News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-10-25

THE MODE OF REARING AND TRANS
PLANTING OYSTERS.
Interesting Facts About the BiNHlNes ana
where They are Found.

W, P Hopson, editor of the Sea
W-orId. Baltimore, Md, gave an inter-
cstino resume of the condition OF the
oyster trade in the United States and the
world, as well as an interesting descrlp-
ton of the mode Of rearing and plant
inc oysters. Mr. Hopson is of the opm-
ion that unless some kind of legislation
intervenos to prevent it, the native
beds of the country will soon be de-
stroyed and the public will have to de-
pend on the cultivated fields for n sup
ply. He says the natural beds in New
York, New Jersey and the Chesapeake
Bay will soon be exhausted and II. ID
original bivalve obliterated. Not Only
was this true in regard to the United
States, but also in Europe. In the
Chesapeake Bay alone 5000 dredging
boats and 40, 600 men are continually en-
gagged in raking the bed of the bay.
Cultivated beds would have to be in
habited, which was being done in Con-
neoticut. New Jersey, New York and
Rhode Island with great success.
Mr.. Hopson described at length the
manner Of transplanting. He consid-
cred Connecticut the leading State in
oyster cultivation. In that State the
Commonwealth sells to the oyster farmer
a tract of land extending into the bays,
harbors or on the coast i'll fee simple.
These farms varied in size from 100 to
Is, 900 acres. This year there had been
scattered over these farms about l, ,250,-
| 900 oyster shells and $50, 600 bushels of
seed oysters. The purpose OF the shells
was to furnish stool or fOOthold for
the oyster, and in few years the farms
would be stocked with millions of oys-
! ters. as the spawn Of a mature one
would aggregate over 10000 900, and SO
small that the whole could be placed on
a watch crystal After the lapse of a
wear the shells originally used were re-
moved. as it was not conducive to the
growth of the oyster to let them remain,
and were used in transplantlng other
fields. The Connecticut oyster farmer
could produce oysters in any desirable
shape. long, slim, thick or short, and
hence they grew them up to order. A
soft bottom would produce a round,
thick oyster, aud hard bottom long,
slender one. There are shipped from
the East destined for the West, not III
cluding the waters of Maryland, $50 car
loads per annum OF oysters, each cal
containing ninety barrels, and each bar
rel 4 900 oysters, for transplant1ng II
the waters Of California and the Pacific
coast.
'They grow rapidly in California,
the speaker said, land in threeyears 7Ol
of them Will fill barrel. None go from
Maryland, although the State supplies
rest of the United 5tntes put together
OYSTERS are also being shipped to Eu
rope for transplanting purposes.
ENGLAND the native oyster sells for So
per barrel, while those shipped fror
this country sell for $8 per barrel. Their
was a peculiar flavor about the Englls
oyster which made it more palatabl
for the Englishman. One Peculiant
5 about the oyster is that, although il
t digenous to salt water, it fourishe
y best at the mouths of streams of fres
d water, and is supposed to obtain its foe
S from the products of fresh water. II
d oyster most highly priced by epieur
u was found at Blue Point, r. l., aIthoue
% the Baltimore oyster is good enoue
:, for anybody. It was said that oyste
1t were only fit to eat during certain mont
m of the year, but this was mist"k
they are eaten at all times along t
- coast, excepting the spawning senso
. This season is regulated by the depth
- water; the shallower the water
earlier the spawn"