16 FIFTH REPORT OF SHELL FISH COMMISSIONERS 
of commendation. The eyes of the world are upon Connecticut at the present 
time. I can appreciate this fact better than most people, having heard the 
eager questions and seen the intense interest of fish culturists and oyster raisers 
of Europe last summer in London, and having heard what was said concerning 
the action of Connecticut. Every country which has any oyster fishery is trying 
to solve the same problem, viz: ‘ How to protect the beds and give oyster cul- 
turists right of property in the fruit of their labors.’ It really appears tome that 
this subject, the progress of the work in Connecticut, is one of the most inter- 
esting that could be brought up. ” 
MUDDY GROUNDS. 
During the past year efforts have been made by oyster cul- 
tivators to redeem muddy grounds, heretofore considered useless 
for oyster growing and they have been eminently successful. 
Large areas, off Milford, have been covered with shells and 
pebbles brought from the Housatonic River, upon which a good 
set is looked for. The gentlemen to whom the credit of this ex- 
periment is due are H. J Lewis, William M. Merwin, Isaac E. 
Brown and members of the Stratford Oyster Company. This 
work has drawn attention to other muddy grounds, and similar 
experiments will be made by others. It is probable that a con- 
siderable portion of the large area of muddy bottom, hitherto 
considered worthless, will in time be sought after by cultivators 
and be made valuable grounds. 
SABELLARIA VULGARIS. 
Quite a panic was caused among the oyster growers in the 
early Spring by a report that immense numbers of oysters were 
being destroyed by masses of hard, sandy mud deposited upon 
them by myriads of small flesh-colored worms. Mr. Henry C. 
Rowe was the first to call attention to the subject. Onexamining 
his beds off Stratford and Bridgeport, he found one bed contain- 
ing about seventy-eight thousand bushels nearly destroyed by 
suffocation caused by these deposits. There was considerable 
discussion as to the novelty and danger of this new foe of the 
oyster ; several oystermen of experience asserting that it was an 
old acquaintance, that it had always been known in the Sound 
and elsewhere and it was not injurious to the oysters, but on the 
contrary oysters thus visited were always healthy, vigorous, fat 
and good flavored. 
