Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-11-25
A TASTE OF MEXICAN COMMERCE..

uCLSS VIII Jul W ler
policy.
TASTE OF MEXICAN COMMERCE.
a restaurateur of this city happens to be
the pioneer, in an experimental way, in
what proves to be trade of much import
ance for California with her sister State on
the south, Mexico. Californians have here
tofore been placed at disadvantage in ca.
tering to the quite universal taste for that
palatable bivalve the oyster. Various ex-
pedients have been rescrted to from time
to time by dealers to furnish our people
with that shell.fsh, as found in it's
perfection in the Chesapeake. All the
methods adopted, however, have been
at heavy cost, and have made the
Eastern oyster more or less luxury here,
For time direct shipments were success.
full; but as the novelty wore off, the edge
of appetite was dulled by the heavy tax
necessary for its qualification. Then came
the transplanting system, and this met
with large measure of success, until
recently an advance in prices has made
even the "plant a luxury not often to be
INDUCED in, and has led to the renewal of
shipments of Baltimore oysters in her
metrically-sealed cans packed in ice. But
under this latter plan the lover of the
toothsome food loses something of the
original flavor of the bivalves, and cannot
enjoy them upon the conventional "half.
"shell." The completion OF railway lines
southwark has recently brought the cities
OF this State into direct and daily commit.
nication with northern Mexico and notably
with the port of Gusymas on the Gulf of Cali.
fornia. At that point and in that vicinity
are beds of oysters supposed to be practi.
cally inexhaustible. The Guaymas oyster
is distinctly superior in quality to the
large-shelled Mexican oyster that a few
years ago was sought TO be introduced into
this market, being brought to the State by
the steamship lines. That article, while
remarkably large and very fat, had a slight
taste of copper-besides it was found that
the water transit was too heightened to
insure the arrival of cargo in prime con-
dition, and this risk added so greatly to
the cost that the shipments soon ceased.
The oyster from the Gulf of California,
however, though smaller, is more deli.
cate in texture, and it bears a
closer resemblance in quality to the
best found on the Atlantic coast
than any yet taken on the Pacific. The
opening of the railway line to Guaymas
suggested the practicsbility of bringing the
Gulf oyster here in the shell, and the
dealer indicated made the experiment dur
ing the current week with success. A
goodly-sized box of the desirabls mollusk.
without any extra packing or ice, arrived
here in perfect condition, and the shells
were found, in their unusual depth, to con-
tain enough of liquor for the oyster to feed
upon fora week or more. The taking of
the oysters at Guaymas is effected go
cbeaply that they sell there at the nominal
figure of 25 cents per hundred, and it is
probable that an active demand will so en-
large the industry as to lower that
price under the stimulus of compe.
tition. The sample lots brought here
have involved an expenditure of
Sc per 100 pounds, and each 100 pounds
averages 300 oysters, so that the Qua ymas
oyster, on its experimental introduction,
costs the purchaser two and a quarter
cents. But it is certain that the transpor.
tation charge by car lots will be much less,
and that the opening of an oyster trade
with Guaymas will bring about a schedule
of rates that will place the article in San
Francisco and Sacramento at reasonable
figure. While such trade may serve two
to break up ruling prices and
crafty epicurean tastes, it is also signifi-
cant of the new relation we bear to the
northern States of Mexico, and which must,
IN the nature of things, result in an inter.
national commerce by land transit of great
IN POI tahSe' AS o0noFa, Snlnuanua and
Sinaloa find in California market for their
products, our manufacturers, producers
and merchants will find profitable return
trade. In short the oyster as one of the
pioneers of new trade for California, will
be entitled to the distinction of calling at
tention forcibly to the possibilities the new
railway lines southwark open to us.