The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-08-31
THE OYSTER TRADE
Preparations to Supply the Demand
for the BiValVeS.
OPENING OF THE SEASON.
What the Dealers Think or the
Letter ar"

moan eyes sir oysters is the hsalthisst Kind OF
food Just look at 'sm; amt they soft and juicy9"
ana the oystsrman gazed admiringly on 6ivalve
which he had just opened. "why. sir. talk about
your porterhouse steaks or your broed chickep,"
continued dealer, knocking of the end OF another
shell, ''they amt nowhere alongside oil first class
roast and for a stew, show me the man who says
it amt better than any kind ofyour newfanged soups
and Pll show you man don't know how tn relish
good thing when he gets it.'
"But how about oysters during the summer months;
are they good then9" queried the reporter.
"Why not9'' SAID the vender OF bivaives, laying
aside his knife and bracing himself for an argument
Overwhelmingly convincing "Why amt oysters
good In the summer Why not?"
The reporter modesty replied that he really did not
know, except, perhaps, IL was because the pames OF
the summer months did not contain the letter ''r"
sand spose they don't contain the letter r." said
the oyserman sarcastcally. "What's that got to do
with itg How do you make any connection between
the ietter 'r' and an oysteE'
.Doesn't oyster end with Tf'" innocently an
swered the reporter
Doesn't oyster end with sr2 repeated the dealer,
looking pityingy on the reporter Yes, OF course.
oyster ends with Rs 80 does 'biier' end with r.; SO
does tomorrow END with RI"
"oh, no, tomorrow ends with w." corrected the
reporter
SWELL w. then; what's the difference % said the
iealcr, resuming his knife with the air Of man thor
Dughy disgusted.
ono, SIR" he presently resumed more calmly,
"hs all prsjuoice. The letter r' has got no more to
do with it than the letter x oysters just good
from May to August as they are from September to
February and little better"
Alter some further conversation the reporter took
his way to the East River oyster market the foot
of Broome street, where located number OF the
leading wholesale oystermen oil the city.
In tue depot OF stephen ID. Barnes Co. he obtained
detailed nistory 81 The INDUSTRY OF oyster planting
together with many Important statistics OF the same
Blue Points, Rockaways, East Rivers, Shrewsburys,
Keyports Princes Bays aud Sounds throngsd the
floor while large boats filed 10 OVERLOOKING with
others rocked on the river adjoining
HOW oysERs PLANTED.
The spawn oil The oyster develops In the period OF
about Two years into what the planters technically
call seed" This ''seed" is planted, rather scat
tered along the river bottoms in such places as are
selected, and from them the oyster grows The
spawn itself is too unsubst antal be handled. IL
noats ia the water until 1t reaches congeniai
temperature; when settles and fastens TO
The bed Then II slowly develops until at the
end OF from eighteen twenty-four months
has grown into scores OF tiny oysters These
whatever ground" as The river bottom is called,
owned or occupied by the oysterman. This process
main for Two. three five years, the may be,
when they are taken up and brought TO market The
principally from natural beds the waters Of New
ark Bay aud the XII Won Kun Tho beds in Newark
Bay are quite extensive, Gov ering area OF about
four hunared acres.
WHERE THEY THRIVE BEST
oysters thrive best on ground that Is soft and
muddy On the character OF Ihe soil depends the size
and condition Of the oyster By transpianting deal
enabled TO obtain slow rapid growth as
they DESIRE On soft soil they grow long aud narrow,
but hard rocky soil the oysters become short
and thick. This condition taken advantage OF by
the plante VINO freque ny combine boh Gle mcnts-
after leaving them for IA certain length OF lime
soft sell they transfer Thorn to a rocky bea. By
doing this a fuIi roupu form Is given to the she'll
na md IN a or has tx
ties and drawbacks Some years the beds turn out
poor and scanty table supplies Three years ago
unusually bad season prevailed The growth last
year excellent, ana tar the present year the
planters cheerful. Three causes operate to de-
vastate the yield. fhe first Is the voracious drum
sh with its spiked teeth, which brushes the oyster
a squirrel does nut Oitentimes whole beds are
The only preventa the planters have is to an
Choir barrels the bed OF the river, leaving
act as sort oil pisicutural scarscrow, frightening
Inc drumish away. should the oysters be saved
from the nsn they have still another enemy and
pftentimes a more dangerous one in the mussels,
which iasten upon them like barnacles and other
them by closing the shells lrmly together. The
mussies, however, short lived, and when they
comes Ia large herds they prove beneficial rather
than injurious, they enrich the soil and promote
Inc oysters growth A third evil sometimes occurs
In shifting beds. Not inirequenty 1t happens that
large quantities oil oysters badly shifted from
planters ground 10 that Of announcer For thIs there
Is no remedy the planters being unable to identity
their properly from mat OF their ncighbor Inis |
smiling II has been noticed, occurs only alter violent
BEDS ARE PRE-EnprEn
Under the statute ttle in Ice be obtained to
the bed OF navigaole streams but TO promote the |
iheustry of oysters growth law OF long ago gave
TO the adjacent landowners the right cultivate the
the planters regard the same nviolaDle. SAID an
old dealer, IN speaking oil the subject
"Irs pretty much In some waters like Western lands
man selects good bed aud stakes II of ana no
BODY else Interieres with nim The bottom is his
long as he chooses to keepit. But, lie continued,
'tnere are very few good places now that not
get a desirable place IL by purchasing IT,"
The reporter next visited The depot OF James w.
Boyle, one OF the extensive planters and ex-
porters IN the Industry. 'ln busy tines SAID Mr.
men engaged New YORK Is the great oyster centre OF
the world. Many years ago the industry confined
70 staten Island, but grew too large and to-day New
icpsveIy 10 Europe" Then opening a number of
oysters OF dissmilar shape Mr. Boyle cx-
smell oystcrmen enabled 10 tell not only
The age oil the bvave but also frequently the paricu-
TO be those about two years old that age they
very tender The blue points, which the most
pensive are taken iron natural BEDS In tue great
south Bay. They are rot transpantcd.
VISIT to tue depot o: Alexander Fraser, another |
large planter was next made and The pecuIritics OF
the bvaive under different circumstances learned.
one curious fact was narrated Tho oyster opens IT'S
shell only during flood lido, and after II has been |
brought TO Market often miles away from the water
Invariably opens its shell when the ids IS al food
Another "oyster Market" where wholesale dealers
where James A. w. Ellsworth. Jacob L. Horseman'
Henry Miller aud number OF other planters look |
alter the interests OF the oyster lover Here The re-
porter was instructed Ia the OF "summer''
oysters These, he planters say, brought from
the rivers OF Virginia just before spawning time. !
Northern oysters, they explained, we're never used
furDe the summer months on account OF that being
Ineir spawning season. BY the nrst OF September
ppswnIng is ended, and then begins IN earnest the
work OF collecting the oystcra
visit to the esiabshment Of Samuel Robbins
Doran Sbanor and a numocr OF others was pext |
made The general opinion that the oyste bust.
ness during the months containing an "rn was from
ten to hftesn times larger than IN May, June July
and Aulust All bemoantd the popular prejudice and
tsch oy sherman WINS wiling to make ahdayit that
systerr er most nutritious food IN Inn world