The companies owning the oyster beds have to employ these boats to keep off poachers. B By WINIFRED FALES Author of "Japanese Shadow Painting," "A Royal Romance," Etc. Y those who know the most pop ular of bivalves only as a tempting item on the bill of fare, the phrase "oyster planting" may be regarded as belonging to the same category as the well-worn anecdote of the unsophisticated bride who telephoned her poulterer for "two yards of canvasback ducks." The oysterman, however, discerns no humor in the expressions "oyster planting," "oyster farming," and others of like character, which are to him the ABC of his daily life. More farmer than fisherman is he, for, though swept by the restless tide, his fertile acres are as accurately surveyed, and his living crops as regularly sown and harvested, as are those of his brother husbandman ashore. What wonder, then, that he should borrow the language of the latter to express various operations connected with his own calling? Need of Legislative Protection In early Colonial days, oysters were to be found in abundance at nearly all points of our Atlantic coast. So plentiful were they, that the possibility of the supply becoming exhausted was overlooked; and the indiscriminate oyster fishing which was the rule for generations, resulted in the extermination of the prized mollusk in many sections. So complete was the destruction that but for the mammoth shell mounds that bear mute witness to the gastronomic achievements of the copper-skinned aborigines, and the testimony of old letters and documents that shed light upon the practice of former days, it might easily be inferred that the oyster had never existed on many portions of our seaboard. At length both the importance of the industry and the danger which menaced it were recognized, and the States directly interested passed laws for its regulation and development. Under the present system, the oyster beds are leased by the acre to corporations and individuals, the boundaries of the various holdings being designated by stakes whose tops are visible at low tide. The loaded scow is towed into a fresh-water creek, where the oysters are thrown overboard again at high tide. As a result of the "drink"-for which a period of about six hours is allowed-the salt water is largely removed, and the oysters are plumper and more easily kept fresh. DREDGE FULL OF OYSTERS HAULED IN OVER SIDE OF BOAT. Oyster Pirates, Human and Submarine The new legislation has been attended with highly satisfactory results, so far as the public, which consumes more than 28,000,000 bushels of oysters per annum, is concerned; but has unexpectedly led to the creation of a new type of criminal -the oyster pirate. These gentry belong to the numerous class who fain would reap where they have not sown; and, sailing by night, they take unlicensed toll from the legitimate farmers. So great a nuisance has this poaching become that the beds are constantly patrolled by swift policeboats, and many a naval battle in miniature is fought with the midnight marauders by the officers of the law. The enemies of the oyster, however, are not restricted to the human species. But for nature's lavish provision for its propagation, the helpless mollusk would long ago have shared the fate of the ichthyosaurus and the dodo. Far from enjoying an undisputed monopoly, man is obliged to compete against numberless rivals who share his fondness for the oyster. The massive jawed drumfish feels well repaid for the trouble of crushing the strong armor of his prey, when his efforts are rewarded by a feast on the juicy pulp within. The starfish uses methods less violent but equally effectual, closing every crack and crevice with its sinuous arms, and clinging fast until the victim is compelled to open its shell to breathe. The ensuing battle is silent but deadly, the sequel being an empty casket and a full star fish! Worst of all is the havoc wrought by the oysters themselves. -groups of young ones clustering upon the shells of their elders and smothering the latter, just like so many submarine Othellos. These facts with respect to the alarming mortality that prevails among the Ostreide explain why it is that the oyster beds are invariably found to be littered with empty shells, and also why Mammal oyster insures her posterity by laying more than a million eggs. SORTING THE WHOLE OYSTERS. In dredging for oysters, the dredge breaks many, so that the load has to be sorted. The empty shells are thrown back again. AFTER THE DRINK. When the oysters have lain in fresh water for about six hours, they are again gathered up, and are then taken to the oyster house. at other seasons, and, like all sea-foods, do not keep so well as in cold weather, but are otherwise a perfectly healthful diet. Finding a Home When the spawn has been deposited, it is carried hither and thither by the tides and currents, until the young are hatched. From the eggs, come fry so small as to be almost microscopic. They seem to be higher in the scale of being than when in their adult state, and swim nervously about, gathering the food which they find in the waters around silt, and to fasten upon some place where their growth will be unimpeded. Without this instinct, many of them would go to the mud, and there in a brief time be smothered. A sunken barge, a submerged ledge, a boulder, a broken pile, an expanse of shingle, gravel, or hardpacked sand-any and all of these are in high favor. But best of all is a populous oyster bed, where the habitations of the early settlers form a convenient. anchorage for the newcomers. The latter attach themselves in bunches and clusters to the shells of their seniors, many of whom are gradually crushed out. HOISTING BASKETS OF OYSTERS FROM SCOW THROUGH FLOOR OF OYSTER HOUSE. of existence. Beyond this, the bad judgment displayed by the oysterlings in grouping themselves thus closely, leads to fatal crowding as they increase in size; and large numbers become so tightly wedged together that they are powerless to open their shells and are eventually suffocated. In these crowded groups, the law of the survival of the fittest works with marked energy. In what may be called an oyster ball, one eighth of the individuals will be of normal size, one fourth to three eighths will be dead shells, and the remainder will be permanently dwarfed. Planting In planting oysters, the first operation is the collection of seed. Progressive individuals impound water rights, and place adult oysters therein at the spawning season. The barrier prevents the scattering of the spawn by ocean curFents, and protects it against the attacks of its hereditary foes. Bundles of fagots or young trees are driven into the mud or silt that floors the enclosure, and to these the spat attach themselves in due course of time. When they have attained a size ranging from a half-inch to an inch and a-half in diameter, the branches are pulled up and the living harvest gath ered. The beds which are to receive the seed lie from ten to sixty feet beneath the surface and are prepared by spreading with a layer of empty shells. Here the seed is sown by the simple method of dropping it over the side of the planter's boat, which steams back and forth until the entire area has been covered. The expedient of substituting a foundation of empty shells for one of living mollusks is a master stroke of economy on the part of the farmer. The fry accept the change of environment philosophically, and, quickly settling down upon the artificial bed, apply themselves |