474 
BULLETIN OP THE UNITED STATES PISH COMMISSION. 
19. Public beds. — The following statement occurs in a decision made by an able 
judge in the State of Maryland : 
Land can not be said to be a natural oyster bar or bed merely because oysters are scattered here 
and there upon it, and because, if planted, they will readily live and thrive there ; but wherever 
the natural growth is so thick and abundant that the public resort to it for a livelihood, it is a natural 
bar or bed. 
Perhaps no better definition, legal or otherwise, of what constitutes a natural 
oyster bed has been given ; yet the history of the public grounds of Connecticut illus- 
trates the fact that this definition is scarcely complete, because it takes no cognizance 
of the variation in productiveness of oyster beils in short periods of time. A bed may 
produce abundantly one season, and so little the following year that only few persons 
will resort to it. An excellent example of this is the famous Bridgeport bed, from 
which were taken 115,000 bushels of oysters in 1887, while in 1889 only a very small 
portion of it was fished on, and the yield was not more than 3,500 bushels. This has 
been almost equaled by the beds of New Haven Harbor (not including Quinepiac 
Eiver), which produced in 1888 about 65,000 bushels of oyster seed, and in 1887 and 1889 
only about 5,000 bushels in each year. It will thus be seen that the foregoing defini- 
tion is scarcely correct, for what is a natural bed one year may not be such the next 
year; and in order that no cause for grievance may lie with the natural-growthers,’’ 
no ground in Connecticut can be designated that has at any time for 10 years pre- 
vious been a natural bed in the sense of the above-mentioned decision. 
20. Area and products of natural beds. — The following statement shows the area of 
natural beds in each town under the town and State jurisdiction, and also the quan- 
tity and value of the product for the years 1887, 18,88, and 1889 : 
Locality. 
Town. 
State. 
Total. 
Yield 1887. 
Yield 1888. 
Yield 1889. 
Greenwich 
Stamford 
Noroton 
Norwalk 
Westport 
Fairfield 
Bridgeport 
Stratford 
Milford 
New Haven 
Branford 
Madison* 
Cliuton 
Westbrook 
Saybrook 
Niantic 
Acres. 
1, 600 
350 
275 
1,650 
1, 400 
800 
1, 240 
1,442 
1,000 
2,91,0 
125 
200 
250 
50 
150 
5 
20 
25 
Acres. 
875 
150 
160 
90 
1,150 
334 
3, 050 
Acres. 
2,475 
350 
425 
1, 810 
1,490 
1, 950 
1,574 
4, 492 
1, 000 
2, 900 
125 
200 
250 
50 
150 
5 
20 
25 
Bushels. 
6, 200 
2, 400 
2, 000 
28, 000 
3, 000 
4, 000 
115, 000 
19, 000 
6, 000 
35, 000 
850 
12, 500 
3, 500 
1, 800 
750 
Dollars. 
2, 170 
800 
800 
8, 400 
800 
1, 200 
19, 800 
3, 800 
2, 150 
12, 500 
285 
4, 500 
1,800 
1, 300 
950 
Bushels. 
6, OoO 
2,000 
1,900 
21, 500 
3, 000 
4,000 
31, 000 
8, 000 
10, 000 
81, 000 
900 
7, 000 
3, 500 
1, 300 
1, 500 
Dollars. 
2,350 
700 
800 
6, 260 
800 
1,200 
12,610 
2, 500 
3, 4o0 
18, 000 
270 
2, 850 
1,800 
1, 000 
1, 900 
Bushels. 
1, 200 
1, 500 
1, 100 
12, 500 
2, 500 
3, 500 
3.500 
4.500 
8, 000 
24, 000 
1,100 
5, 500 
3, 500 
1, 000 
200 
40 
120 
90 
Dollars. 
360 
500 
520 
5, 750 
800 
1, 200 
1,700 
2, 200 
2, 400 
9,875 
330 
2, 580 
1, 800 
650 
275 
80 
60 
225 
Thames Eiver 
Groton 
Total 
1 
2,000 
800 
1, 000 
2, 000 
1,850 
460 
925- 
1, 150 
13,482 
5, 809 
19, 911 
242, 800 
64, 255 
184, 910 
58, 515 
73, 860 
31, 305 
* Including East Eiver, a part of which is in the limits of Guilford township. 
21. Restrictions about fishing on public beds., etc. — No one is permitted to use steam 
in any manner for taking oysters from the public beds, and no dredge or other contriv- 
ance weighing over 30 pounds may be employed. 
Ten years ago more persons were at work on the natural beds than on private 
holdings; but, although the attention paid to private grounds has diminished the 
uuuiberof persons depending on natural areas, the natural beds have become so de- 
