﻿1G6 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [2] 
  

  

  The 
  collectors 
  upou 
  which 
  the 
  best 
  results 
  were 
  obtained 
  were 
  mortar- 
  

   coated 
  slate, 
  placed 
  in 
  wire 
  trays, 
  these 
  trays 
  resting 
  on 
  trestles 
  S 
  inches 
  

   in 
  height, 
  the 
  under 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  slate 
  being 
  always 
  clean. 
  Another 
  

   excellent 
  and 
  cheap 
  collector 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  plastering-laths 
  nailed 
  to- 
  

   gether, 
  about 
  twenty-four 
  in 
  a 
  bundle; 
  these 
  were 
  either 
  allowed 
  to 
  iloat 
  

   around 
  in 
  the 
  ponds 
  or 
  sunk 
  by 
  tying 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  some 
  kind 
  to 
  them. 
  

  

  Several 
  times 
  during 
  the 
  spawning 
  season 
  for 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  consecutive 
  

   days 
  no 
  ripe 
  oysters 
  could 
  be 
  found, 
  after 
  which 
  time 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  

   oysters 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  places 
  would 
  be 
  perfectly 
  ripe. 
  Though 
  it 
  

   is 
  impossible 
  to 
  assert 
  that 
  oysters 
  spawn 
  more 
  than 
  once 
  during 
  the 
  

   season, 
  still 
  it 
  seems 
  improbable, 
  if 
  there 
  were 
  ripe 
  oysters 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  

   I 
  refer 
  to, 
  that 
  none 
  could 
  be 
  found. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  year 
  the 
  bar 
  at 
  the 
  entrance 
  of 
  Saint 
  Jerome 
  Creek 
  has 
  

   been 
  removed, 
  and 
  a 
  channel 
  140 
  feet 
  wide 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  9 
  feet 
  

   at 
  low 
  water 
  has 
  been 
  dredged 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  south 
  prong 
  under 
  

   the 
  directions 
  of 
  Col. 
  S. 
  T. 
  Abert, 
  United 
  States 
  engineer. 
  

  

  There 
  no 
  longer 
  exists 
  any 
  reason 
  why 
  steamers 
  plying 
  between 
  Balti- 
  

   more 
  and 
  Washington 
  could 
  not 
  stop 
  in 
  here, 
  giving 
  the 
  station 
  direct 
  

   communication 
  with 
  those 
  cities; 
  and 
  I 
  hope 
  that 
  every 
  effort 
  will 
  be 
  

   made 
  to 
  induce 
  a 
  steamer 
  to 
  stop 
  at 
  the 
  wharf 
  just 
  built, 
  where 
  a 
  land- 
  

   ing 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  under 
  all 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  weather. 
  

  

  IUdge, 
  Md., 
  May 
  17, 
  1886. 
  

  

  