The Delaware farmer., 1883-10-05
OYSTERS AND THEIR BEDS.
THE MODE OF REARING AND TRANS
PLANTING OYSTERS.
Interesting Facts About the Bivalves aud
where They are Found.

W. P. Hopson, editor of the Sea
World, Baltimore, Nd, gave an inter
esting resume of the condition of the
oyster trade in the United States and the
world, as well as an interesting descrip-
ton of the mode of rearing and plant
ing oysters. Mr.. Hopson is of the opin-
ion that unless some kind of legislation
intervenes 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 a sup
ply. He says the natural beds in New
York, New Jersey and the Chesapeake
Bay will soon be exhausted and the alb
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, 900 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-
necticut, 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
tract of land extending into the bays,
harbors or on the coast in fee simple.
These farms varied in size from 100 to
5000 acres. This year there had been
scattered over these farms about 1885,
900 oyster shells and $50, 900 bushels of
seed oysters. The purpose of the shells
was to furnish a 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 2, 200, 900, and so
small that the whole could be placed on
a watch crystal. After the lapse of a
year 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 transplanting 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, and hard bottom a long,
slender one. There are shipped from
the East destined for the West, not in
cluding the waters of Maryland, $50 car
loads per annum of oysters, each car
containing ninety barrels, and each bar
rel 1000 oysters, for transplanting in
The waters of California and the Pacific
coast.
"They grow rapidly in California" !"
he speaker said, "and in three years 700
If them will fill barrel. None go from
although the State supplies
more for ordinary purposes than all the S
est of the United States put together.
Oysters are also being shipped to Eu- !
Ope for transplanting purposes. In f
England the native oyster sells for $50 !
,er barrel, while those shipped from
his country sell for IS per barrel. There
7as a peculiar flavor about the English
yster which made it more palatable 4
or the Englishman. One popularity h
bout the oyster is that, although in il
igenous to salt water, it fourished p
est at the mouths of streams of fresh
7ater, and is supposed to obtain its food a
,om the products of fresh water. The O
yster most highly priced by epieures "
as found at Blue Point, r. L, although h
le Baltimore oyster is good enough +,
II anybody. 1t was said that oysters n
ere only fit to eat during certain months d
the year, but this was a mistake; b
ley are eaten at all times along the a,
past, excepting the spawning season. c,
his season is regulated by the depth of C,
ater; the shallower the water the fl
lrlier the spawn. %