The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1867-12-04
Asa Hartz on Oysters.

An oyster ls something good TO cat,
but can't register and vote. He grows
in out of the way places, where. the tide
GIBBS and flows rs often as it wants to in
twenty-four hours, and heseems to- like it.
He has curious and at the same time
playful habit, at;certain times, OF opening
his shell and attracting to his presence
the hungry raccoon. On such occasions
the cuss of raccoon superstitiously in:
serts his paw into the open shell to hanl
the oyster out; whereupon the latter
clamps down on him like the devil, and
holds him there till the tide rises and
browns him.
I don't know what he does it for, but |
have the authority of several editions of
natural history-with colored plates-for
saying that such is the fact, and also that
no raccoon has ever been known to sur
vive this hypathic treatment.
The oyster must be of an extremely 80.
cial disposition: They sleep numerously
in. one bed, and nobody ever heard of one
kicking another out. They are a quiet
set, and though they open their mouths,
they have nothing to say. A great many
self important: politicians of the present
dav are suffering with the same complaint.
I Their religious principles are strikingly
evident in the fact that they all belong to
the Hardshell persuasion, and although
strictly addicted to cold water, as gen.
eral thing, the principles Of that creed are
often seen whcna dozen Of them are found
clustered around the neck of an old empty
bottle which somo mean white man has
cmptied and thrown overheard.
In this moral state the oyster is quiet.
and anything but tussy, but when brought
into broil or q stew, and although Me-
Coolc himself would be unablc1to close
his .eye,o the poor thirg suffers muchIy
from this getting into hot water.
His temperance proclivites will make
him take even salt water when he can't
get fresh, and his diet, outside of that rae
coon foible mentioned above, is exceeding
Fly light.
People eat oysters. Some are preferred
in the live state and some in the cooked.
They arc dog on'd good both ways. The
most approved and highly satisfactory
way of eating an oyster is to do it after
the shell has been opened. | have known
people to fail signally who tried it the
other way.
Oysters flourish in all the months of the
year.in which the letter ''r" occurs, and
the largor colonies of them arc to be found
on St. Charles street, both sides, from
September oncc,to the very last day of
April next. There arc occasions when
thev may be found in large communities
at Barataria. These are of Il higher ordor,
and their acquaintance eagerly sought at
ter by simple natives.
There arc two ways of making an oys-
tor open unto you. One is to knock him
like the mischief with brick until he
cant help it, and tue other is to tickle
him with a thing like bowie knife. The
first named plan will always succeed, but
tho oyster doesn't like it, and the result is
not satisfactory TO the man who does it.
tried the other process once, and sue
ceededsin taking off one half of my left
thumb with the bowic-kniferous nstru-
ment used for tickling. have not tried
|, it since Not many people know how to
do it expertly.
You then put peppcrsaice on him, if
lemons are ten cents apiece. They are
both good you like it.
don't know how many oysters I can
cat in given time; but am willing, after
due notification, to try it for the benefit
Of any unprejudiccd individual who has q
barrel or Two on hand and expert to use
the opening instrument.
In conclusion, the oyster is like a clam
only little moro that way. He can hold
on tighter, is moro helty in Ills general
build, and there is more diversity in his
style of architecture.
/ think l shall go out and get some.
ASA HARTz
P. 81 should have stated that some
people eat oysters in August; but they