National Republican., 1882-07-26
MAKING OYSTERS.
WORK OF A FACTORY IN NEW YORK.
Experiments In Manufacturing Luscious BlvalVcs-
Qaeer Doings In One OF the Towers OF the
Fulton Market In New York City
Interesting Sights.

In the upper story OF the northeast tower Of the
| new Fulton Market building there has been estab-
lished within a few days the only oyster factory
In the United States These oysters are brought
into being, carefully nurtured and cared for, and
there they may be seen swimming around In tanks,
looking as happy this warm weather as If they
not being raised only to be boiled and eaten.
Professor Rice, who, in popular parlance, "has
the oyster down fine" Is there experimenting,
under the patronage of Mr.. E. G.. Bluckford. Mr..
Blackford predicts the ultimate extermination OF
the oyster tribe, unless that intelligent animal
can be propagated and reared arifcially, and he
hopes he says by bringing them into the world
scientifically, to be able to produce them in such
large numbers and at 81 little cost that oyster
stews Will be sold for five cents There is
no trouble about propagaling 9ystets.this has
oysters THAT make the difficulty The youngsters
toss around In the tauks Ms lively as possible TIL
they are five or six days old Then they die. No.
body has ever yet been able to propagate oysters
nrtifcially and rear them to mature oysterhood.
Nobody has even kept them alive for month, ex-
cept by scattering the spawn In unconined salt
water which Is SO near to the natural process that
1t can hardly be called artificial What Professor
Rice is trying to find out for Mr. Blackf9rd Is how
the young oysters may be raised and kept alive
and healthy until they are big enough TO eat.
When Times reporter climbed the winding stairs
leading to this tower yesterday he found Professor
Rice earnestly Watching the movements of risky
young oyster that was swimming about in its
tank. The tank was very dminutive, being
oyster had not yet reached that dignied condition
III which he might be seen with the naked eye, but
had to be looked at through microscope With
the machine arranged to magnify to about forty
dameters the oyster looked about the size of flea.
"How large is he in r,ality2" the reporter
asked.
!" tie is growing nicely" Professor Rice replied.
| " He is ouly day od but he is already almost as
| large as the point of needle" He was swim
ming round ana round, having sort of CO. as
you please match by himself and about him were
swimming dozens of other monsters, some of them
limited space of one drop of water. The young
oyster was the leviathan Of the lot. The other
creatures were hardly a tenth Of his size
| brought up, said the Professor. fine, healthy
| specimen Of u male oyster, about 3 years old,
should judge--from that to s. They sometimes
grow to a good size in the first summer of their
existence. III the following spring they are hardly
any larger. l will dissect this fellow 10 show you
what an elaborate sort of animal an oyster is. Do
| you see his heart beat2"
Sure enough, just behind that hard part we
something's call the eye, was the little rascal's
| OF large pea and it was beating away furiously,
about twenty pulsatiors minute. This was a
cry slow pulse under the circumstances, consid-
| ering that he had just been wrenched out of his
shell and at that minute had the point OF pair of
scissors poked down his throat
| Here are his gills," the Professor continued,
raising with tiny pair of forceps the thin rows of
fringe running down Que side, Under this gill
| are large number of tiny hairs, too small to be
seen with the unassisted eye. He opens his shell,
| and the water pours in, carrying in with it the
| small objects upon which he leeds. These objects
| are caught in the hairs, between the gills aud
| cannot escape. They are pushed along by mus
cular movement 10 his mouth Here is his mouth,
aud you see i! Is large enough to swallow good
morsel of foad."
| The mouth was at the end of the soft pulpy part,
| and was large enough to swallow fly. Tue Pro-
fessor them with the point of his scissors, opened
| the oysters stomach, in the middle of the soft
| part, aud thence traced the inestines, which run
| the oysters entire length turning back in their
course and running along his under side.
" Is that his eyer" the reporter asked, pointing
| to the large hard part.
| "Oh, no; that Is muscle" said the Professor
laughing. THAT is the muscle with which he
holds his two shells together 1t is very powerful,
considering its size He has no eyes, and is totally
| blind, of course. He has no ears either, and CAN
| only hear in Il general way or through sensation
| that is, if you lay him on boa!d and strike the
| board a smart rap he evidently knows it,"
| All this time the Professor was dissecting the
| oyster, laying bare his mouth, which is covered
| with flaps, and exposing the interior OF his stUm
| ach, his intestines, and all his muscles. The
| wretchs little heart kept beating SO hard the
| and inquired whether he had any sensation.
| Every little, If any," Professor Rice replied
slcing off another piece with the tiny shears. II
do not think that any shell fish has much sensa-
ton. Even after this dissection his heart will con-
| tinue 10 beat, perhaps for two or three hours l
oysters, but am rather doubtful about IL We
could mnluply them very rapidly If we could only
| raise them"
While he was talking the Professor was skinning
| the oyster, very much as n man skins rabbit.
| edible looking flesh.
People don't stop to think, when they eat oys-
| tiers, that they are swallowing heats, muscles,
| stomachs, throats and intestines. But they are.
| neat. looking bird, isn't he ?"-Netc York Times.