Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-09-01
THE OYSTER SEASON.
The Slaughter al the SuccuIent Bivalve
Begins o-Day-Savannah's Oyster
Trade and How it j. Supplied-What

THE OYSTER SEASON.
The Slaughter af the SuceuIent Bivalve
Begins o-Day-Savannah's Oyster
Trade and How IL is Supplied-Nhat
Local Dealers say About the Crop.
4 tradition fixes to-day as the opening
day of the oyster season, and a sad day it
is for the studiOus, amiable mOllusk.
For many months 20 come men Will spend
hour after hour Infringing the creatures
grotto-dOOrs, and almost simultaneously
with that deXterous twist of the fatal
knife the wretched yster-thOugh quiet
life was all his joy-will flash from his
twilight seclusion into the glare of the
sun or gas, and as suddenly be eclipsed
as the jaws of darkness" devour HIM
up.
oyster growers. dealers and shippers
are making every preparation Tor an IN
USUALLY GOOD business. Examinations OF
all the oyster beds along our coast, where
the best oysters arelOund, show that the
crop will be unusually large, and the oys-
tiers will be much finer and latter than for
many seasons past.
one dealer said examinations made
OF the oysters taken last season showed
that from some unknown cause there was
a
son oysters which have been taken from
their beds show that they have grown
twice as much as they Siid last year, ana
are solid and plump. She cool weather
during the past three weeks has Undoubt-
edlv been favOrably for their growth
Several local firms who deal in oysters
were interviewed yesterday by NEWS
represenrltive regarding the extent of the
business in the city, and it Will probably
be a matter of surprise to many TO know
that during the season there are about H.
600 oysters eaten daily in Savannah-near-
~ an oyster TO every two persons IN the
city.
The varieties of oysters used in SaNan-
nah are numerous. and every one mas MS
or her peculiar preference. lhere are me
NoutgOmervs" 1.-The Isle of Hopes 1.-THE
Skidawavs." 1.-THE White Blutfs,' 1.-THE
Daufuskies" and the ''Thunderbolts,' all
very nearly alike, but the connoisseur, IN
his cultivated taste, says they are as dli-
fcrent in flavor as they are in name.
over 800 gallons are brought into the
city daily from all along the coast Mont
,ss.g.,- ..,aL Thtin4lnr-i lalt ftis'niehisae tho
largest bulk. These oysters are taken
readily by the three shippers MeSsrs.
/ Hudson. SaVariSe and SulliNan-and are
at once prepared for shipment. The ship
ments amount TO an average OF 100 gal
Ions daily, and nearly every city and
town in the State is supplied from this
m arket, Macon and Atlanta being the
heaviest purchasers. Macon is said to be
the largest Oyster-eating city III the state
in comparison to her size.
In addition to the supply received from
along the coast in this locality New ork
and Baltimore furnish large shipments.
The Baltimore bivalVe Is product OF
( Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. In
thiS lOcalitv however. the supply is said
IL tr,f,
exhaustion OF the beds is feared. The
chief causes of exhaustion are said to be
the destruction of the spawn AF those
who operate under the provisions o. the
law. which allows five bushels per day TO
he taken for planting purposes, 1t being
indiSputable that millions OF oysters can
be destroyed in an hour during the
spawning season by q single b9a''
The disturbance OF the oysters dur-
ng the summer which Is the
growing season. under the same
law. is also Il great evil. The spawning
season begins about the last week in
April-May being the principal time-3ud
dredging. longing or scraping works an
Inhalation. Instances are cited OF Whcfe
new logs being tOwed up the rivers during
Nav become covered with the oyster
spawn. This occurs in no other month,
and will not happen TO old logs, as they
are too Shiny to hold the spawn. Where
the natural rocks and bars have disap-
Deared reefs or winrOWs of shells should
be thrown across the bottom OF the
streams al right angles to the current,
and the spawn or Spat Will attach to them,
and here they require undlsturbed time to
grow.
Another great evil. the taking Of seed
/ oysters out of the bay TO Northern
/ grounds, is furnishing ammunition to COM
mercial rivals for our own destruction,
/ as it rObS our natural magazines for the
+ benefit OF their artificial ones. The great
size Of many Of the dredging boats, and
+ the immense weight Of the larger dredg-
+ ers, are also said To be causes of much
I evil, as more oysters are crushed or
/ buried. and smothcred in the mud than are
+ taken, and the grounds and bars are ut
terly ruined. Unless the evil is remedied
/ the supply from that locality will he cut
{ of and the market Will depend MORE eN-
I clusively upon local beds.
\ leading restaurant keeper was also
/ interviewed. He said that on good day
! the orders for oysters often consumed an
nJfnullot:: Nveli t~Ita-5 t"Aia ithFee tq
: the orders are for Il half dozen, the most
popular order being ''half fry" This is
Tor the reason that most gentlemen come
"a snrriedlS and seltshly enjoy their Oys-
'-."an rnsh OF to business. a half
Iefs anu - --"h ns most peO-
Z
pie care for. OF course it is no trouble
eat dozen raw, but there are not many
who order them this way, that is, COM
paratively speaking. The sales ut the
different saloons and restaurants run up
from eighty to ninety gallons daily, While
the nOnadic tribe OF hucksters VIII
probably dispose of from sixty to seventy
gallons. The busiest time for the oyster
dealers is about Christmas, when the
shipments run up to 1.J00 gallons daily.
During last December it was with much
difficulty that the demand could be sup
piled. the orders from Macon alone
being nearly three hundred quarts day.
During the past two years the trade has
increased nearly twenty-five per cent,
and from present indications it looks very
much as though it will continue to de-
velOp into much greater proportions.
The season proper is from the LIST OF
September-the first month with the or "
to the lst of May, eight months. On
an average of receiving 800 gallons daily
for the eight months the receipts for the
season would be 112, 900 gallons, while the
shipments would run up to $4,000. These
figures do not include the heavy run OF
orders during the holidays, but are given
as under rather than above the estimated
total shipment. The home consumption
will probably amount to 80 gallons daily,
giving IS, 400 gallons for the entire season
of eight months. 1t Will thus be seen that
the oyster business is no small item III the
trade Of Savannah, but one which is as
stunning considerable prominence and
likely to grow into still larger proportions
as the demand for the delicious and sue
culent biyalYe increases.
The Growing Town of Camilla.
Mr.J.L. Underwood, editor and pro-
Drietor of the South EeOTdiq CtGriOR. will
visit Savannah in few days in the interest
of his paper. The Clarion is published at
Camilla. a CROWN. business place on