136 Report of the Board of Shell Fish Commissioners. 
Section 97. One of the steamers of the State Fishery 
Force shall be kept in commission under the command of 
the Deputy Commander and subject to the control and direc- 
tion of the Commissioners from the first day of April in each 
year, until the first day of October following, to assist the 
Board in the performance of the duties imposed upon it by 
this Act, and the Deputy Commander in each of the several 
districts of this State shall also be subject to the control and 
direction of the said Commissioners during the closed season 
for the taking and catching oysters with rakes and tongs, 
during the time the said Commissioners shall be engaged in 
the respective districts in locating natural oyster beds, bars 
and rocks, and shall give the said Commissioners every as- 
sistance in their power. 
Section 98. After the survey provided for herein shall 
have been completed, it shall be the duty of the Board of 
Shell Fish Commissioners to lease, in the name of the State 
of Maryland, tracts, or parcels, of land beneath the waters 
of this State, whether within the limits of the counties, or 
elsewhere, in the area to be opened for oyster culture, acecord- 
ing to the provisions of this Act, provided that no tract .so 
leased, if situated within the territorial limits of any county 
in this State, shall contain less than one acre of land, and if 
situated in any other place, no tract so leased shall contain 
less than five acres. It shall be the duty of said Commis- 
sioners to require that the tracts so leased shall be as nearly 
rectangular as is convenient. It shall be the duty of the said 
Commissioners to demand from each lessee payment of the 
rent each year in advance. No person shall be permitted, 
by lease, assignment, or in any other manner, to acquire a 
greater amount of land than ten acres situated within the 
territorial limits of any of the counties, or one hundred acres 
in any other place. Leases shall be made only to residents 
of Maryland. The term of such leases shall be twenty years, 
and the annual rent reserved to the State shall be one dollar 
per acre for each of the first two years of said term of twenty 
years; two dollars per acre for the third year; three dollars 
per acre for the fourth year; four dollars per acre for the 
fifth year; and five dollars per acre during the remainder of 
the term. If any part of the rent reserved under such leases 
shall remain unpaid for more than six months, after the same 
becomes due, such lease or leases shall be declared void, and 
the land shall revert to the State, and may be leased again 
te dee 
