The Osceola times., 1878-12-21
.aght.
.4iletin.

ieOOf Z exPCnoeo In securing the IN
sf,ensive shsll-Ash % tempkingly placec
before them, and Of those who awk wardly
attempt TO twist and pull of the indiges
tfbls covering, how many imagine th,
exieteuce Of . process whereby the she'll
may b removed from tons Of shrimps al
most - Quickly - the pnpracticed hanc
can strip . platefulf Yet It IL fac
th,t ench q process has been perfected
and. = usual, where large profits can b;
made only By the payment Of minimum
wages to laborers. the Chinese. have
secured q monopoly Of the business Or
tho shores OF the Bay OF San Francisco
over ave hundred Cinnamon are 1T the
preeent time engaged in catching and
curing shrimps. The southern portion
Of the bay seems to b thechoice location
and between South San Francisco anc
the Eight-Mile House the shrimp
catches have located in large numbers
There are nix camps on the Potrero side
near the bone factory, composed. o.
twelve men each, Six more, with Ar
equal number OF occupants, skirt the
shQgebetHeon Rutohertown and Huhter'l
PJlA& y JAa tey0adz Hunters Point In
two camps Of thirty Cinnamon each
and at the Eighth Mile House there i,
ono camp containing forty Cinnamon
Each camp y little community of itself
and ID governed by . contractor oil
'boes," who consigns the cured shrimps
TO ChiDessi commission merchants O
shares. The contractor, who h generally
the representative OF some firm In the city
furnishes food and clothing TO bis en-
ployes, and the sum paid o. wages ID
conse quently verv small
II would at 6nt thought, In view Of
the stTingent fishery laws in force in
California, seem impossible 70 snare
shrimps without catching considerable
quantity Of snsll Rsh. 1hiSdifficulty il
ebviated BY selecting point where there
is from twelve to twenty fathoms OF
water, and sinking the nets TO level
beneath that usually traversed by fish.
y \, nf course, impossible 10 avoid en-
tmpping sumo Of the smaller fish In rails
Ing the nets. The nets used are funnel
shaped, and about thirty.six feet in
length. The diameter at the mouth is
eighteen fert, but decreases by gradations
TO ono foot at the lower extrimity. The
mesh h usually half.inch on the square
for . distance OF thirty feet from the
ori6ce, but 10 lees than:.a quarter OF an inch
In width from that point to the smaller
end. The time chosen for settin, the
nets 10 when the tide is coming In, and
they are allowed TO remain in the water
unti! after the ebb. They are then
lifted, and the contents conveyed'to land.
The camps described possess thirty-six
boats, and-n men eontitute q crew.
Esch boat contains from twelve to fif-
teen nets, and twenty baskets of shrimps
at . uingle catch Is fair average. These
baskets will hold about one hundred and
Afty pounds each.
After landing, the shrimps are placed
In vats Of boiling water, with Ere un-
derneath, and boiled for about half an
hour, being frequently sprinkIed with
coarse salt, They are then spread out
.cr hard, dry ground and left to dry and
Vrn1aks three or four days, being fire.
bleach fos yped. At the expiration o,
auently tls~.sslIs, spawn and dit are
either detached or No. easily removed
cracksd soodition q TO Be- .hen mt 70
A forcs Of Ohinamep is ,hsimps
wort tFaQplng the beds Of dfYt Fhrv
witkkk@f hoavy wooden shoss. 1.ck,
60 Ter fAd over the mass, sliding theif
ieet - dogs 4 negro dancer. whsn he ia
shuAiing pyer the stage, The tranping
process concluded the miscellaneous
mixtpp y prts into . winpow ing.ns.
chlo& Mo ~ sheIls' are separated
frolkH neas as lerfsctiy ~ chstf tfis from
grail NnbgA "A three sspohts to lhe
sepoAtsf, Skrchgh one ,ol which the
whole shrimpp arc shot intosa basket.
The other srouts are .used respective ior
the 6Yihpg crushed by the trauping
and the detached bulls. Thus dried and
skinned Tho shrimps are put in bags and
sen61a>Ahascity. a tkwcof than 'ass
shipped 70 China, but owing Ia, the high
rate Of transportation, which u,skes tks
article more oi luxury than 4 6enmo
dity in that country, the export trade
has not proved profitable. The FIRST
price Of dried shrimps in San Francisco
is from five to eight cents per pound. A
sack containing 100 pounds OF the un,
dried article will produce from eight te
ten pounds after the drying process. Be.
. fore curing, the spot price OF shrimps |,
from two TO three and q half cents pei
pound Delivered to restaurants the
price Is five cents per pound. The prin.
ciRal campo Of Chinamen are in the in
teriesf toG1 Skers> the ,shrinps com
mand high fgurc, and when made int
soup are esteemed . dainty di-h
The broken shrimps, whose segregation
has been alluded to are ground into q
coarse -four, which retails at three u
four cents per pound A use has alsC
been discovered for the shells, and they
are shipped exclusively to China
There they are valuable a. manure, and
IS q poison 70 the worm which work,
such destruction to the tea plant OF that
country. There is nearly as much pro.
fit from the sale OF the crushed shells a,
from that Of the shrimps themselves
The Chinamen state that this is the only
remedy At present known for the tea
pest, and the heavy shipments indicate
that this light yet bulky article has more
virtues thnn those Of any fertilizer.
The extent to which the business oi
shrimp catching in the Bay of San
Ffancispo has advanced is most remark.
able, The amodnt Of busiress at FIRST
hands will reach ola, 600 per month, and
new markets are constantly opening.
AtceF<sin psrisds The demand Is ogrest
that two trips into the bay are made
daily, which nearly doubles the amount
Of ordinary supply, and necessitates the
employment Of alarge force Of extra men.
The most serious disadvantage OF the
trade is that II can at preseut Be pro-