Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-09-23
OYSTERS IN SEASON.
An Experienced Dealer Tells What He
Knows About Them.


New York Mall and Express.
There will be plenty of oysters
this season. said a veterau oyster
dealer of the North river wholesale
market. Il have received advices
from all who furnish me with the
hivalves. From them I can assure
the lovers ofoysters that there will be
no scarcity. We may have to send
farther for them than in years gone
by"
Where do you expect to get the
oysters ~
"A considerable number will be
brought from the James river. The
Potomac promises to furnish large
quantity. Baltimore and the shores
OF eastern Virginia bid fair to add
largely to the supply Besides these
there will be about the usual quantity
from Princes bay, Keyport. Shrews-
bury river, East river, Rockaway,
the sound and other places nearer
home There need be no fear of q
famine in the oyster market"
How many oysters will be re-
quired for the opening ofthe season?n
From the orders received by the
different wholesale oyster dealers
there was needed for the first day of
September, from $4,000 to 100000
bushels for New York A bushel
contains from 150 to 200, according
to size. That makes from 10000, 900
to 10000, 900 oysters.
THAT seems large number. Is
each days demand as great z"
Pretty nearly, should say that
during the whole season fully 10000
900 oyster reckoning at the average
rate of bivales to the bushel, will be
required to supply the market each
day. The consumption of oysters is
very large. Some are eaten at the
regular meals, others as o sort of lux
ury. like ice cream in summer. But
oysters seem always to be in good de-
mand during the season. When
scarce, it is hard work to keep up
the supply; but it has to be done,
some how or another"
"You speak of the season. Are not
oysters good all the year round ~
Yes. But it would not if the de-
mand should be kept up all the sum-
mer as heavy as it is in the winter.
Oysters would rua out, and it would
require game laws to protect them
from entire destruction. As it is,
many natural oyster beds have been
annihilated through reckless fishing
The demand is rendered less by its
being considered unhealthy to eat
oysters when the letter ''r'' does not
appear in the name of the month.
This allows the oyster time to spawn
and to great extent protects them
without the exercises of the game
laws. Besides which it helps the
trade in clans. There are persons
so much iDclined to the use of she'll
fish that they feel they cannot live
without eating something of the
bivalve kind. Consequently, when
oysters are 'out of season, they con-
sumo claims, and thus give oysters q
rest, as it were.
"rhe cultivation of the oyster is as
much a business now as the raising
of garden truck. You would be sur
prised, if the statistics could be had,
at the number Of persons now engaged
in the artificial production Of oysters.
The oyster was one time the natural
product of the American waters.-
Years ago it was only necessary to
fish for them. Now, as much care
has t. be taken in planting them as in
planting green stuff To rob an oys-
ter plantation is as much crime as
to rob a garden. And there are plen-
ty of foyster thieves, too. Planting
oysters has become quite trade or
profession, whichever you may like
to call it. and the preparation of oys-
ters for eating has also become an
art. You would think by reading
the signs on an oyster saloon that
there are only few ways of prepar-
ing oysters for use. But if you go to
Delmonico's, or some of the first class
hotels, you will End there are as
many ways of cooking oysters as
there are varieties. / could not name
all the ways that oysters are cooked.
But still they do not seem to be sufi-
cient to suit the demands of epicures,
and more ways are being invented
every season By the French and 9TH
er foreign cooks. / remember the
time when the people Of New York
were content with either raw, q
stew, q fry or hroil. But nov oys-
ters have 20 be done up . Ia some
thing or other
Are oysters shipped largely into
the interior where they are not pro-
Ouced ~
sYes. The quantities that 90 west