THE OYSTER INDUSTRY OF MARYLAND. 
229 
Anne Arundel counties, but numbers of them are yet employed in Calvert, St. Mary, 
and Somerset counties. 
In 1890 (eh. 333) an act local to Talbot, Queen Anne, and Kent counties was 
passed, providing that in those counties each man engaged in tonging or culling should 
be licensed, and not the boat, as was formerly the case, the fee being placed at $4 
per man. The licensing of the tongmen instead of the boats had been practiced in 
Worcester County since 1874. This method worked so well in the three counties 
named, both in increasing the revenue and in enforcing the regulations of the fishery, 
that in 1892 (ch. 278) it was applied to all the counties of the State except Worcester, 
which retained its local license system of 1874. 
The new license fee was placed at $3.50 for each person engaged either in tonging 
or culling, of which 50 cents should go to the clerk of the circuit court by whom the 
license was issued, 30 cents to the oyster fund of the State, and the remaining $2.70 
to the public schools of the county in which the license was granted; provided that 
boys under 15 years of age should not be required to obtain license, and that the 
county commissioners of any county should be authorized to give special permission 
to any women who have no visible means of support to take and catch oysters without 
further license. It must not be understood from the last-mentioned provision that 
a large number of women engage in tonging oysters in Maryland. On the contrary, 
there are not more than two or three it\ the entire State, and no special demand 
existed for this exception to the license regulations. The number of u boys under 15 
years of age” employed on the tonging boats is quite large, there probably being an 
average of one to every six men. The boys cull the oysters as they are tonged ; this 
work is quite light and easily performed, except in cold or rough weather. 
The effect in the change in the license system and rate has been to double the 
revenue derived therefrom, as will be observed from the following table exhibiting by 
counties the revenue from this source during each of the last five seasons. The full 
effect is observed by comparing the total revenue in 1888-89 or 1889-90 with that in 
1892-93, the seasons 1890-91 and 1891-92 not presenting a proper comparison, as the 
new system was then operative in only three counties, viz, Talbot, Queen Anne, and 
Kent. This great increase in the revenue has been effected notwithstanding a decrease 
in the number of men engaged in this branch of the fishery. 
Table exhibiting by counties the revenue received during the last Jive seasons from issuing tonging 
licenses. 
Counties. 
1888-89. 
1889-90. 
1890-91. 
1891-92. 
1892-93. 
Total. 
Somerset 
$577. 00 
$560. 00 
$1, 158. 00 
$1, 140. 00 
$1, 911. 00 
$5, 346. 50 
Wicomico 
1. 301. 00 
1,399. 00 
1, 530. 00 
2, 271. 50 
7, 861. 50 
Dorchester 
2, 835. 00 
'S, 694. 00 
3, 306. 00 
- 2,799.00 
5, 596. 50 
18, 230. 50 
Talbot 
1, 626. 00 
1,861. 00 
4, 948. 00 
2, 908. 00 
4, 196. 50 
15, 539. 50 
Queen Anne 
868. 00 
1,129. 00 
4, 148. 00 
4, 256. 00 
3, 286. 50 
13, 687. 50 
Kent 
911. 50 
1, 091. 00 
3, 076. 00 
3, 688. 00 
3, 593. 50 
12, 390. 00 
Anne Arundel 
1, 926. 00 
1, 931. 00 
2, 140. 00 
1, 953. 00 
3, 895. 50 
11, 845. 50 
Calvert 
1, 527. 00 
1, 666. 00 
1, 863. 00 
1, 891. 00 
2, 828. 00 
9, 775. 00 
St. Mary 
1, 638. 00 
1, 828. 00 
2. 180. 00 
2, 192. 00 
3, 944. 50 
11, 782. 50 
Charles 
462. 00 
476. 00 
542. 00 
431. 00 
658. 00 
2, 569. 00 
Worcester* 
110. 00 
145! 00 
183. 00 
100. 00 
172. 00 
710. 00 
Total 
13, 811. 50 
15, 741. 00 
24, 943. 00 
22,888.00 
32,353.50 
109,737.50 
* License system unaffected by the general law. 
