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Miciocopr tnoiuTioN tbt chart 
 
 (ANSr end ISO TEST CHART No 2) 
 
 ^ x^PPLIED IN/HGE 
 
 1653 East Main Street 
 
 Rochester. New Yorh U609 li<;a 
 
 (716) 482 - 0300 - Phone 
 
 (716) 288- 5989 - Fa. 
 
Oyster Farming 
 
 IN 
 
 Prince Edward Ist.and 
 
 M. J. PATTON 
 
 ASSISTANT SEGUBTAKY, 
 COMMISSION OF CONSEtVATlON 
 
 Reprinted from th« Fonrih Ana«*l Report 
 of the Commiaalon oi Conaervailo 
 
 .-^siiwmTtiawir'ffasa-^a.-Mnti'i 
 
Oyster Farming 
 
 IN 
 
 Prixce Edward Island 
 
 BY 
 
 M. J. PATTON 
 
 ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 
 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 
 
 .•printed from the Fonrtb Annual Report 
 of the Commission of Conservation 
 
 OTTAWA < COMMISSION OF CONSEBVATION .1913 
 
r 
 
Oyster Farming in Prince Edward Island 
 
 R 
 
 M. J. Patton 
 
 Amintant Secretary of the Commitiion of Conservatum 
 
 DURING the paat yea-' the Dotniniou Parliament waived ill claim 
 to grantiug leases x> t';e cyater area* of Canada, .ind, come- 
 t|iii'iitly, the diapoaai of these arena now restn entirely with the provinces. 
 Tin- aet KrantinK thettc coneeHsions was paased at the last session of the 
 Dominion Parliament. It empowers the Rovenior in couneil to 
 '• autlu>rize the jrovernnient of any province to prnnt leases of such 
 areas of th(( sea coast, hays, inlets, harbours, creeks, rivers and estuaries 
 of such provinces as the jrovcrnjiient of such province considers suitable 
 for till' cultivation and i)roduetioii of r)ysterM." Thus a way wn-s opened 
 up whereby the disposition of Ixith the barren and the prmluiinK oyster 
 iirens could be placed under provincial jurisdiction. The provinces 
 were not slow to take advantnjfc of this and Nova Scotia, Prince 
 F.dwnrd Island, Now Hrunswick and British Colimibia— all the oyster- 
 irtHlueinR provinces — have rntered into agreements with the Dominion 
 trovcnnnont, irivinp them the undisputed right to lease the oyster areas 
 within their 'loundaries. While th»> Dominion thus rt'limiuished its 
 eliiim to the disposal of these bottoms, it still poasesses the full legisla- 
 livc jurisdiction, .is confirmed by the decision of the Judicial Committee 
 of the Imierial Privy Council in 1S08, and makes and enforces all laws 
 .uid reirulations under which the oyster fishery is carried on. 
 
 \s soon a.s the agreement with the Dominion was 
 lilted, the povernmcnt of Prince Edward Island took 
 steps to mrUie available to its inhabitants the larpe areas 
 (;t' jiotentinl oyster areas that it possessed. Preparatory to pranting 
 liases. Mr. II. II. Shaw. Provincial Ergineer, WJis detailed to make a 
 survey of all the tit^al rivers and coastal waters. During 1912 he com- 
 pleted a survey of IJichmnrid bay. which, before it.s dopb-ti'^n, produced 
 Inrge qtmntities of the famous ^lalperiue oysters. It was found to con- 
 tain approximately 14,700 acres, most of which is available for oyster 
 culture. The plan of survey shows the bay divided into 20.acrc plots, 
 i^avh of which is di^ "led into four plots of .') acres each. The depth of 
 the water at low tide and the character of the bottom are also indicated. 
 
 Survey of 
 Richmond 
 Bay 
 
In l'J13, aiiilitional parties will he ilvtailvU Ui the wurk, nad the iiin-ry 
 of the remainiDg areM cu*ni|ilvti>tl aa rapidly aa p<i&>ilil(>. Aa rrinoc 
 Edwunl Ulaful haa a coast line lunu* HUO milva in length, this ia n work 
 of no aniuU nitttfnitude. 
 
 LMMicff 
 
 R«(«latioiia 
 
 VThen the lurvey was nearing uoniplctiuu, the Provincial 
 government formulated regulaliona for the iaatiitig of 
 leoaea and in the autumn of 11)12 applications for luiiaeaof 
 ari'aa in Richmond hay were received. On October 17th, applications 
 were called for from adult persons who had been residents of the hliiiid 
 for at least one year. Uipurian owners were given the first opportunity 
 to secure leases of 5-acre plots contiguous to their property, anil, nfttir 
 these applications had been filled, the applications of other residents 
 were considered. In the case of two persons, not riparian ownnrs, apply- 
 ing for the same plot and failing to arrive at a s.itisfactory scttlenient, 
 the lease to the disputed area was put up at auction and aoUl to the 
 highest bidder. The time for receiving applications expired on Novem- 
 ber 20th, but a second opportunity to obtain areas, extending from 
 November 30th to December 16th, was given to residents. This time 
 they were not restricted to 5-acre plots and those who had already beon 
 granted leases were allowed to obtain additional areas. After December 
 16th, applications for leases from non-residents of the Island were 
 considered. 
 
 The lease extends over a terra of twenty yean and, at its expira- 
 tion, is renewable at the option of the lessee for a further period of 
 twenty years. The rent charged is $1 an acre for eoch of 
 the first five years, $3 an acre for each of the second five 
 yeiirs and $5 an acre for each of the remaining ten years. If the lense 
 is renewed, the rent for each of the second twenty years is at the rate of 
 $."1 per acre per year, and, in addition, ♦he lessee must agree to pay any 
 royalty on the oysters produced, which the Province may levy. Aroas 
 leaded cannot be sub-let or otherwise disposed of except on the 
 written consent of the Attorney General of tl>e Province, and tlie lease 
 is subject to cancellation unless the beds are properly cultivnteil and 
 maintained. 
 
 AvsiUble 
 Oyster Area 
 
 Until the survey is finished f^" -ea available for oyster 
 farming will not be deficltely ..iiown. There are. how- 
 ever, certain portions of the foreshore of the Province 
 that have produced oysters in varying quantities ever since ths Island 
 was settled, and it i. a fair assumption that barren areas in these dis- 
 tricts can be cultivated successfully. The greater portion of the oysters 
 
 
<il \HI> Htl\T MS SlIVKl- Hun-.' OY>TKU IU:i>' \T Si^l lllHhr. (KKKk. IMvl. 
 
 An unml iimn i» ntutir.r ., : ,n thin »>.i«t, «liiy hikI iiiaht, tci kwp |M>».h«Tii (miii utMillng 
 
 oynicru (rmii ttie IhmIh. 
 
 GlAKDING THK I.NMAN OYSTKK HeDS AT SllKllJDY CkKEK. P.K.I. 
 
 Ownem have to protect their own >«<!« (rfun poachers A guard arnie<l with an 
 Enfield ride o<ciipiefl thiM house at night. 
 
produced now come from the north, or Gulf shore of the Island, the 
 principal indentation of which is Richmond bay. Other than this last- 
 named bay, the chief oyster-producing areas ire found at East river, 
 East Bideford, Mill river and Hill river. At East Bideford good 
 quality cup oysters are produced. A superior grade of oyster is grown 
 here on the private areas of Sharp Bros., the oldest cultivated beds in 
 the Pronnce. The natural beds produce considerable quantities but the 
 uncultivated oyster is always smaller and of poorer shape than that 
 grown on cultivated bottoms. At Hill river and Mill river a long thin 
 oyster is found, much inferior as regards both size and flavour to those 
 of East Bideford and Richmond bay. To the east of Richmond bay, in 
 East river, large quantities of oysters are fished from the natural beds. 
 The East River oyster is well shaped but the fishermen say it is satur- 
 ated with salt water when caught and does not taste as well as the 
 Curtain Island -yster. It is said to keep better than the Curtain Island 
 variety, however, and improves in f.avour as it remains longer out of the 
 water. At Enmore river, on Northumberland strait, a small round 
 oyster of good quality is found, though in very small quantities. The 
 bottoms here and in Percival bay are conceded locally to be good pros- 
 pective oyster-farming areas. Limited quantities of oysters of very 
 fair quality are also taken from Percival bay, Orwell bay, Vernon river, 
 and other' portions of Hillsborough bay. No oysters are taken from 
 the waters of Kings county, although the existence of deep beds of old 
 oyster shells shows how plentiful they once were there, and suggests 
 the possibility of successful cultural operations. 
 
 Present Oyster-Culture Operations in Prince Edward Island 
 
 Despite the unsatisfactory titles obtainable for oyster areas prior 
 to 1912, there are a few oyster farmers who have managed to cultivate 
 beds. The oldest and largest private beds on the Island are those in 
 the Narrows at East Bideford belonging to Sharp Bros. The title to 
 these can not be disputed because the grant was made prior to Con- 
 federation and the British North America Act provides that pro- 
 prietary rights ^vsted in indivaduals prior to the passing of that act are 
 not affected by its terms. 
 
 The area now held by Sharp Bros, was formerly the 
 property of the Pope family and passed eventually into 
 tlie bands of John Richards, from whom Sharp Bros, pur- 
 chased it. It is situated at Squirrel creek and comprises an area of 
 from 40 to 50 acres, the exact extent not being easily arrived at on 
 
 Sharp Bros.' 
 Beds 
 
account of the indefiniteness of the boundary descriptions. The area 
 comprises about 5 acres of an old natural bed and, including this, there 
 is now about 8 acres under cultivation. With the exception of the 5 
 acres of old natural bed, the area has a soft blue mud bottom, thickly 
 overgrown with eel grass. On 3 acres of this mud bottom a solid 
 bottom has been made by sinking rafts made of %-in. lumber covered 
 with gravel and old shells. Inferior oysters picked from the public 
 beds are planted on these artificial bottoms. The area of the producing 
 bottoms is being extended in this way at the rate of an acre a year. It 
 has been found that the lumber, when sunk in this blue mud, is protected 
 from the attacks of marine borers and will last indefinitely. The cost 
 of making bottoms of this description and stocking them with seed 
 oysters is about $1,000 an acre. 
 
 Sharp Bros, consider 500 to 700 bushels of seed oysters of such a 
 size as to be ready for market in a year, sufficient to stock an acre. In 
 eighteen months the oyster increases from one-third to one-half in size. 
 They depend maiiJy, however, on the set of spat to re-stock the beds. 
 This has proved remarkably abundant and the whole area held is 
 covered with a multitude of small oysters that attached themselves to the 
 shells and old oysters this year. Not only this, but the public beds in 
 the vicinity are heavily stocked with spat from these private beds. The 
 fishermen say that they have never seen such a heavy catch before. At 
 one lift of the tongs covering an area of 9 sq. ft. of bottom we lifted 
 75 oysters of all sizes — that is over 8 to the square foot. This lift was 
 taken from the old bed, not from ones recently planted on the board 
 bottoms. As an instance of the efficacy of the set of spat to stock the 
 areas. Sharp Bros, informed me that it was a very common occurrence 
 to get 100 oysters at a tongful from bottoms where no seed oysters had 
 been planted. 
 
 Last year, 100 barrels of American seed oysters were imported. 
 These came from Long island and Oyster bay, but were purchased 
 through New York commission men. The cost was $5.35 a barrel, 
 delivered. 
 
 The harvest from the Sharp beds during the past three years has 
 been as follows: 
 
 1909—259 barrels which brought in $2,468.25 
 
 1910—284 " " " " 2,560.25 
 
 1911—336 " " " " 2,933.75 
 
 1912-410 " " " " 3,406.50 
 
 
 i 
 
 s 
 
I 
 
 I 
 
 
 *• 
 
 p- 
 
 The number of barrels in each of the years above aUuded to from 
 1909 to 1911 includes about 80 barrels taken from the public beds. In 
 1912, about 150 barrels were taken from the public beds. 
 
 The Inman beds, situated on Shemody creek on Rich- 
 InnumBed. mond bay, differ from the Sharp beds in having quite 
 shallow water over them, the depth in some places at low 
 water being little more than a foot. They cover an area of approxi- 
 mately 5i/o acres and are held under lease from the Domimon Govern- 
 ment by T H E. Inman and James Morrison of Summerside. The 
 authority of the Dominion Government to grant such leases being ques- 
 tioned, the lessees naturally have been troubled a good deal by poachers. 
 Indeed they had $80 worth of oysters stolen in a single night a year 
 ago lait autumn. Since then a man armed with an Enfield nfle has 
 been stationed in a little house on the shore to guard the property. 
 (See illustration facing page 78.) . • u • 
 
 The nucleus of the bed is an old natural bed, but planting is being 
 done on contiguous barren bottoms as well as on this natural bed. 
 Small and medium sized oysters, imported from the Umted States at 
 a cost of about $4.50 a barrel, delivered, are used for planing purposes. 
 These thrive remarkably well and Mr. Inman is of the opimon that 
 they reproduce here. It must be remembered, however, that the shallow 
 water on these beds is of a much higher temperature than deeper water 
 would be. The shallowness of the water also makes it necessary to 
 harvest in the autumn oysters planted in the spring, in order to avoid 
 the destructive action of the ice. The seed oysters grow fast, however, 
 (increasing about one-third in bulk in six months) and a handsome 
 profit is made by buying in the spring at $4.50 a barrel and selling the 
 increased yield in the fall at around $8 a barrel. 
 
 Mr. Major McKinnon has the remnant of a planted 
 oyster bed on Tracadie bay, which has a soft mud bottom. 
 Mr. McKinnon stated that four years ago he had prepared 
 a bed here and planted 140 barrels of oysters on it. During the winter 
 he was absent from home and. on his return, found two mud-diggmg 
 machines busilv engaged in digging out his oyster bed. They destroyed 
 it all except a Iringe around the outside, and even this was badly silted 
 up. Under the law existing then, he could secure no redress. The few 
 remaining oysters, in spite of the difficulties to be overcome, had propa- 
 gated and developed rapidly. 
 
 The method adopted by Mr. McKinnon in preparing a bed on a 
 mud bottom differs considerably from that of Sharp Bros. First, he 
 sinks a raft of poles on which brush to a depth of about 10 inches is 
 
 Tracadie 
 Bay 
 
 ■\ 
 
8 
 
 laid. Over this he places about 5 inches of broken stone upon which 
 cultch to a depth of 3 inches is spread. Such a bed is placed consider- 
 ably above the level of the surrounding bottom and he claims the rise 
 and fall of the tide causes a greater current of water to flow over it, 
 thus aflEording the oysters additional food. He estimated that 200 bar- 
 rels of seed oysters planted in the spring in Tracadie bay would grow 
 to 300 l^arrels by fall. In his opinion a first-class producing oyster bed 
 one acre in area was worth $5,000. 
 
 Mr. H. C. Mills, an oyster dealer in Summerside, said 
 Locke Shore that he had imported nearly 100 barrels of American 
 oysters last fall and planted them in Malpeque bay oflf 
 Locke shore. They had done well in their new environment and the 
 experiment was encouraging in every sense. Outside of these few 
 instances practically no oyster farming has been done in Prince Edward 
 Island. The success that these men have had, however, together with 
 the new conditions whereby a valid lease can be granted, makes it very 
 probable that a flourishing industry will be built up in the course of a 
 few years. 
 
 Important Consideirations in Oyster CuLTtrRE 
 
 Choice of 
 Location 
 
 While the area of barren bottoms capable of producing 
 oysters is very large, the fact must not be lost sight of that 
 locations vary widely in their suitability for oyster-cultnre 
 M'ork. One of the first requisites of a successful oyster bed is a firm, 
 hard bottom. There is a great deal of soft mud bottom around the 
 shores of Prince Edward Island and if oyster planting is to be done on 
 these, the first thing to be done is to construct over the mud a firm 
 hard bottom on which the cultch and the spawners may be laid. Some- 
 times this artificial bottom is made of board rafts covered with gravel 
 and shells, sometimes of poles, brushwood and rock, the material usetl 
 depending on its availability and cheapness in the particular locality. 
 
 Murray 
 Harbour Bed 
 
 The importance of selecting a suitable bottom for plant- 
 ing cannot be over-estimated. In many places around 
 Prince Edward Island, especially on muddy bottoms, there 
 is a heavy growth of eel grass which is inimical to the development of 
 oysters. The history of the bed planted at Murray harbour by Captain 
 Kemp brings out this difficulty well. The bed was prepared in 1899 
 and planted with 84 barrels of small oysters. I inspected the bed from 
 a launch and found that it had been planted on a mud bottom and that 
 

 
 there wa« an exceedingly heavy growth of eel grass over it. It had 
 been given no attention since 1907 and I was told that many of the 
 oysters had been stolen from it "We made about twenty-five lifts with 
 the tongs and took only one oyster. This was a cup oyster of good 
 quality, about iYi inches long, which had been partially buried in the 
 mud. Several otlier specimens were brought up, which at first were 
 thought to be alive, but on closer examination, it was found that there 
 \yere no oysters between the shells. As the hinges were intact, it is 
 likely that the oysters had grown to this size before being eventually 
 smotliered by the mud and eel grass. The character of the bottom in 
 ilurray harbour was examined in several places and, in every case, it 
 was foimd to be black mud covered with eel grass. The condition of 
 this bed illustrates the difficulty that the oyster farmer will have to 
 meet if he plants on a mud bottom that has not Iieen properly pre- 
 pared and is not carefully looked after. 
 
 Salinity and 
 Temperature 
 
 In determining the location of a bed, care should also 
 be taken to see that the water at lov.- tide is sufficiently 
 deep to prevent the ice damaging the oysters in the winter 
 and in the sij^ing. Then, again, the Kilinity of the water covering the 
 beds is a matter of no small importance. If too much fresh water 
 mingles with the salt at that point tlie oysters will not do so well and 
 their texture will be flabby. If the temperature of the water is low. 
 growth will be slower than in wanner water, although the qtmlity of the 
 meat will be better. The depth of water over the bed largely deter- 
 mines its temperature, the shallower water being warmer than the deeper. 
 Where the water is cold the spatting occurs later in the season, and wlien 
 oysters from the warmer waters of the United State.<» are planted in our 
 cold waters, they are not likely to spawn until they become acclimatized. 
 The waters of various places also vary widely in their nutritive value. 
 One of the greatest needs of the oyster farming industry in Canada 
 to-day is scientific analysis of the water over prosiiective oyster area-s to 
 determine whether it is sufficiently nutritive to justify the expense of 
 planting operations. 
 
 ^g^M^^' '^^^ (digging of oyster mud in the winter by the farmers 
 
 Oyster bears an important relation to the work of oyster culture 
 
 Farming jn several ways. In the first place, mud-digging opera- 
 
 tions carried on too close to an oyster bed are liable tx) smother the 
 oysters with silt. The Dominion Government, which, a'; before stated, 
 has legislative jurisdiction over the fishery, has ruled that mud digginsr 
 must not be carried on nearer than 200 yards to a live oyster bed. and 
 
10 
 
 then, only on the written permit of a firiiery inspector. Now that 
 oyster farming is being engaged in, it is imperative that the fisheries 
 officials exercise great care in granting permits for digging mud near 
 cultivated oyster areas. 
 
 An additional use wUl be found for the dead oyster beds when a 
 large area of bottoms comes under cultivation. The oyster farmer must 
 have cultch to which the oyster larMB may attach themselves in the 
 spawning season and, in many localities, clean, large shells suitable for 
 this purpose, may be obtained from old oyster beds. Sharp Bros., at 
 East Bideford, now secure from these dead beds, a large proportion of 
 the cultch used on their oyster bottoms. As the oyster trade of the 
 Island is entirely a half-shell one, there is no possibUity of procuring 
 any of the sheds of the oysters now being fished. 
 
 Lastly, the mud digger comes into touch with the oyster farmer 
 in that the areas from which he has dug out the oyster mud may pos- 
 sibly be again made to produce oysters. Mud digging is carried on 
 everywhere along the coast, but the two bodies of water where it is most 
 extensively pursued are Bedeque bay and St. Peter bay. From 500 to 
 600 cars of oyster mud are shipped from Bedeque bay each winter, 
 while the mud-digging operations in St. Peter bay, where a depth of 39 
 feet in solid oyster beds has been reached, are on an even more exten- 
 sive scale. The mud-digging machines have dredged out great furrows 
 in the bottom of these bays and the surface left is so uneven that it 
 could not possibly be utilized for planting oysters. Any young oyster 
 placed in the furrows would soon be smothered by the silt drifting 
 down from the higher portions of the bottom. 
 
 The Provincial Government, however, is considering a 
 plan to obviate this difficulty. The proposal is to 
 prohibit the public from digging mud on these bays and to 
 install large steam dredges to dredge out the old shells, leaving a level 
 bottom on which oysters may be plantetl. The farmers would be appeasod 
 hy being allowed to purchase at cost ^he shells thus liftetl. This plan 
 fipppars to be quite feasible, although onl^ an actual test could definitely 
 determine its success. 
 
 One thing at least is certain, and tliat is: The immense deposits of 
 oyster shells show that the waters of these bays in years gone by were 
 eminently suitable for the production of oysters. As a matter of fact, 
 the flavour of the Bedeque oysters still lingers in the memories of the 
 older fishermen as being equalled only by those from Richmond bay. 
 
 Extending 
 the Oyster 
 Arsa 
 
Oyster C(»ve, Indian Kiver. P.K.I. 
 
 This inlet i§ an arm of Richmonil hay and i^Kood ixittjntial oyster Kroiiml. A gniall 
 natural nvHter l>ed e.xiHts nfl this fhore. 
 
 The Ostrea at Malpeque, P.E.I. 
 
 This little boat ii overworked. She has to keep the public oyster becis in condition, 
 
 look after the Dominion Government's experimental oyster culture work and 
 
 keep poachers off ihe oyster beds of Canada's whole Atlantic seaboard. 
 
Ottcniiimnc 
 When the 
 Spst S«ttl« 
 
 11 
 
 Another vital feaure in oyster culture is judging cor- 
 rectly when the settling of the oyster ipat takes place. 
 The spawning season occurs during the latter part of July 
 and the larvoe settle as spat about the middle of August. If the cultch, 
 to which it is intended these larvjE will attach themselves, is put down 
 too Jong before the fixation of the larvie occurs, it becomes slimy and the 
 larvffi cannot attach themselves to it. The aim of the oyster fanner is, 
 therefore, to put down his cultch just before the fixation of the larvre 
 takes place. Professor Stafford of McGill University, in his study of 
 the development of the oyster has perfected a method, by means of 
 microscopic examination, whereby the time of fixation may l)e definitely 
 determined.* This, however, cannot be applied by the ordinary oyster 
 farmer unless he has received some instruction in it. Until the appli- 
 cation of this method can be made general, the time of puttinjj out the 
 cultch must be decided, as heretofore, by rule of thumb. As soon as 
 there are a considerable number of areas under cultivation in Prince 
 Edward Island, it is very desirable that either the Dominion or the 
 Pro^Hncial Government should instruct the oyster farmers how to apply 
 Professor Stafford's method. 
 
 Fisheries Protective Service 
 
 It is imperative that the Dominion fisheries protective service be 
 improved so as to afford adequate protection to cultivated oyster beds. 
 In its present condition it is almost worthless. Sharp Bros, are com- 
 pelled to keep a patrol boat on their oyster beds to ward off poacherst 
 and the Inman beds at Shemody creek are protected by an armed 
 sentinel on the shore. Now that the people of the Island are entering 
 upon oyster farmins on an extensive scale, it is absolutely necessary 
 that the Dominion Government enforce the law. 
 
 The fisheries protective service, as at present orpanized, 
 is inefficient and must remain so as long as the present 
 method of appointment prevails. Under the present 
 system, the fishery guardians are local men— farmers or fishermen— 
 who receive their appointment because of their political affiliations and 
 are paid a small sum yearly for seeing that the fisheries regulations are 
 enforced in their districts. The appointee knows he was not appointed 
 hecause^of his peculiar fitness for discharging the duties of his position, 
 
 C^naJjaS' '^*"?°7u^ ^^^^l* ^P"'"J: exposition of this method in hie article on "The 
 Conservation of the OyBter," in Sm-hheries of Rutem Canada, publishe-l bv the 
 •-omnjiaann of Conservation in 1912. "y me 
 
 t See illastration facing page 78. 
 
 System 
 Defective 
 
19 
 
 lut because lie belong* to a particular political party. The inevitable 
 reiult of tills Hyatem ia to cause him to renianl Iuh poaition a« a ainecure 
 and to make his attention to duty a most perluiictory one at beat. 
 Moreover, the sulary i,'iven him tends to HtreiiKthen tliis impreasion; it 
 is so snmll that he could by no means devote much attention to his work. 
 Uesides, beinB a local man, he must not be too hnnl on his neighbours 
 who break the laws now and attain. H he were too strict, he and his 
 family would be socially ostracized. The result is a protective service 
 that is looked upon on a joke b>' the whole community. In every little 
 iishing hamlet there are slorii of how the laws are broken and of how 
 the guardians wink at law-breakinii, keeping stutliously out of the way 
 when they know it is g«ung on. Not only can such an inefflcient organ- 
 ization do but little to protect the fisheries, but it t«nds to debauch the 
 morals of the whole country where it exists. No one who has not 
 mingled among these people can imagine how it demoralizes the finer 
 sensibilities of a law-abiding citizenship and engenders a disrespect for 
 all law. 
 
 It is not so much the officials as the system that is at 
 fault. I am of the opinion that the best results would be 
 achieved by appointing officials at salaries which would 
 permit them to give their whole time to their duties. If the guardians 
 were paid adequate salaries and compelled to give their whole attention 
 to the work, fewer officials would be required to do the same amount of 
 work. All the appointments should bo made on the pround of capa- 
 bility, not politics. Under no con-ideration should guardians for a 
 district be appointed who are resiat.its of that district. If an official 
 is to discharge his duties properly in any district, he must come to it as 
 a strnnper. Furthermore, the uJVicials should be moved to new districts 
 evi three or four years, and the inspectors placed over them should 
 have absolute power to suspend and to dismiss them for inefficiency or 
 neplect of duty. In no other way can discipline be built up. It must 
 be remembered that the people in these fishing districts have been used 
 to seeing the law scoflfed at and trodden under foot for years and that 
 the new organization will have to work against a strong public feeling of 
 suspicion. Talk about reorganization of the fisheries protective serv"?e 
 to these people and they will shake their heads in a knowing way and 
 sav, "Yes we have seen reorganization-s before and they all amounted 
 to the same thing." To overcome this feeling on the part of the people 
 the service must be placed under a rigid system of inspection an.l 
 stronp-handed discipline. 
 
 Suggestions 
 for Improve- 
 ment 
 
13 
 
 Revision of Presi >t REouLATioNg 
 
 £jg^ Oneo the protective •iTvii-e haa Ixji'D reorganized the next 
 
 Sauonaad cnential ig a thorough revision of the existing regulations 
 Marluting r-specting oyster tishing. The present regulations were 
 intended to apply to free-tishing conditions and not to conditions where 
 oyster culture prevails. The regulation fixing a close season, although 
 quite proper when it was formulated, >"«, with the advent of oyster 
 tanning, becomo most unjust and unfi.... The effect of it is lo prevent 
 the oyster farmer from marketing his crop except in the open oyster- 
 tishing season which extends from October 1 to March 31. The result 
 is that, on account of winter conditions, oysters can be fished and mar- 
 keted praetieally only during two months of the year. As a consetiuence, 
 large quiuitities are thrown on the market during these two months and 
 prices are demoralized. When a man planta and carea for an oyster 
 bed there is no good reason why he should not bo allowed to sell his 
 oysters at any time they can be profitably marketed. Self-interest will 
 force hir to see that he does not woi* injury to h.'s bed. It can readily 
 be seen how the progress of oyster farming will be retarded unless pro- 
 vision is made whereby oyster culturista may market their products at 
 any time they choose to do so. 
 
 The fixing of a standard-sized oyster barrel and the 
 establishment of a system of government inspection and 
 branding of the packages are two other matters which 
 retjuire the immediate attention of the Department I have inten-iewed 
 the largest oyster dealers in Montreal on this subject and they are unani- 
 mous in their opinion that the Prince Edward Island oysters, although 
 naturally superior in quality, cannot hold their own against the United 
 States oyster unless they are properly graded and put up in packages 
 of fixed size. Oyster consumers, they declare, demand the highest clasa 
 article they can procure, regardless of cost. This, however, is a fact that 
 the oyster fisherman cannot fully appreciate, and consequently, he is 
 ruining his own prospects by shipping small and inferior oysters in 
 packages of all sizes. "When a retailer buys a barrel of oysters he must 
 know approximately how many oysters there are in it, else he cannot 
 determine the proper price at which to sell them. If the barrel is not of 
 standard size and the oysters are not graded, he sells them at either too 
 high or too low a price. Thus, either the customer or the dealer is 
 cheated, and either contingency is disastrous to the Prince Edward 
 Island oyster. 
 
 Pmcking mnd 
 Grading 
 
lonwtioii 
 
 MM 
 
 BruidiiiC 
 
 U 
 
 It U to be expected that, with the iMUguwUon of oyster 
 culture, ao attimpt wi'l be made to market large quantities 
 i>( truiwiilBnti'd United Stntea oystera as nenuine Mai- 
 pequei. Although such oyiten, after being in Prince Edward Wun.l 
 watera a certain length of time, do abeorb the flavour of the native pro- 
 duct, yet the knowledge that they are being aold cannot help lujt interfere 
 with the market for the well-known Molpcquea. It is neeesnary that 
 these United State* seed oysters be importiil for a few years till the Iteils 
 can be adequately stocked, but, when being marketed, they should b» 
 carefully distinguished from the Prince Edward Island oysU-r. This 
 distinction cannot be uinde unless a Government system of inspection 
 and branding is istabliubea. 
 
 In summarizing, it mny be said that the prospects for 
 Si-mmary the establishment of a profitable oyster- farming industry 
 
 in Prince Edward Island are encouraging. Now tliut the 
 oyster fanner can procure tjootl titles to bottoms, the responsibility rests 
 cu the Dominion Government and the Provineial governments to see 
 that the <on<iitions under which he works be made ns favourable m pos- 
 sible. What is most urgently needed is a change in tiie present oyster- 
 fishing re;,'ulati()ns which were not intended to apply to ovHtcr-i-iltun 
 conditions. This will, no doubt, be speedily etTceted ; no good reas(jn can 
 be iulvanced why it should not be. The need for the reform of the 
 (isherifs prrtective serviee i.s particularly urgent. As coitstitnted .it 
 present, it is ineffective in protectiui? the fislier> and is debasing tlu^ 
 moral tone of the fishinj.' eonmnmities as well. That a reori-'aniziitiou is 
 tir^'intly required is a-lmitted by all; the dan^'er lies in continued delay. 
 .As^little is known scientifieally about the propagation of oysters in Can- 
 adian waters, it would l)e a ','reat loon to the oyster fanners if th.- 
 governm.'iH eoueerned would have scientific researches nmde by a m:ni 
 of scientific attainments, who could also appn3ciate the practical and 
 , (■(iMomic aspects of the industry. No ar-uraent can be advanced why ;i 
 standard-si7.'cd barrel "bould not be ado[.ted by law and a system c! 
 government bramling establishe.l. The markets require it and an 
 extended investigation Is not neces.sary to determine the details. Just 
 at present people in Prince Edward Island are very enthitsiastie over 
 the business of oyster farming. It is, how-ver. an industry in wliid, 
 snecess can not be won without the possession of accurate knowb'dee and 
 the adoption of sound business principles, and it therefore behooves th(> 
 government authorities to do all in their power to pre\ nt this i';/in! 
 enthusiasm of the oj'ster farmer from beine dulled.