The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-03-03
rha 0vster on it's Travels.

nos almost in the very first car de-
voted TO business that crossed the Paclnc
Railroad wherein the luscious oyster OF the
Atlantic sped onward to satisfy the long.
;nns of california That train passed
Trough sacramento, and on one special car
was en,biazoned this legend The oyster
of the east comes to greet the mouth OF
the west" There was an election in Sac
remento that very day, and the excitement
lover the various local candidates partook
of the particular heated character OF such
California contests. As the car treighted
with the bivalves stopped for moment,
lit was received with cheers. The polls
were neglected, and an eager. crowd
rushed to the car. Then, and only then,
did Sacramento fully understand that the
Iolder civilization of the east could ex-
change her commodities with the west.
Saddle rocks were in demand at 81 each,
and the election almost went by default OF
voters. From this single car came the
oyster business in California, and efforts
to introduce oysters in the waters Of the
Golden Gate. The originator Of this enter
, prise was MIR. A. Booth, of Chicago, who
} now plants many thousands OF bushels OF
northern oysters yearly in the. PACING,
. Some interesting facts are given ID regard
I to the changes oysters coming from ouI
3 lat;tnde undergo In California. Though
) snat ia undoubtedly produced. such young
/ oysters do not thrive. AS yet no small
o,sters the children of the northen oys,
. tSrs have been found. There are some
cmr;ons transformations of shells known in
oysters on our coast as they are founc
fvrther south. The round shape Of the
: shajl ia enlongated, until off the coast O
y Georgia and Florida they assume razor
shaned shell. In California our trans
; planted oyster loses its oval round shap'
and lengthens out. The northern oyster
. nlanted in San Francisco Bay are put GU
:. in four or five feet of water, and matur
~ and fatten rapidly In from six to twelv
!. months. In New York Bay this take
:, from two to four years. The native oy'
." ter coming from Oregon is small in siz'
and has the coppery favor Of the Eurt
In mean biyalve. They are not much IN d
US mand, selling at 81 the sack of bush
or and half. There are some peculiaritl'
he as to the character or origin OF the oyst'
to be transplanted, 1t would be suppose
lis that oysters coming from the Chesapeal
OF or from Norfolk would be better adapt'
to to the warmer waters of the Pacific. b
this is not the case. Such oysters VII,
=, carried there will not live. The successf
e. oysters always come from, Egg Harbc
OF Raritan Bay, Newark and Long lslal
in Sound. More southern seed invarlab
dies There is limit to the growth
- any kind of eastern oyster in the Pacl
~ waters. After a certain period, a ye
0'' and half at the utmost, tor some reas
20; as yet not we'll understood-perhaps
, ISL meat becoming too large for the sh
t . planted-the oysters die. A great d.
sa of precaution is necessary in guard
10 these planted oysters. A fence of pick
.;oh six inches apart is placed around the q
.h;a fornia oyster park. The enemies of
. .nr, oyster are the stingarees and star-h
'e" At low tide the oyster shepherd goes
MN and kills such marine wolves as may
I;n; Idevouring his flock. There is sn
't .ho CLAIMS native of the California coast,
. the is quite edible. Further north, on Pug
t the Sound, they have clam twelve inc
'n or long, eagerly devoured by the Indians,
y u which no Boston man has yet hanke
ION. after.-Ne,c York Times.