224 



THE OYSTER. 



is one of the legitimate sources of the demand for 

 our oysters. 



As soon as our people engage extensively in oys- 

 ter-planting, and need these months to gather their seed 

 oysters, and as soon as our beds are sufficiently prolific 

 to supply Northern planters, we believe that the beds 

 should be thrown open until June 1st, or even longer. 



The experience of Connecticut, where both public 

 and private beds are open throughout the whole year, 

 and are rapidly increasing in value, shows that a closed 

 season is not necessary for the preservation of the beds. 



As the closed season is a matter of policy, and is 

 not due to the nature of the oyster, I believe that it 

 should be made absolute, and that all laws which per- 

 mit any one to take oysters from the public beds at 

 that time should be repealed. 



It is possible to stock oyster-farms and planting- 

 grounds without drawing upon the public beds, and 

 there is no reason why those oyster-planters who wish 

 to get their seed from the public beds should not do so 

 after the oyster season is opened. It is true that they 

 would then have to compete with the prices paid by 

 the packers, but as our present oyster policy is opposed 

 to any private interest in the beds, there is no good 

 reason why a planter should have oysters from the 

 public beds any more cheaply than any one else. 



The law which allows any person to catch oysters 

 from the public beds at any time for family use or for 

 sale in the neighborhood, is a wide loophole for in- 



