The Owosso times., 1881-11-04
Oyster Notes.

One hundred and fifty years ag
there were four thousand oyster womel
In Paris, Who pursued their busines
with much zeal and dexterity.
The "green" oyster, so much price
In France, will not sell in our markets
Inc "greening" Of oysters is extensive
~ carried on at Marennes, on the bank!
OF the river Seudre; and this particular
branch of the oyster industry extends
for leagues along the river, and is als(
sanctioned by free grants from the
state. The peculiar color and taste art
said to be impaired by the vegetable
substances which grow in the beds
where the oysters are cultivated.
A resident of London, England
claims that that city spends over $25..
100000 year for oysters, and that
more than twice the number of these
bivalves would be used if they could
be obtained at as reasonable prices as
in America. The genuine Whitestable
oyster fetches about seventy five or
eighty cents a dozen. Oyster culture
in England is yet in its infancy. Large
numbers of oysters are now carried to
England from this country. The most
popular size for eating is in a shell
about as large as dollar. They are
packed in barrels very closely and kept
right side up during the voyage. Quite
a trade is now springing up in carrying
'seed" oysters to Europe.
Car loads of oysters are shipped to
California from New York every few
days. The native" oyster of that
western coast is obtained in the Gulf
OF California, and is small and of cop
perry taste. There is as wide contrast
between the California bivalve and the
eastern as between crab-apple and a
Rhode Island greening. Something of
a supply is being obtained on the Ore
gon or Washington Territory coast.
These are better than the more south
ern.
The seaboards of Georgia South Car
olina, and Texas abound in oysters. In
some places they have grown up into
reefs extending for twenty miles along
the coast. Much of this oyster wealth
may yet become available for Northern
markets. Various river mouths and
estuaries along the Connecticut and
New York shores would be most excel
lent oyster farms, if some means could
be provided to keep the deposits of mud
from covering and smOthering the
young oysters. The time may be near
when enterprising men will seek to
clear off these ruinous deposits as they
now drain marshes and fill up swamps
and pools. The recent law of Connect
icut creating State Commission to sell
the deep water ground of the Sound,
has served to inspire great activity in
securing farms in the sea. Many thou
sands OF dollars have already been real
lied for grounds appropriated.
The production of oysters has more
than doubled in quantity in and about
New York HarbOr, Staten Island, and
Perth AmbOy during the past five years.
1t is believed If the mud could be kept
out of New York HarbOr it would
be one of the finest oyster beds in the
world.
The natural oyster beds on the east
side of Staten Island are the places
whence much of the "seed" for all the
various famous kinds of oysters about
New York is obtained.
1t is believed by some that every evil
has its antidOte. Every pest. sooner or
later, can be met by something that
will subdue or check it. The potato
bug ravaged a few years, and then
Paris green came into use, so that they
are no longer feared. He would be
benefactOr indeed who should discover
some cheap and efficient means of stop
ping the ravages of "stars" and "drills"
on oyster beds. Every oyster cultiva-
tor says: "Tell us, if possible, how to
fight these pests" Here is a field for
scientific scholar. So far it seems to
be understood that stars find their
homes and breeding places among rocks
and reefs. They move out from these
upon oyster beds. 1t has been discev-
cred that dead "stars" are good means
of enriching land. They are capital
things to put on the garden. They
ruin oyster beds, but enrich vegetable
beds. Professor Verrill, of Yale Col
lege. says the "star" takes the small
oysters into his stomach whole, shell
and all but the larger ones he kills be.
fore eating. He does this by surround
ing the oyster with the lobes and folds
of his enormous saccular stomach. The
gastric juice from it is infused into the
shell and kills the oyster, so that the
bivalve opens and is soon consumed by
the rapaciOus "fve.fnger." The only
way yet discovered to destroy this |
enemy is to dredge them off the beds
and throw them on the land.
Science has demonstrated that oys-
ters can be so managed that their
spawning seasons can be regulated, and
thus good oysters be had and eaten |
every week in the year. This is ar
ranged in the Connecticut waters by |
planting them in different depths of |
water. This secures variety in tenn
perature. The greater the heat the |
earlier the oysters will spawn. There
fore by moving them into shoal water |
in sheltered place where the sun will |
warm the water easily, the spawning
season will be over in early summer.
Those in the deeper and colder water |
will, of course, feel the heat later, and
therefore spawn later. Thus one por-
tion of the oyster supply can be always
ready for use.
The London Times discussing Secre-
tary Blaine's letter to Minister Lowell,
with reference to the Panama canal
and the Monroe doctrine, says: The
<vhfxy naf,.ra 80 Tho Inf of