OF MASSACHUSETTS. 155 



the business seems firmly established, and can enter on its future career 

 of prosperity as soon as the barriers which block its progress shall have 

 been removed. 



The town records show a total of 125 grants in operation today. 

 These grants are poorly described and for the most part unsurveyed, 

 but their total area approximates 1,000 acres. According to the 

 statistical returns of the oystermen, 70 grants, comprising 196 acres, 

 are under cultivation. Of this, 159 acres are of hard bottom, suitable 

 for oyster planting, while the waste area is equally soft mud and 

 shifting sand. 



Capital invested, $40,620 



Power boats, 4 



Value of power boats, $3,800 



Sail boats, 17 



Value of sail boats, $4,485 



Dories and skiffs, .......... 50 



Value of dories and skiffs, $820 



Scows, 2 



Value of scows, .......... $250 



Implements: 



Dredges, 120 



Tongs, 84 



Value of implements, $1,120 



Value of shore property, $2,420 



Value of bedded oysters, $27,725 



The catching of oyster " seed " at Wareham is more important than 

 the raising of marketable oysters; 22,100 bushels of seed, valued at 

 $12,090, were exported last year (1906-07). Thousands of bushels 

 of shells, chiefly those of the scallop, are planted yearly in shallow 

 water, to catch the set. The territory where these shells may be planted 

 to the best advantage is on the fringe of tidal flats which skirt the 

 coast. This area, however, which is consequently of considerable value, 

 is of doubtful ownership, being claimed both by the oystermen and also 

 by the owners of the adjacent shore property. The dispute arising 

 over this question has been most harmful to the industry. 



The marketable oysters raised at Wareham are of very good quality. 

 There were 7,770 bushels of these oysters, valued at $12,790, produced 

 in 1906-07, and shipped mostly to New York and Boston. Altogether, 

 there are 26 men depending on this industry for a living. 



Besides the grants, there are two native beds, one each in the Ware- 

 ham and the Weweantit rivers. These beds comprise nearly 80 acres, 

 and, though now greatly reduced, they still yield a considerable amount 

 of seed oysters. 



The laws governing the industry here are similar to those at 

 Bourne. The ten-year grant prevails, with all its attendant evils to the 



