New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-13
THE CITY's SUPPLY OF FISH.

THE SUPPLY GREATLY DECREASED AND PRICES
pI,srp - CONDITION OF THE BEDS ON THE
Nopru SHORE OF LONG IsLAND-EFFEcT OF THE
NuusANcEs on BARREN IsLASD-TALKs WITH
PIsH-DRAIRRs.
The recent cold weather greatly affected the oyster
trade. All the harboIs on the north side OF Long
Island were covered with Ice over foot III
thickness On the south side the use oil ice'piougns
were necessary, and oysters were only obtained
with great difficulty. The beds planted 10 shoal
water proved total loss. As result. oysters
have increased in price, and the demand promises 10
exceed the supply. A TRIBUNE reporter called upon
several large oyster dealers in Fulton Market re-
GENTLY Phletus Dorlon. Of A. & P. Dorlon, said
"The supply of oysters has fallen of greatly,
md prioes have correspondingly increased. 1t has
been almost Impossible to get Oysters out OF the Day
on account of the ice; those that have been KEPT III
low water are frozen and worthless aud what makes
them all the more expensive is that they cannot
be shipped by water, but must nc carrieu
by rail- The price has increased 80 per cent 10 Tue
general trade, although am supplying my regular
cnstomers at the old rates. l include among my
customers many of the hots. several OF the steam
shin eompanies great many large and small deal
era and numerous families. and besides export
good many to Europe. shp 1000 barrels season
to England on regular orders.
THE reason can sell my oysters at the old price
is because have nearly my whole winters supply
in INV cellars at Port Washington, N0rwalk, STAN
ford and Greenwich, and can take them out az
want them The cellars kave stone floors Just ABOVE
high-water mark. They are always damp Dut there
il never any depth of water III them that might
f,eeya and ipiuro the oysters. Several men
attend to these cellars. go over the oysters
occasionally and throw out any that ap-
near poor Seawced is spread over the
beds and some water sprinkled over then at inter
walls. Sometimes q lot of snow is dumped Oh top,
and we find that very good indeed. We put most ot
our oysters in the cellars Ill November or ia the
early part of December.
'While the general scarcity will not affect me
Except In the way of benefting me in my sales to
persons not regular customerS it will greatly affect
many small dealers. Even at high prices thoy VIII
be unable to obtain good oysters The oysters taken
out of the water In cold weather are poor and
watery at BEST and have ali inferior flavor, besides
not keeping we'll for any length of time"
(which arc the best oysters you handler
'"The best oysters are the Shrewsburys, South
aide Blue Points and real East Rivers of natural
growth. great many North River oysters have
been planted in the East River, Int they are appar
emily different OySter-Of a different flavor; never
M good az a real East River oyster that has been
we'll planted. The Shrewsburys are among the best
that grow.
"What kind do you ship to England-large or
small3"
1--WE used to ship very large ones, but we found
that tine people over there preferred the smaller
oysters We now send those which run from 1000
to ! 200 to the barrel The American oysters are
highly esteemed in London. They are considered
great delicaces and they bring high prices The nat
five English oysters are small and have cCpneTY
taste which renders them disaFreaable 20 az Ameri-
can although SOME of the people there who are
used to them consider THAI taste as essential
fcrf bar
oyster as being fat and insip;d."
"Are there great differences the lavorof Amer
lean oystersf" :, =.
oh yes-conspicuously between tho Baltimore
oysters and the oysters of this neighborhood. The
Baltimore oysters have more OF esh-watrr tas,e;
and epcures say that they are not comparable wuh
our Blue Points or East Rivers There are some tot
erably fair Virginia Oysters-frOm York River. for
instancc-and have had some Of them here; but
they never take so we'll as our home supply. The
oyster grounds here. too vary in different seasons
One season one ground may be mGcf SUPERIOR 10 es
no accounting for this; we have no idea why 1t
should be So"
was told that oysters becoming very scarce m
deed. the price having Increased from III 10 Si %
thousand. The owners have had some niue ulI,,
Guilty III keeping up their supply, but the men VINO
supply them give them precedence over OUTSIDERS.
Thus far they have FLIED all orders from customers
at the usual prices. An Oysterman who was stand
ing IN the place told the reporter that oysters were
harder to obtain than he had ever known them to
be before.
p Fitzpatrick another dealer said that all oysters
we're scarce, and that choice ones were very dear.
Extra SadderOcks," said he, "have increased
in price from below SO to SO and over hundred;
other oysters, formerly bought at rs cents or 81.
now cost So. Scalops and CLANS are almost out OF
the market Scallops this year Rave brought 81
that never before sold for than 81; and l
know of some hard clans having been sold at 81
the usual price being only 70 cents.
The oystermen have had hard time of it. The
weather was 80 bad for so long time that they
were not able to get large stock out to pnt III
their cellars where they have cellars and the recent
cold made it not only hard to obtain oysters
through the ice but affected the oysters themselves
Very thick ice and cold water make the oysters
weak; they seem to suffer from lack OF air, aud
many of them die. They will be weak in the spring
being brought up on the beach and allowed to lie in
about two feet of water upon which the sun Is
shining. That seems tostrengthen them wonderfully
II am not increasing my prices TO regular GUS
TONERS, but If small dealers come along they VIII
have to pay me more Tho prices OF oysters ID
restaurants will not be affected; the restaurant men
will only make less profits"
Eugene g. Blackboard said that there vas great
difficulty In getting oysters. ana that tne
have already increased % per cent to large dealers
and 90 per cent to small dealers and families
Many Of the oysters now being TAKEN OUT are Ionnu
thick that it reached down to the beds ana had the
effect Of snothering the oysters. Or as 1t is called
winter-killing them. When they are orongnt put
are weak and watery, and upon exposure to the air.
soon become rank and sour.
do not Imagine the restaurant people will raise
prices because their margin of profit Is large that
they can stand i'm nense rise unless oysters be-
come absolutely rare i do not know of a mnch
more profitable business than the serving OF OYSTERS
you pay % cents for an oyster stew in which the
oysters cost only about cents"
EFFECT OF THE BARREN ISLAND NUISANCE
A large number of farmers and fishermen held
meeting OF the schOol-house in Csnars'e last
week to take action concerning the Barren
Island nusances. They adopted preamble and
resolution reci.ing that many of tho people of the