The oyster industry . lling and loading.—If dredging is done in the day-time, the oysters are at once culled, but whenworking at night this is deferred until morning. Culling consists in separating the oysters from the other thingsbrought up by the dredge and throwing the latter overboard, while the former are placed in the hold of the this manner the work continues until the vessel is loaded, when she at once proceeds to market. A trip willgenerally take about twelve or thirteen days. The effect upon an oyster-bar of dredging, has been thoroughlystudied, both in this country and in
The oyster industry . lling and loading.—If dredging is done in the day-time, the oysters are at once culled, but whenworking at night this is deferred until morning. Culling consists in separating the oysters from the other thingsbrought up by the dredge and throwing the latter overboard, while the former are placed in the hold of the this manner the work continues until the vessel is loaded, when she at once proceeds to market. A trip willgenerally take about twelve or thirteen days. The effect upon an oyster-bar of dredging, has been thoroughlystudied, both in this country and in Europe, and the conclusion almost invariably reached is, that it is beneficialto the beds when properly conducted as to time and manner; and my own investigations have satisfied me thatthis is correct. An oyster-bar, when left undisturbed for a number of years, has a tendency to solidify into analmost imi)enetrable rock. Dredging prevents this, and, by scattering the oysters over a wide area, greatlyextends the 2 0) XX X < s I Co I Ig THE OYSTER-INDUSTRY. 159 Probable injttuious effects of dredging.— But there is great clanger tha,t dredging may be carriedto such an extent as to leave only an oyster bere and there; and then the yield is too small to be profitable. Suchis by some believed to be tlie present condition of a large part of the bay; and they hold that there is an abundanceof oysters, although so widely scattered that it is very difficult to catch them. In a report upon the oyster-bedsof the Chesapeake bay, made in 1872, by Mr. O. A. Brown, to the auditor of public accounts of Virginia, it is saidthat the dredging of oysters is as necessary to their development and propagation, as plowing is to the growth ofcorn ; the teeth of the dredge take hold of the rank growth of the oyster-beds, and, by being dragged through them,loosen them (which is done by hand in Franco in the management of their oyster-parks), and give them room togrow and mature properly; mor
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