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It has practically been demonstrated that one bushel of seed oysters properly distributed has produced in three years 100'bushels of marketable oysters, and for each succeeding year the proportion of increase nearly doubled.
Suppose we again go back to our five acre oyster bed, and begin dredging the second season. Before we get through the season, instead of having only five acre?	of oyster bed, we	will have it
spread out over twenty acres. So	the increase will	go	on from	year
to year until finally instead of you lookin? for the oyster, the oyster will come to you, so to speak.
One very important measure should however, be enforced from the beginning. All small, unmarketable oysters should be culled out on the boats when taken, and immediately returned to the oyster beds.
We enclose you a copy of our Maryland Oyster Lav treating on this subject.
Another very important feature of the Dredge, besides its a advantages in deep water, and in which it becomes a nncessity, is in the catching of oysters in stormy weather. In our waters when the vind is bloving a gale, the tongers are all tied up—ve suppose it is the same vith you--but nothing less than a hurricane \^ill stop a dredge boat. A good stiff	gale is an advantage	because	the
boat can then cover more space on	shorter time.
*ve do not think that Nev York Bay or Long Island Sound ever contained a natural oyster bed. We know that thousands, yes millions of bushels of seed oysters vere year after year taken from Chesapeake Bay, transported to and planted in those waters, ''•■'hat vas the result? And how did they accomplish it?
They spread these seed oysters thinly over the bottoms, and with their Dredge boats, run by steam, they kept raking over these beds, spreading them out so that the oysters could not grow in bunches; planted shells over bare bottoms for the spawn to fasten to, and today they have a mighty oyster farm; even though for years they had to contend vith the "Star” fish vhich destroyed millions of oysters annually.
Yours truly,
E. C. SHRINK i< CO.