Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-02-07
OYSTERS In SEASON.
AN EXPERIENCED DEALER TELLS
WHAT HE KNOWS ABOUT THEM
The Universal Demand and How II Ii
supplied-1he Number New York
Devours I'm q Day-Oystsr
Planting.
New York Mail and Express.l

New York Mail and Express.l
.There will be plenty of oysters this
season" said veteran oyster dealer of
the North river wholesale market Il
have received advices from all who fur
nish me with the bivalves. from them |
can assure the lovers of oysters 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 oys-
ters2"
"A considerable number will be
brought from the James river. The Po-
tomac promises 70 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 Shrewsbury river.
East river, Rockaway. the sound and
other places nearer home. There need be
no fear of famine in the oyster market !"
How many oysters will be required
for the opening Of the season.
From the orders received by the diff
ferent wholesale oyster dealers there
was needed for the first day of sep
tember from 70. 900 to loo. 900 bushels for
New York A bushel contains from loo
to 200, according to size. That makes
from 10. U00, 900 to 90, 900, 900 oysters.
THAT seems large number Is each
days demand as greatg"
-Pretty nearly. should say that dur
ing the whole season fully ~. 000. 900 oys-
tiers, reckoning at the average rate of bi-
valves to the bushel, will be required to
supply the market each day. The con-
sumption of oysters is very large some
are eaten at the regular meals, others as
sort 0f luxury, like ice cream in sum-
mer But oysters seem always to be in
good demand during the season. When
scarce, II is hard work to keep up the sup
ply; but 1t has to be done somehow or an
other.
-lou speak Of the season. Are not
oysters good all the year roundl"
.Yes But Ii would not do il the de-
mspd should be kept up all the summer
as heavy as il Is in the winter. Oysters
would run out and it would require
game laws to protect them from entire
destruction As it is. many natural
oyster beds have been annfhi,atcd 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 oysters time 70 spawn and TO
q great extent protects them without the
exercises of the game laws. Besides
which it helps the trade in clans There
are persons 50 much inclined 10 the use of
shellrish that they feel they cannot live
without eating something of the bivalve
kind Conse Iuently, when oysters are
out of season. they consume claims, and
thus give oysters q rest, as it were
The cultivation of the oyster is as
much business now as the raising of
garden truck. You would be surprised,
II the statistics could be had, at the num-
Der OF persons now engaged in the arti-
fetal production Of oysters The oyster
was at one time the natural product of
the American waters Years ago 1t was
much care has to be taken in planting
an oyster plantation is as much 3 crime as
to rob garden. And there are plenty of
oyster thieves. too. Planting oysters has
become quite q trade or profession,
whichever you may like to call
it and the preparation of oysters
for eating has also become an art
You would think by reading the signs on
an an oyster saloon that there sre only q
few ways of preparing oysters for use
But II you 60 TO Deimonicos, or some Of
the first-class hotels. you will find there
are as many ways of cooking oysters ss
there are varieties / could not name all
the ways that oysters cooked But still
they do not seem to be sufficient to suit
the demands of epicures, and more ways
are being invented every season by the
French and other foreign cooks 1 re-
member The time when the people of
New York were content with either q
raw. a stew. fry or broiL But now
oysters have to be done up la something
or other
1Are oysters shipped largely into the
interior where they are not producedf
sYes The quantities that go west are
something enormous They are opened
near the place Of production. and after
being carefully packed are sent off by
rail Even with the cost of Transports
ton they can be shipped so that they are
supplied 70 actual consumers nearly as
cheaply as in New York. The canning pro-
cess has made them reach their destIna-
ton in nearly as good q condition as when
fresh opened OF course there is differ
ence But TO those who cannot get the
fresh oyster. those canned or barreled
form . delicious substitute do not
think much OF the supply which comes to
this market is thus disposed of. Those
who come here are either actually con-
sumed in the city or In the outlying towns
and villages You must recoilect that
there is very large population residing
within short distance Of New York.
They get their supply of fresh oysters
from or through this market When this
Is taken iEto consideration it will easily
be understood that a supply Of 20. 0o0. 90
oysters every day cannot be too many