The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-09-23
The. Oyster Trade.


Some facts regarding the oyster trade
may prove especially interesting at the
present time. The bulk of the oysters
received in Chicago come from the New
York and Baltimore markets. The
Western trade in oysters is increasing
rapidly each year. The greater propor-
ton of the oysters shipped West are in
bulk, that is, they have been taken from
the shells and packed in barrels and
kegs. The trade in oysters in shell,
however, is greatly on the increase.
Most of the September oysters are re-
ceived from New York Early in Octo-
Der the Baltimore dealers get control
Of the trade and retain it throughout the
season, although the shipments from
New York continue to be very large.
Oyster ''openerS" get about one dollar
per 1000, and one man can open from
$500 to 5000 per day. Experts some
times score 5000, which gives them very
fair wages.
The prospect for the oyster trade this
season is said to be excellent. The quail
ity of the oyster will be much better than
it was last year; the crop, however, will
be considerably smaller. Very many OF
the Virginia seed oysters died during
transportation to the planting grounds,
and this will be felt in the Baltimore
market. What there are will be of prime
quality. Blue Points, Shrewsburys, East
Rivers, Sounds, Mill Ponds and Virginia
oysters, which rank in the order named,
are all far better than they were last
season. Many think that the larger the
oyster the better it is, but this is much a
deluson as to think that the larger and
fatter the hog the finer the pork. The
smaller oysters are growing in favor,
especially for eating raw or on the half
shell.
The Southern oysters are inferior to the
''hard' bivalyes referred to above, still
enormous quantities of them are con-
sumed in the North. They are brought
North in the spring and planted in beds,
from which they are taken as needed
Without the Southern oyster the demand
could not be met. By November they
are brought up direct to market, and those
who order a twenty-ive-cent per-dozen
dish are very likely to get them. They
are worth from one to two dollars less
per thousand than the common Balti-
more and New York oysters. Blue
Points, which are grown near Patchoque,
Long Island, are usually sold by the bar
rel, and bring from five to six dollars.
Shrewsburys, Sounds, Mill Ponds and
East Rivers bring from four to nine dol
lars per thousand. These prices will
vances. Though the wholesale price
will be higher this year than last, the
retail price will remain about the same.
A stew, however, will be likely to con-
tain eight or ten oysters instead of dozen,
and at a church oyster festival the chance
of finding an oyster in plate of soup
will be greatly diminished.
The expectation of oysters from this
country to Europe began in a small way
about six years ago, and at first the
-" bloody Hinglishmen' turned up their
noses at the idea of eating American oys-
tiers. Disdain, however, has given way
to respect in the matter of oysters as it
has in the case of a number of other
American institutions" and now the
imported bivalves is much sought after
1t lacks the unpleasant coppery flavor
which characterizes the European oyster.
Blue Points, East Rivers and Sounds are
the kinds chiefly exported. as they pos
sess qualities which render them better
fitted to stand the long voyage than are
the other grades. The busiest portion of
the oyster season is in October, Novem-
Der and December The demand begins
to drop off little after the first of ,Janu-
uary, the main reason probably being
that the consumers by that time become
more or less tired of them.
1t is probably fact that of those who
eat oysters not more than one-half do so
because they really relish them. Very
many eat them because they believe
them invigorating and q restorer of
wasted physical energies. Viewed in
this light the oyster is to the fast young
man what the homeopathic medicine
case is to the professional invalid, a
pleasant and effective cure for real or
imagined discrepancies in the normal
system. Some eat oysters because it is
fashionable to do so. The proper thing
with many after the matinee is to linger
over the oyster plate in some elegantly
furnished resort, and the quantity of the
bivalves consumcdin this way by couples
more or less advanced in the delectable
road through courtship would astonish a
professional Statlstician.
Not a fewpersons are unable to eat oys-
tiers at all, or at most are able only to
coquette with the invigorating bivalve
after it has been drowned in soup. The
mere sight of Il raw oyster seems to act
automatically on the dumping mechan-
ism of their stomach in some way, and
it is only by a vigorous exercise of the
will, and on immediate diversion of the
sight and attention to something else,
that the mucous membrane of the stom-
ach is restrained from perpetrating a
somersault regardless of whatever ar
ticles it may be holding at the time. The
number of persons afflicted in this way,
however, is much less than it was for
merly, and is continually decreasing. -
Chicago Herald.
The boys have started anew enter
prise in Blakely, Ga.-the trapping of
ants. They sink bottles down even with
tho Ground into which the ants fall but