138 THE OYSTER. 



or artificial ponds oysters would be much more safe 

 from theft than in open water, and the shores of the 

 bay abound in suitable spots for the construction of 

 ponds after the French system. Under our present 

 system oysters are often sacrificed or sold at unre- 

 munerative prices, because there is no way to keep them 

 in good condition until they can be sold to advantage. 

 A system of ponds after the French pattern, for the 

 temporary storage of oysters, would be a very profit- 

 able piece of property in the vicinity of any large center 

 of the packing business, and the experience of the 

 French planters shows that the construction of storage 

 ponds where the oysters may be kept in good order, 

 and where they will continue to grow and to increase 

 in value, is a very simple matter. 



This industry has also the great advantage that it 

 does not need legislative protection. It can be put into 

 practice at once by any one who owns land which is 

 suitable for the purpose, and our State contains hun- 

 dreds of acres of low, marshy land which is now private 

 property, although it is of little or no value to its 

 owners. Small streams and inlets which are not nav- 

 igable, and which lie within the limits of private land, 

 may be converted into ponds like the French claires at 

 very slight expense, and with no more labor than what 

 is required for ordinary agriculture they could be made 

 much more profitable than the best farming land. 



The oyster-planting industry in the open water is 

 also a most important interest, and the attention of 

 statesmen may well be directed to its development ; for 



