648 JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS [Mar. 21

oysters rocks in the bay, and that the growth and size of the
oysters thereon is due more to the fact that this bottom has
been rested and guarded for nearly two years. A prominent
and reliable oysterman, who is a resident of a town on the
Eastern Shore, made a statement recently in my presence,
that at the end of the dredging season preceding the plant-
ing of these oysters a profitable day's work could be made
catching oysters on this rock, and that it was also his be-
lief (I will not say his knowledge for fear I will misquote
him) that the larger part of the oysters planted had died,
and that the present large catch of oysters, and size thereof,
was primarily the natural product of this natural oyster
bottom. The fact establishes very plainly that we could
always have an abundance of oysters of fine size were all the
oyster bottoms of the Chesapeake Bay and tributaries guarded
and protected in accordance with the law.

There can be no hope, however, while those charged with
the enforcement of the oyster law (particularly the cull feat-
ure) Act, in defiance thereof, as is now done in allowing
cargoes of oysters to be caught, sold and used that in most
instances (as can be proved) will show an exceedingly large
percentage of oysters of the size prohibited under the statute.

There is no need of the State incurring the expense of plant-
ing oysters for public use, especially on natural oyster bottoms,
as such bottoms will always replete themselves. To plant oysters
on such bottoms and for the State to pay for the planting there-
of is nothing more or less, in my opinion, than the giving of
a subsidiary. If the State Fishery Force would carry out the
law governing the management and conservation of this most
important asset of the State, particularly the cull provision
thereof, there would be found annually, on any natural rock
within the State waters, an abundance of large-size oysters,
as there is now said to be on "Daddy Dare. "

Yours very truly,

(Signed) JAMES S. ARMIGER,
118 Market Place, Baltimore, Md.

[Which was read and referred to the Committee on Fi-
nance. ]

By the President: Petition of the Women's Civic League,
Fidelity Building, Baltimore, Maryland, by Miss Harlean
James, executive secretary, in favor of the passage of the
Bill allowing the usual appropriations to the Maryland Agri-
cultural College, [Which was read and referred to the Com-
mittee on Finance. ]