Daily Republican., 1881-08-22
A POOR OYSTER CROP.

POOR OYSTER CROP.
The cOOthsOme CrGstacean OF the
slais Year.
Philadelphia Times
For several months tie Delaware
Bay oyster has lived unmo!estel. No
iron tootl.ed dredg ge has torn him from
his native rock !; IL oysterman's on os
have shocked his gentle ear Bat ire
day Of his security is nearly over. AL
ready his foes are getting out ,eir for.
midabie navy, and in two We ,ks hun-
dreds of men will seek his cnrture
Little care the greedy oys ,rermen for
the family ties or bushes :, connections
Of their unfortunate ',rey, Friend Y
oysters and oysters ',Gt on soe,kinp
'crms meet IN the sa me drag, 90 through
the same culinary process and en- er
the same living grave without condo
l'hCe anu WI ,out sympathy.
~ Is pro Jable," said j. w. Mears,
Il wholesale oyster dealer of South
bcl""a q areEne, yesterday, chat the
price IT oysters will be higher dur ng
/
S'Tcral years. TAe beds at Princes
,Ny, which yield large part of the
, New York supply, have been invaded by
the bore worm and New YDrk will re-
eel nearly al! the Morris Cove oJ sters.
This wIll cut off an important part of
| supply and must increase the price in
Philadelphia The Delaware and
Chesapeake Bays give promise of a fair
| crop, hut the expense Of or business
las SO increased of late that oysters
Will never Sc | ~ low rs they did Il few
! years ago. There was . time wc"n any
man who had four or five hundred dol
lars CoIld engage in the trade, but con
siderable capital is now necessary. The
boats are quite valuable, and the re-
pairs and necessary work to keep one
o; them in order costs more than 5000 IL
year.
THE COST or PLANT NG.
Then the cost Of planting oysters in
crcases every year. During the past
season plid twenty-eight cents BUSH
eI for Chesapeake plans, which We're
never worth more ihan fifteen or went.
cents b, fore. Carrying the oysters to
the grounds ano planting them OcCu
py quite long time and involve a
considerable outlay. Then, again, the
business Is uncertain, as We may lose
the wboto crop which we have planted
The neu receive So or $50 u month aud
are given four good meals II day, The
bill OF fare for II crew of five men, for
two weeks, averaging about forty dol
lars"
NJ I,,t Il ~ IA,
season The demand tor clans has been
unusually large and attribut"s it to
their low cost. lie says that there is |
little or 10 profit in cIan-tiahing, an! |
waits with impatience the first ol Seq |
TENDER, when the oyster boats may |
once more sail forth on their voyages
down fhe Delaware Bay.
Three or four large oyster boats lay |
oD each side OF a silly ne:.r Dock stree,
Yesterday, the Cobb an1 the Eden
being side by side. Upon the wharf
wsre quite number Of men with the
marine appearance which unly Il naval
or oySterman's lite can iWpart. Ii
needed not % second glance 10 see that +
tney were not la ueltlns the proximity
OF the So aud oyster months, aud hat
@''N'
was evident from their conversation.
AN OLD DkEDGEH TALKS,
An oystarman who has been in the
business tor tive nty-.ivH years was uext
found among the hunuCr. He cou-
municaied many facts agreeing with
those given by Mr.. Nears and added Il
history of some few Of tht ,'ys ster'S fpes.
Fr'ln his remarks il would appear
that the lot of tn gentio hiVa!ve rs by
no means a happy one. He says that
the wrttchtd oysters petish by thous.
ands when II storm sweeps over the
bosom of the bay. and that
find an untimely grave in the
sand and mud waen the cruel bore.
worm drills a littlo pin-like hole in their
armor, while even III their beds they
are not safe from the rapacious sea
horse, Il sott-bOdied animal, some tcur
inches long and with u head like that
Of its land brother. The rival clam
wages warfare likewise with the oys-
ter and breaks he latter's bill, an opera ;
lion always serious and generally latal.
Two hundred in q thousand oysters
perish beneahh the dredging hook
which dlags hem on board the boat.
The uysterman was uuable to tell the
manner in which the warlike clam and
he fierce sea horse won their triumphs,
md sal l. rather disdaiufull y I'VE ,
lon't 90 out to watch what ths blatue,l :
,hings do m.der twenty feet Of water !; =
We 90 to get as many as we eau, earn c
good wages and come quickly back to
he city to enjoy life . He added that :
nen who once EN- ,agcd in his business :,
remained at it all their lives !; y
hat apart from the good wages aud far =
living, there was II sort of fascination 9
about the life. Many a joke is played !
m greeDhorns, he said. They are face ,, ,
ously required to greese the teeth of '
he drag or ran IA plank over the side of :
he boat, that the oysters may climb OH =
,oard without getting their feet wet,
md are employed on much business ofa Z
imilar ma ure. The speaker. Iik" Mr.. /
iesrs, longed for the return of the
lredging season, for even though the I
market might be strained there was .
bundance Of work and liberal pay aud U
living TOR the boatmen as soon a. they n