496 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



I'efore any ffrounds can be planted it is required by law that they 

 shall be marked by buoys or stakes, to which a number, painted in 

 black figures 18 inches long and 4 inches wide, shall be securely 

 lastened. It is also required that the vessel operating these grounds 

 shall have a corresponding number of the same color and dimensions 

 painted in the middle of her mainsail one-third from the head, on the 

 starboard side, and in the middle of the jib one-third from the head on 

 the port side. The grounds are divided into lots of such form and size 

 as are most convenient for dredging. They are usually made as nearly 

 square as possible and are approximately 5 acres in area. 



A line running direct from Egg Island light-house to Cross Ledge 

 light house forinsthc legal boundary line between the cultivated grounds 

 on the south and the territory which includes the natural oyster beds 

 on the north of said line. The natural grounds extend from this line 

 for a distance of about 20 miles up the river to Stony Point and 

 embrace all the territory between these points lying in the waters of 

 New Jersey, or from the shore to the main ship channel, and contain 

 an area of about 87i square nautical miles, or 74,187 acres. It is not 

 entirely covered with oyster beds, althougli there are, i^robably, few 

 places where oysters can not be found. Beds of various sizes lie scat- 

 tered all over this part of the bay. Some of them are large and afford 

 anii)le space for dredging, while others are so small that a vessel can not 

 dredge continuously upon them; but when she reaches the end of the 

 bed the dredges are hauled in and she returns to the other end to 

 begin again. These are called by the oystermen "one-haul places," 

 and are frequented by small vessels, large ones requiring more room to 

 operate profitably. From this vast field of natural oyster-grounds is 

 obtained the greater part of the native seed oysters used for planting 

 on the cultivated beds in Maurice Eiver Cove and Delaware Bay. 



The planting and cultivating industry of the cove as it now exists 

 is practically the result of the progress achieved in oyster-culture in 

 these waters in the past thirty years. During that period the oyster 

 interests, chiefly of three counties of the State, viz, Camden, Cumber- 

 land, and Cape May — those of Cumberland greatly predominating in 

 importance — have centralized at Maurice Kiver Cove. Other counties 

 are repres^ented to a limited extent, the privileges of the waters being 

 free to residents of all parts of the State choosing to avail themselves 

 of them. 



The oyster centers. — The oyster industry of Delaware Bay has its 

 headquarters at Bivalve and Maurice liiver, two small villages situated 

 on the west and east banks, respectively, of the JMaurice River near its 

 mouth. These i)laces are the chief receiving and shipping points for 

 the entire region and have become the greatest oyster centers of the 

 State. 



As an oyster-ship[)liig center Bivalve takes iDrecedence of all others 

 in the State. During the busiest i»art of the season the (piantities 

 shi^)ped daily reach at times as high as 40 carloads. The name 



