MASSACHUSETTS: NEW BEDFORD DISTRICT. 265 



oysters' to be planted upon the beds along the eastern shore of Buzzard's Bay and the 'heel' of 

 Cape Cod. This seed is never carried away to be sold, but the purchasers come after it in spring 

 and fall in sloops of about 25 feet keel, locally known as 'yacht-boats'. This seed sells for 30 to 

 35 cents a bushel in spring, or GO to 80 cents in fall, and is one and two years old, mixed. Some 

 experiments have been made in bedding Virginia oysters through the summer, but although they 

 lived well enough it was not found prolitable. They brought only $4, while the native oysters 

 would fetch $6, a barrel. 



"Oyster affairs in Wareham can hardly be called a business. The title to the grants is very 

 uucertaiu, the impression being that the light to operate upon them exists only through courtesy 

 of the owners of the adjacent uplands, and a vast amount of litigation would probably arise if any 

 one chose to object to the present status. This feeling, and the jealousy of anything smacking of 

 monopoly, has deterred capital from being invested in any considerable degree, although efforts 

 have been made to bring money from New York and Boston to bear upon this industry. At 

 present the poor, ignorant, and shiftless portion of the community, for the most part, Lave to do 

 with the oysters, and have found it necessary, in order to protect each other from a common 

 thieving propensity, to decree among themselves that no man shall fish after sunset, even upon 

 his own grant. It would be an outside estimate to say that 200 persons live upon the oyster in 

 Wareham, at an investment of $3,000." 



MAKION. Marion, formerly known as Sippican, is pleasantly located on the western side of 

 Buzzard's Bay. It has a large and accessible harbor, in which are several islands. From the 

 beaches of these islands, as well as from the shore of the mainland, are gathered clams, qiiahaugs, 

 scallops, and oysters. At one time a fleet of twenty sail engaged in the whale fishery from this 

 place, but at present the fleet numbers only two vessels, aggregating 175.38 tons, valued, with 

 their outfit, at $12,900. A very small amount of any kind of fishing is carried on at present, and 

 that by fifteen sail-boats, ten row-boats, twenty gill-nets, one pnise-seiue, and one drag-seine, 

 having a total value of about $2,500. The number of persons employed, including the whaling 

 crews, is fifty-nine. 



The catch of the fishing boats consists mainly of menhaden, alewives, and bluelish. The 

 catcli of menhaden in 1877 was 2,500 barrels; in 1878, 8,000 barrels; in 1>;79, iione; in 1880, 800 

 barrels. During 1879 4 shad and 11 striped bass were caught, lut none in 1880. The yield of the 

 shore fisheries iu 1880 was valued at $3,965, and included 2,CCO busLels of quahaugs, 1,300 bushels 

 of soft clams, 500 bushels of scallops, 75 barrels of alewives, 20,000 pounds of bluefish, and 800 

 barrels of menhaden. In former years numerous vessels were built here, and for 40 years quite 

 extensive salt manufactories were carried on. Neither of these industries has been prosecuted 

 for several years. 



The oyster interests of this region are thus icported by Mr. Ingersoll: 



"Southwesterly from Wareham the head of Buzzard's Bay contains several oyster localities 

 of varying importance. They are: The Weeweantit Eiver, for a mile or so iu the neighborhood of 

 the highway bridge; Wing's Cove, and the Blankinship Cove of Sippicaii harbor, iu the town of 

 Marion. 



" In the Weeweuntit, natural beds of very good oysters have existed for a long time and a 

 few years ago a large yield was obtained from them every year by Mr. Robinson and others. Lat- 

 terly, however, the quantity has decreased, and the beds have been raked almost wholly for the 

 sake of seed. There are grants here, but no improvement, as yet, of any consequence. 



" In Sippicau harbor (the harbor of Marion) it is said that no oysters were known until about 

 the year 1804, when the shore of Ram Island, on the eastern side of the harbor, near the 



