Morning journal and courier., 1880-08-11


 new policy must be pursued if the people were to continue to have oysters There were ftful gleams of hope as new beds were occasionally discovered. But the same pro-
 cess of speedy exhaustion followed. Some tried to preserve what they had obtained un- | til they grew larger by laying them down again. But all oysters found in the water were treated as common property. Whoever found them felt free to help himself. Two young men having gathered few hundred bushels, spread them on the flats near where 1 they lived at West Haven. They tended l them carefully, hoping to realize quite a sum 1 as reward. Just as they were bargaining 1 to sell them plot carried out thus | Several parties came from ten miles in the country, by night, with rakes, baskets and | wagons, and carried the oysters all away. When the owners sought their property in the morning it was far on the road to the eel 1 lars of certain persons in Woodbridge and 1 North Orange. For thirty years past efforts have been l consistently made to enable men to own ground under watch, that they might pre- serve and grow oysters. Considerable prog 1 ress has been made through both legislative and town acts. But it has been a slow and 1 difficult process. People have been very re- luctant to grant to individuals what they felt should be reserved for all. The towns of l New Haven county and the State of,Connec- i ticut are at present most forward in measures l for encouraging oyster farms under these waters
 The Quinnipiac river, New Haven harbor, and the waters adjacent have for some years been all assigned to private parties. The first use made of such grounds was to l lay down oysters brought from other waters | especially Southern bays. Avery large trade grew up in Virginia and Maryland oysters | brought to Fair Haven to be opened and sold l over the New England and other Northern States. For some late years as many as one million bushels have been brought annually | to this place from the South. Such oysters are greatly improved by even a few weeks | feeding in the waters of our bays and river ! mouths.
 !, Formerly these oysters were sent to pri- ] vate houses to be opened. Different mem l bers of the family men, women, and chil- l dren, engaged in this work. large part of 1 the rapidly growing population found remun- ! eratiYe employment in this way. In later years shops have been built along the shores, | in which this work is done. Still later many 1 oysters are opened on the southern shore be- | fore being brought north. These opened bi- valves were first put up in small wooden kegs l holding from one to two gallons each. They 1 were shipped to different parts by railroad or stage or private teams. Before the building l of the New York and New Haven railroad ! the dealers sent large teams, drawn by two | and four horses, loaded with these little bar | rels of oysters. as far west and north as AL | bany, N. Y. Of course this could be done l only in the colder months While still using 1 the same means of packing, other forms have 1 been introduced. The most common recep- ! tacle now is a strongly made tub, with @ lid | which securely fastens Each, containing l number of gallons, is furnished with handles l with which it can be easily lifted. In warm ! weather ice is put in with the oysters. Tin [ cans are used to considerable extent. These | are filled and soldered, then packed in wood | en boxes with ice between. Thus, as with l the tubs, oysters are carried long distances l in good condition even in summer. Several 1 ingenious contrivances have been patented l that are in use to pack, fasten, carry, and I preserve this widely popular article of food. 1 An extensive tub, barrel and pail making i business is carried on in Fair Haven itself l Perhaps the most important changes and 1 improvements are now being made. Neces- ] sity has compelled the oysterman to learn 1 many things. AS in nearly everything be- l sides, it is found that natural sources of SUD- | mand. Hence the great attention is directed | to the duty of artificial production. The oyster is wonderfully prolific. Each mother sends out millions of her young every season. 1 How to secure this increase from destruction, 1 that it may grow to be useful, is now the 1 study. This involves the necessity of having 1 suitable ground on which the young will l ''set'' can be protected from enemies in the l water and out of it, and still be within reach l of the cultivator. The old methods have 1 mostly ehad their day." The conclusion is : l That cultivation must be the great resource :; | it needs deep water for assured success, and 1 it must have the aid of steam power. All ! these results are being successfully worked 1 out in the Fair Haven oyster industry. There
 are serious natural obstacles, and some arti- ficia1 Among the latter I would name iniu-
 dicious, because nasty, legislation. This
 flinders instead of fostering enterprise. But l as our citizens become more satisfied of the I value of this means of food supply that ob- l stacle will disappear
 Among the natural I would name, first, the 1 expense A deep water planter must have 8 1 large amount of land; he must employ 8 ] large number of helpers; he must have a 1 large market; he will be especially exposed
 to the ravages of five fingers, drills and 1 other vermin which are liable to assail oyster l beds; he must try some expensive expert I ments; he will be in danger of spend ing much upon ground that after all may l prove unsuitable.
 Formerly, when there were natural sources l of supply, any man with a boat and rake could start Q business Many men beginning l thus have attainedla comfortable competence l Now, there is not this opportunity. One must first secure piece of ground. He must then cover 1t with shells, and wait for l ''set." It will then be three or four years 1 before his oysters will have grown large l enough for market. Shells that once could l be had for the carting must now be bought. Oyster spawn when thrown of by the l mother soon seeks some clean shell or gravel l on which to fasten or 'set." This is why l new ground needs to be covered with clean l shells stones. Oyster spawn will not ] ''set" on mud or muddy, dirty, greasy l matter, even if on shells. Hence shells are much in demand for preparing new ground. ! Shell lime has become more costly, because l shells have risen in price, Once they cost the lime makers nothing.
 l All shell-fsh are improved by an infusion | of fresh water. This explains the superiori- | ty of the shell-fish of the northern coast of l Long Island Sound to those on the southern 1 coast of the same water. Many fresh water l streams flow in from the north none flow from the south.
 l Oysters brought from the South, or fro m 1 the deep waters of the Sound, are usually 1 quite salt, and should spend 8 few days in fresher water to be in good. condition. Gull 1 tivators now have floats !" which are rafts 1 of timber, in which they place their oyster near or within the mouth of some river for l short time before using. One req i son of the fine flavor of Far Haven oysters 1 is the flow of water from the Quinnipiac, 1 Mill and West rivers.
 Changing oysters from their place of ''set- 1 ting'' in year or two, benefits them kThey l have more room and take better shape. Cultivation has greatly increased the SUD- ply of good oysters In New Haven, ten l years ago, it was difficult to secure ten bush | SlS db SllOEb HOL1C0 NOW uF0 HunUIeO DuSn- l els can be obtained in few hours.
 l Two causes are giving cultivation here 1 new inspiration The recent laws in Virginia 1 and Maryland, which are likely to greatly
 diminish the supplies from the South, and
 the great call for seed oysters to be taken to 1 Europe.
 | Science is giving much assistance toward
 understanding the nature, habits, needs, and possibilities of the oyster as a means of food | supply It has also greatly facilitated the in- 1 vention and construction of machinery for | the prosecution of the oyster trade Prof. 1 Verrin, of the Peabody Institute in New Ha-
 ven, has done good service to the cultivators | in this vicinity as well as elsewhere. All feel
 that the business is only in its infancy as | yet.
 1 Something About Edison. l From the New York Times.l
 Some Il years ago, at 9 years of age, the l man who proposes to supersede gas for light l ing, and steam our railroads, with cleo | trical lamps in the one case and electrical en- l zines in the other, appeared in New York, ! 11o =