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     but this practice was stopped by law. And more recently 
     
     the industry has suffered from over-fishing, from the digging 
     
     of mussel-mud by farmers, through the use of drags, by 
     
     winter fishing through the ice, and by the practice of taking 
     
     small undersized oysters. However, since the employment 
     
     by the Dominion Government in 1892 of an English Oyster 
     
     Expert, these hindrances to the welfare of the industry have 
     
     largely ceased ; and to—day old beds are being preserved and 
     
     replenished, new areas are being laid out and everything 
     
     possible is being done in the direction of the scientific 
     
     propagation and culture of the oyster. The present mode of 
     
     fishing with tongs and punt, is still primitive, but it is in- 
     
     expensive and proves least injurious to the beds. The tongs 
     
     costing $2.50 per pair, consist of two rakes 18 inches to 36 
     
     inches long with handles 14 to 24 feet long joined at a certain 
     
     point by a pivot, and operated somewhat in the manner of a 
     
     household tongs, bringing the oyster up» from depths of from 
     
     3 to 20 feet. The boats used—two men to each—are gener- 
     
     ally I 7 feet long supplied with an anchor and a couple of sails, 
     
     the outfit costing from $12.00 to $18.00. Per man, the average 
     
     quantity taken to-day off the beds is from 2 to 2% barrrels 
     
     at the beginning of the season, and the returns for a season 
     
     are from $50.00 to $70.00. At the shore the prices range 
     
     from $2. 50 per barrel upwards, though choice lots command 
     
     double these figures ; and the daily catch per boat ranges from 
     
     3 to 6 barrels. But the catch varies each year owing to the 
     
     weather, strong winds keeping the fishermen idle and light 
     
     breezes off the shore furnishing the best conditions. The 
     
     close season is from the zrst of May to the 22nd of September 
     
     both days inclusive, (this prohibition coming into force in 
     
     Richmond Bay on the zrst day of May 1904, and elsewhere 
     
     on the 21st day of May 1905) ; and fishing is not allowed 
     
     through the ice, nor before sunrise or after sunset. 
     
     The minimum limit of oysters allowed to be caught by 
     
     law is three inches in diameter of shell for round oysters, 
     
     and three and a half inches of outer shell for long 
     
    
   
   
    
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