10 REPORT OF THE SHELL-FISH COMMISSIONERS 
and within five years, if granted since that date. Section 8 of 
Chapter CC, of the Acts of 1889, which took effect August 1, 
1889, provides that no ground designated after that date shall 
be surrendered to the State, unless such release is made without 
charge or expense to the State. 
Since the appropriation for the surrender of oyster grounds 
was exhausted, certificates have been given to owners of designa- 
tions containing nine hundred and seventy and nine-tenths 
(970.9) acres, and in addition to these, eight hundred and fifty- 
eight and six-tenths (858.6) acres have been surrendered to the 
State without charge or expense. 
On assuming office July 1, 1889, your Commissioners found 
the oyster growers still contending with the starfish antl some- 
what despondent about the oyster “‘ set” then in progress. They 
did not think that the parent oysters were in condition to prom- 
ise an abundant progeny. The result was in accordance with 
their expectations, for in.general, the “ set’ was very light, and 
only in exceptional cases, like that in Orange, before mentioned, 
was there a good crop of young oysters. Under these circum- 
stances, there were few attempts to acquire additional ground, 
and consequently the new applications were very limited in 
number. Then came the hot summer of 1890, when everything 
indicated a favorable season. The “set” proved to be an unusu- 
ally good one, one writer stating that it was the best seen in 
Connecticut for ten years. The growth of the young oysters to 
the present time is all that could be desired, and the reports of 
the oyster-growers are that the number of starfish has largely 
decreased. Some of the specimens of the new “set” brought to 
this office are remarkable, one old oyster shell having more than 
fifty thrifty young oysters attached to it, each from one-half inch 
to three-quarters of an inch in diameter, and that early in Oc- 
tober. The consequence is that the faces of the cultivators are 
wreathed in smiles and every part ot Long Island Sound is being 
eagerly searched for favorable locations for new oyster farms. 
The applications for designations have largely increased, and as 
under the new law no money can be returned in case of failure, 
a more careful selection of locations is made, and applicants are 
careful to apply for no more ground than they can properly cul- 
