﻿REPORT 
  OP 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  109 
  

  

  The 
  advantages 
  of 
  these 
  waters 
  for 
  the 
  cultivatiou 
  of 
  oysters 
  and 
  

   the 
  beuelits 
  which 
  niiglit 
  be 
  gained 
  by 
  utilizing 
  for 
  that 
  purpose 
  the 
  

   bottoms 
  where 
  oysters 
  do 
  not 
  occur 
  at 
  present 
  are 
  thus 
  discussed 
  by 
  

   Lieutenant 
  Swift: 
  

  

  As 
  before 
  stated, 
  planting 
  Avas 
  tried 
  exijerimentally 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  St. 
  Vin- 
  

   cent 
  Sound, 
  and 
  enough 
  was 
  done 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  it 
  coukl 
  be 
  made 
  a 
  decided 
  

   success, 
  if 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  regardiug 
  planting 
  could 
  be 
  enforced. 
  As 
  it 
  was, 
  

   no 
  protection 
  whatever 
  was 
  given, 
  and 
  the 
  experiment 
  proved 
  unsnccessful 
  for 
  that 
  

   rc:ison. 
  The 
  State 
  laws 
  protect 
  the 
  planters, 
  but 
  there 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  no 
  attempt 
  to 
  

   enforce 
  the 
  laws, 
  and 
  the 
  moral 
  sentiment 
  among 
  the 
  oystermen 
  is 
  not 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  

   such 
  protection. 
  This 
  is 
  duo 
  to 
  a 
  misunderstanding 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  by 
  the 
  oyster- 
  

   men; 
  the 
  law 
  makes 
  a 
  distinction 
  between 
  the 
  cultivated 
  beds 
  and 
  natural 
  beds 
  and 
  

   relates 
  wholly 
  to 
  the 
  cultivated 
  beds, 
  but 
  the 
  oystermen 
  have 
  the 
  idea 
  tliat 
  any 
  pro- 
  

   tection 
  given 
  the 
  planters 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  a 
  monopoly 
  and 
  is 
  an 
  encroachment 
  

   on 
  their 
  rights. 
  Of 
  course 
  such 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  case, 
  as 
  the 
  laws 
  protecting 
  planters 
  do 
  

   not 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  interfere 
  with 
  oystering 
  ;is 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  carried 
  on 
  on 
  the 
  natural 
  beds. 
  

   All 
  oyster 
  cultivation 
  would 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  entirely 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  natural 
  beds, 
  and 
  

   in 
  some 
  cases 
  in 
  localities 
  quite 
  remote 
  from 
  them. 
  The 
  chart 
  shows 
  exactly 
  where 
  

   oysters 
  may 
  be 
  cultivated, 
  and 
  any 
  intelligent 
  jierson 
  by 
  using 
  a 
  compass 
  may 
  locate 
  

   himself 
  with 
  sufficient 
  accuracy 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  planting 
  ground; 
  in 
  this 
  

   connection 
  a 
  sounding 
  polo 
  will 
  be 
  of 
  great 
  assistance, 
  as 
  by 
  it 
  he 
  can 
  judge 
  of 
  the 
  

   character 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  water. 
  By 
  closely 
  studying 
  the 
  

   limits 
  of 
  the 
  planting 
  area 
  a 
  person 
  can 
  select 
  certain 
  natural 
  ranges 
  which 
  will 
  

   help 
  him 
  locate 
  himself. 
  

  

  The 
  whole 
  question 
  of 
  oyster 
  cultivation 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  importance 
  to 
  the 
  

   people 
  of 
  Apalachicola 
  and 
  A'icinity, 
  as 
  undoubtedly 
  if 
  the 
  law 
  is 
  enforced 
  and 
  the 
  

   ])hinterH 
  protected 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  made 
  a 
  great 
  industry, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  necessary 
  to 
  cite 
  

   as 
  an 
  example 
  the 
  great 
  success 
  met 
  with 
  by 
  the 
  oyster 
  cultivators 
  of 
  Long 
  Island 
  

   Sound 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  show 
  what 
  a 
  great 
  business 
  may 
  bo 
  developed. 
  But 
  first 
  the 
  

   oystermen 
  must 
  be 
  brought 
  to 
  a 
  realization 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  oyster 
  

   cultivation 
  does 
  not 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  infringe 
  upon 
  their 
  rights, 
  and 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  contrary 
  

   it 
  is 
  directly 
  for 
  their 
  best 
  interests. 
  All 
  have 
  equal 
  rights, 
  and 
  any 
  man 
  having 
  

   sufficient 
  thrift 
  and 
  energy 
  may, 
  without 
  much 
  doubt, 
  better 
  his 
  condition 
  by 
  under- 
  

   taking 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  oysters 
  and 
  uniting 
  with 
  others 
  to 
  respect 
  the 
  laws. 
  

  

  The 
  cultivation 
  of 
  oysters 
  would 
  be 
  more 
  easy 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  numl)er 
  of 
  oyster 
  

   shells 
  brought 
  into 
  Apalachicola. 
  By 
  simjily 
  spreading 
  these 
  shells 
  over 
  the 
  areas 
  

   of 
  planting 
  ground, 
  the 
  spat 
  would 
  attach 
  itself 
  to 
  the 
  cultch, 
  and 
  only 
  a 
  little 
  care 
  

   in 
  cleaning 
  and 
  spreading 
  would 
  be 
  reiiuired 
  to 
  form, 
  in 
  time, 
  a 
  productive 
  bed. 
  It 
  

   should 
  always 
  be 
  borne 
  in 
  mind, 
  as 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  mentioned, 
  that 
  oj'sters 
  grow 
  

   and 
  thrive 
  nuich 
  better 
  in 
  a 
  current 
  than 
  in 
  still 
  water, 
  as 
  they 
  have 
  a 
  better 
  food 
  

   supply. 
  In 
  transplanting 
  oysters 
  the 
  clusters 
  should 
  be 
  broken 
  up 
  and 
  each 
  oyster 
  

   should 
  bo 
  thoroughly 
  cleaned 
  of 
  barnacles 
  and 
  mussels. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  almost 
  certain 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  oyster 
  cultivation 
  were 
  taken 
  up 
  in 
  tlie 
  

   proper 
  way 
  by 
  the 
  peojile 
  of 
  Apalachicola 
  and 
  vicinity, 
  excellent 
  results 
  would 
  be 
  

   obtained. 
  No 
  better 
  flavored 
  or 
  conditioned 
  oysters 
  can 
  be 
  found 
  anywhere 
  than 
  

   those 
  at 
  Cat 
  Point 
  Bar 
  and 
  at 
  Sylvas 
  Bar, 
  and 
  by 
  using 
  the 
  seed 
  from 
  these 
  bars 
  it 
  

   can 
  be 
  safely 
  prophesied 
  that 
  oysters 
  of 
  the 
  cultivated 
  bed 
  will 
  excel 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   natural 
  beds. 
  There 
  is 
  little 
  doubt 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  oysters 
  on 
  the 
  Bulkhead, 
  where 
  the 
  

   vegetable 
  growth 
  renders 
  them 
  unfit 
  for 
  canning 
  purposes, 
  were 
  transplanted 
  to 
  

   other 
  localities, 
  they 
  would 
  lose 
  the 
  peculiar 
  characteristics 
  so 
  injurious 
  to 
  them, 
  and 
  

   become, 
  like 
  the 
  Cat 
  Point 
  oysters, 
  most 
  excellent 
  in 
  quality. 
  

  

  Pacific 
  coast. 
  — 
  The 
  inquiries 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  on 
  the 
  Pacific 
  

   coast 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  oyster-grounds 
  and 
  the 
  opportunities 
  for 
  oyster 
  

   cultivatiou 
  are 
  referred 
  to 
  under 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  steamer 
  Albatross. 
  

  

  