1984 Evinrude 35 HP Reed valves

[JABIII]

Replaced both reed valves & stops 1 year ago. One had a small hole the other was ok. Looked yesterday and one has a whole leaf broken off, what can cause this???

I kept the one that was ok last year, is it ok to put it back in??

[boats.net]

Poor quality reeds is the only thing I can think of. Reeds do not normally go bad.