The Dillon tribune., 1886-05-08
WHERE OYSTERS GROW.
,., ,,AsLE DEPOSITS OF cHESA-
.r.xe aAY AND TRIBUTARIES.

|
y" oeAxe BAY AND TRIBUTARIES.
n...e in the Magnitude of the Oys.
,,dustry-Three Varieties of the Bi-
..,ve-supply of Seed Oysters for E"-
.,,e-.shucking."
rso oyster industry of the Chesapeake
.;nsnlo. when considered in it's several
lnncbes of planting, dredging, longing
o na hacking. is something wonderful. 1t
a." arxnan,led immensely during the past
"s ,ea,s. 1t was in 1857 that the nucleus
mis- great industry was formed at Sea-
arJ mel. by ii company of capitalists
.aM' Fairhaven, Conn. At that period
.ha husincss was principally that of can-
asckin,,, and canned oysters commanded
really sale throughout the north and
".st Previous. to this time the rich and
'.huabfe oystet:rlepositso fthe Chesapeake
nav and its tributaries, covering an area
4 marine territory of about 400 square
niles were comparatively nndevelOped.
law with a largely INCREASED demand for
as.;as an article pt: food with the intro
,,rtiou of improved appliances for facili-
.atinc the taking of the bivalve from its
,atural element and preparing it in various
arms for the markct-canned, steamed,
,ckled and tubbed-with radical change
n the whole system of operations. and
,rith the augmented water and rail facili-
les for cheap and rapid transportation,
Zach recurring season witnesses very
,prceptible increase in the magnitude of
he industry.
THREE VARIETIES OF THE B1vALvES
OF the three varieties existing along the
atlantic coast, those Astounding in the
hesupeake bay are known as Ostrea Nir-
,inana, or southern oyster. They are said
o be harder. develop more rapidly, are
more prolific and more tenacious OF life
,han the European varieties. Though
snail. they are held in special favor on ac-
cunt of richness of flavor and are pre-
erred to the larger oyster on account of
:laptability for stewing purposes. They
nave acquired wide reputation abroad,
As is evidenced in the enormous quantities
which annually find their way to the other
de Of the ocean. When it became appar-
INT that the oyster farms in foreign wa
ers were becoming rapidly depleted, the
dea Of introducing seed oysters from the
Chesapeake bay To recuperate them was
suggested Its practicability was seriously
,uestioned. but recent experiments have
!isspated doubts, and have demonstrated
hat the American oyster can bc safely
lransplanted and propagated. As II re-
suit Of the success of the experiment
europe has drawn heavily for her
supply upon the resources of Ameri-
an bays and rivers, particularly the
Chesapeake, until there are apprehensions
hat with the constant drain to meet. the
increased demand for home consumption
and home trade, to furnish seed for local
waters and to keep up the supply for for
eign markets, many of the natural beds
will become extinct.
Notwithstanding the extraordinary fe-
cundity of the oyster. the young do not
develop with that rapidity to make the
beds sufficiently productive to maintain
an inexhaustible supply of understandable
oysters. 1t is estimated that II healthy
spawn is capable of producing about
q, SOC, 900 spat, or young. but the multi
tutle Of perils which these helpless. fragile
atoms of marine life encounter from the
time they take to rock. e.. settle down
on the beds-until they reach maturity,
such as meteorological influences, raw
ages from the relentless star-fish and pesi-
wlnkle. lcaye but small per cent. of the
MarketableSoyster in the bed. Added to
'hese the manifold local causes which con-
,pre to assist in depicting the Chesapeake
waters and the grounds for this apprehen-
Ion become manifest.
THE SIMPLE PROCESS OF .'sHUCKING."
There are two grades of oysters. known
as the 'straights,' taken Unfortunately
rom the bin, and the Selects" or those
carefully ''culled." The process of shuck-
ing Is simple, and an expert and industri-
nus shucker will average about fifty gal
ons per day Of ten hours. The hammer
and knife are in general use, though here
,hey open the oyster by u process called
stabbing," using thin, steel blade about
NO and half inches in length, and. in.
stead OF cracking the nib or the large end
81 the oyster OH the bank with the ham,
Her, they insert the blade OH the side, al
most in line with the adductOr muscle.
anu bya lexterous twist of the wrist
-nrow of one valve, leaving the oyster
Shole and solid i'll the other. Most OF the
Meking houses pay Is cents per gallon;
-fisl'eld shuckers receive 70 cents per
| SALON.
hv a careful computation there are en-
'mSed in and about the numerous packing
seablishments in the Peninsula {, 600 men,
women and children, white and colored.
IL ,ne various capacities of shocking,
nash!ng, transferring aad packing There
are are 'A~ boats called 'orphans," or boats
nat aa! are not regularly engaged in the
"'slhess, but which are held in reserve in
uses OF emergency. There are 900 dredg-
.a NY vessels, averaging tv onty-tive tons
vmn, with 1000 canoes and smaller craft
In'.h tong about six bushels each daily
.n' a.hg the season. which usually begins
.hs ' ,he 18th Ut September and extends to
ns s iast OF April: atmospheric influence
Mittlhg. or sudden transition from
.nan ielne cold to a pr0tracted warm. sultry
, ml ol weather is disastrous t. the bus;
49, s,s. anu u phenomenal thunderstorm in