THE OYSTER. 145 



other States which have no great natural advantages, 

 such as you claim for Maryland, the value of the natural 

 supply has been very much increased by placing the 

 young ' seed ' oysters on bottoms where they grow 

 and improve until they are ready for the market. 

 In my experience as a market gardener I have found 

 that while onions a year old can be sold, it is much 

 more profitable to plant them as ' seed ' a second year, 

 and to give them another season's growth before send- 

 ing them to market. Instead of packing and selling 

 these small oysters, why do you not treat them as I 

 treat my ' seed ' onions ? Are there no lands in your 

 State suitable for oyster-planting?" 



" You need only to look at a map of Maryland for 

 an answer to that question. We have nearly three 

 hundred miles of coast-line, all of it broken up into 

 creeks and inlets and sounds and bays. All these are 

 well adapted for oyster-planting, and might easily be 

 made much more so. Besides this we have thousands 

 of acres of low, marshy land, of no value at present. 

 At a slight expense this might be converted into sys- 

 tems of artificial oyster-ponds, where oysters could be 

 stored and held for a favorable markt, and where 

 they would grow and increase in value, like your seed 

 onions." 



" This is most surprising. How is it that these 

 natural advantages are not seized upon and developed ? 

 Do not your people know the importance and profit of 

 oyster-planting ? " 



" Certainly they do. Oyster-planting has been car- 



