 

 extreme distance from land is about 10 miles. 



The beds are located in various portions of the above- described ter- 

 ritory wherever the conditions are thought to be most favorable for 

 oyster-cultivation. If a ground i)roves unsuccessful it is abandoned 

 and a new one is selected. In this way the greater jDart of the entire 

 space has been planted at one time or another. It not unfrequently 

 happens that a ground which has yielded unsatisfactory results and 

 has therefore been vacated by one planter, is taken up the next year 

 by another and the oysters do well. Experiences of this kind have 

 given prevalence to the idea among the oystermen that the constant 

 use of the same ground either exhausts the food supply or superin- 

 duces an unfavorable condition of bottom, which requires a period of 

 rest to correct. The general character of the bottom in the lower part 

 of the cove toward Cape May is mud, while that of the upper iDart, in 

 the vicinity of Egg Island, is sand. In many localities the sand is 

 shifting and renders the bottom unsuitable for oyster-planting, and 

 in some instances entirely useless. 



