LZ 
the purchase price, but the still greater advantage resulting from an 
extension of artificial beds, whereby they would make productive 
and profitable what were now waste places. A personal examina- 
tion of some of the grounds, with the assistance of experts in dredg- 
ing, tended strongly to confirm the assertion of the applicants that 
the grounds were not only at the present time barren, but that they 
had been so for some years. Still the testimony to the fact that 
quantities of natural oysters had been repeatedly gathered there by 
numerous parties within seven or eight years, constrained the Com- 
missioners to reject such applications. The letter of the law required 
them so to do, And yet it is believed that some of these grounds 
have really been worthless for seven or eight years, and there is not 
the slightest probability of any change for the better. Considerable 
territory is thus placed beyond the disposal of the Commissioners, 
which otherwise might be sold without detriment to any one. A 
change in the law is therefore desirable. It is recommended that the 
period shall be reduced; that the Commissioners shall be authorized 
in their discretion to designate any grounds for cultivation whenever 
they have been found unproductive for a period of five consecutive 
years, provided they deem it best for the interests of the State so to do. 
Applications for grounds have been made from time to time through 
the year, and the numberof acres in the whole aggregates but a little 
less than the acres applied for the year before. ‘The following table, 
compiled from the records of the office, shows the details of the work 
for both years. A large part of the business of 1882 related to appli- 
cations made in 1881. 
1881. 1882. 
Appli- Appli- 
cations. see || cations. BOE 
Deeded, - = 2 : 56% | 17,456.2 1g 6,381.5 
Withdrawn, = = = 20% 7,026.5 9 1,783.0 
Canceled, - > > = 26 8,909.3. /|| 1a 2,416.5 
Rejected, - - : 5 7 1,165.0 10 1,195.0 
Deeds not drawn, - - 9 | 1,520.0 _ 94 "15.291.25 
Not surveyed, - = = — | — 28 5,625.0 
Objected to and objections 
pending, - - - - = —_ 9 726.0 
Deeds pending, - - = = 3 273.3 
Totals. = - - - 11g 36,167.0 182 33,091.55 
Total for 1881 and 1882, - 301 69,858.55 
