CONFERENCE OF GOVERNORS. 69 



ocean's resoureeSj and the present generation are beginning to 

 realize the enormity of the numerous biologic blunders which have 

 reduced to barren deserts large areas formerly enormously pro- 

 ductive of oysters, clams, quahaugs, scallops and lobsters. Increas- 

 ing population has levied constantly increasing demands upon 

 these species for use as food, and as a direct result both the imma- 

 ture and the breeding animals have been vrastefuUy destroyed. 

 The debris of civilization has immensely restricted the breeding 

 grounds, both by preventing the natural establishment of new 

 beds and by the progressive destruction of original and extensive 

 old beds. No organized efforts were made to cheek the inroads 

 of the natural enemies. In the older States of the Union relatively 

 little or nothing has been done to restore even approximately the 

 original conditions, let alone the improvements upon nature which 

 would undoubtedly follow the application of artificial cultivation 

 to these food moUusks. Some attention, however, has been given to 

 oyster culture, for the reason that the natural oyster beds began 

 to show unmistakable evidence of decline as early as 1770. Though 

 increasingly restrictive legislation failed to meet the situation, not 

 until 1869 was constructive legislation, based upon the correct 

 principle of increasing the supply rather than checking the de- 

 mand, passed by the General Court of Massachusetts, whereby the 

 leasing of ground suitable for oyster culture was permitted. These 

 laws, though now obviously inadequate to meet conditions, are in 

 force to-day. But Massachusetts has been outstripped by more 

 progressive legislation, which has made possible great economic 

 strides in Ehode Island, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Vir- 

 ginia, Louisiana and all the Pacific States. Ehode Island, for ex- 

 ample, receives a State revenue of approximately $100,000 for 

 leases of formerly incompletely utilized public fishing rights. Other 

 nations, notably France, Holland, Italy and Japan, are utilizing 

 the tidal areas, and have successfully developed diverse and elab- 

 orate schemes for beating nature at her own devices. The people 

 of Massachusetts and other New England States are beginning 

 to realize the possibilities of submarine farming, and demand that 

 the antiquated laws, which have failed to check the destruction 

 of the natural beds of clams, quahaugs and scallops, shall be so 

 modified as to make artificial propagation possible to the fishermen 

 and profitable to the public. Though in Italy it is even possible 

 to turn the sea water into the crater of an extinct volcano, and 

 by gates regulate the quality and quantity of the water for the 

 purpose of growing oysters, we in Massachusetts would perhaps 



