﻿162 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [6] 
  

  

  place 
  ou 
  the 
  river. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  dredge 
  there 
  were 
  three 
  hundred 
  and 
  

   ten, 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  forty, 
  in 
  the 
  third 
  two 
  hundred 
  and 
  

   forty, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  fourth 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  seventy 
  oysters, 
  respectively. 
  

   Tbere 
  was 
  very 
  little 
  refuse 
  material, 
  but 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  dead 
  shells, 
  most 
  

   of 
  which 
  were 
  pretty 
  clean. 
  The 
  meats 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  oysters 
  were 
  in 
  

   fair 
  condition 
  with 
  very 
  little 
  signs 
  of 
  green 
  coloratiou. 
  Density, 
  1.005. 
  

   The 
  last 
  bed 
  examined 
  was 
  a 
  small 
  one 
  called 
  the 
  Fisherman's 
  bed. 
  

   We 
  found 
  very 
  few 
  oysters, 
  getting 
  only 
  five 
  specimens, 
  but 
  a 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  number 
  of 
  shells. 
  The 
  meats 
  were 
  poor 
  and 
  considerably 
  colored. 
  

   Density, 
  1.005. 
  All 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  are 
  worked 
  for 
  the 
  pur- 
  

   pose 
  of 
  obtaining 
  seed 
  with 
  which 
  to 
  plant 
  other 
  beds, 
  as 
  the 
  oysters 
  on 
  

   these 
  beds 
  do 
  not 
  fatten 
  well 
  until 
  they 
  are 
  transplanted, 
  although 
  a 
  

   good 
  many 
  are 
  used 
  directly 
  from 
  the 
  beds, 
  but 
  such 
  are 
  almost 
  entirely 
  

   used 
  for 
  local' 
  consumption. 
  The 
  greater 
  number 
  of 
  oystermen 
  who 
  

   work 
  these 
  beds 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  of 
  Stateu 
  Island, 
  although 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  East 
  River 
  planters 
  also 
  obtain 
  seed 
  here. 
  This 
  is 
  not 
  as 
  

   common 
  now, 
  however, 
  as 
  it 
  w 
  r 
  as 
  some 
  years 
  ago. 
  

  

  Port 
  Jefferson 
  Harbor. 
  — 
  The 
  visit 
  to 
  Port 
  Jefferson 
  Harbor 
  was 
  

   made 
  on 
  Saturday, 
  the 
  22d, 
  and 
  the 
  Lookout 
  lay 
  at 
  anchor 
  in 
  the 
  harbor 
  

   over 
  Sunday, 
  the 
  23d. 
  On 
  Monday 
  morning 
  early 
  we 
  started 
  for 
  the 
  

   beds 
  with 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  J. 
  Eobbins 
  as 
  pilot. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  harbor 
  

   is 
  leased 
  by 
  private 
  parties 
  and 
  is 
  planted, 
  but 
  year 
  before 
  last 
  the 
  trus- 
  

   tees 
  of 
  the 
  town 
  voted 
  to 
  grant 
  no 
  new 
  leases 
  and 
  no 
  renewals 
  of 
  leases 
  

   for 
  the 
  present, 
  and 
  as 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  leases 
  expired 
  last 
  season 
  there 
  are 
  

   certain 
  grounds 
  in 
  the 
  harbor 
  that 
  are 
  now 
  free 
  to 
  any 
  who 
  wish 
  to 
  work 
  

   upon 
  them. 
  Such 
  grounds, 
  however, 
  are 
  of 
  comparatively 
  small 
  extent 
  

   and 
  of 
  no 
  practical 
  value, 
  as 
  all 
  oysters 
  were 
  taken 
  from 
  them 
  before 
  

   the 
  leases 
  expired. 
  Our 
  work 
  was 
  accordingly 
  on 
  those 
  grounds 
  that 
  

   are 
  still 
  under 
  lease, 
  and 
  we 
  found 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  to 
  be 
  well 
  cared 
  for 
  

   and 
  in 
  good 
  condition, 
  although 
  the 
  growth 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  great 
  as 
  in 
  many 
  

   other 
  localities 
  along 
  our 
  coast. 
  We 
  made 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  dredg- 
  

   ings, 
  some 
  being 
  on 
  oysters 
  nearly 
  ready 
  for 
  market, 
  and 
  others 
  on 
  

   those 
  only 
  recently 
  planted. 
  The 
  largest 
  number 
  taken 
  at 
  any 
  one 
  haul 
  

   was 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  forty-two, 
  on 
  land 
  leased 
  and 
  worked 
  by 
  the 
  Port 
  

   Jefferson 
  and 
  Setauket 
  Oyster 
  Company, 
  but 
  the 
  dredge 
  was 
  seldom 
  

   left 
  upon 
  the 
  bottom 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  minutes 
  at 
  a 
  time, 
  as 
  we 
  

   were 
  not 
  after 
  numbers 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  growth 
  and 
  quality 
  

   of 
  those 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  planted. 
  The 
  growth, 
  as 
  already 
  stated, 
  we 
  did 
  

   not 
  find 
  to 
  be 
  great, 
  but 
  the 
  quality 
  was 
  excellent 
  for 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  year. 
  

   We 
  found 
  no 
  starfish 
  or 
  winkles, 
  and, 
  what 
  surprised 
  us 
  much 
  more, 
  

   we 
  obtained 
  only 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  drills 
  in 
  all 
  of 
  our 
  dredgings 
  in 
  the 
  liar 
  

   . 
  bor. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  seed 
  in 
  the 
  harbor 
  comes 
  from 
  the 
  Connecticut 
  beds, 
  

   but 
  some 
  is 
  brought 
  from 
  Great 
  South 
  Bay, 
  although 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  do 
  

   so 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  Connecticut 
  stock. 
  The 
  seed 
  is 
  generally 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  

   three 
  years 
  old, 
  and 
  300 
  or 
  400 
  bushels 
  per 
  acre 
  are 
  used. 
  The 
  water 
  

   in 
  the 
  harbor 
  over 
  the 
  beds 
  is 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  4 
  or 
  5 
  fathoms 
  in 
  depth, 
  and 
  we 
  

  

  