Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-03-09

that the section of the code quoted
says any person who may plant oysters
Where there are no natural beds of Oys-
ters. This would seem to allow the
construction given. If it does not the
cultivation of oysters in the Territory
might as well be given up, because it
cannot be made a success unless I'M
dertaken upon natural oyster ground.
There are few scattering oysters now
in the bay at Olympia, and within the
memory of man it once abounded with
them, placed there by the God of
nature, and it seems reasonable to
suppose that If these mud-hats were
by the hand of man replanted with
this most luscious sea foods, the sole
right to enjoy them would not be
denied the person doing this work be-
cause, forsooth, the land was natural
oyster ground.
POSSIBILITIES OF OYSTER BAY.
From the best estimates which
could be obtained, the amount of
ground in Oyster Bay which could be
successfully devoted to the culture of
oysters is about A 600 acres. AS the
oyster should be at least three years
old before being marketed, only one
third of this area could be counted as
in actual production. Those in the
business estimate that each acre
should, if fully planted, produce one
sack for each week of the year. This
would make the annual possible out
put of the bay in round numbers TO-
600 sacks of 100 pounds each, and
having probable cash value of $780,
600.
On the other hand, let us look at the
bay as it is, with an estimated acreage
of 1000, which, before the recent
freeze, produced something Der 500
sacks per week. Estimating the area
in bearing at one-third of 1000, or
6G6 acres, this would give less than
one sack per week for two acres,
which shows that even the area now
under cultivation is not producing
one-half of what it might, with proper
effort, be made to bear if the calcula-
tions of the oystermen in relation to
the possibilities of production are
correct
During the late freeze the industry
was entirely stopped, as the bay was
covered with ice which compelled the
removal of the float houses to the
beach in order to prevent their being
carried away by the ice which would
form around them. This stroke of ILL.,
fortune seemed, for the time being, to
entirely demoralize the majority of the
oystermen and for several weeks after
the freeze the output was but two or
three dozens of sacks per week. For
the past two or three weeks about $50
sacks per week has been the output
and the Oystermen do not think it will
exceed this during the remainder of
the season.
Mr.. Taylor, who is an enthusiast in
the business, and who sees great
future in store for the industry upon
the Sound, took lis in his row boat to
the head of the bay where some parties
had at some time in the past made
considerable excavations with the ex-
pectation of finding copper. These ex-
cavations, or pond holes, as Mr.. Taylor
called them, were below high tide,
and therefore water always stands in
them, and We picked oysters out of
their depths from the mature ones of
three or four years TO the tender one
of not more than six months growth,
not one of which was the least bit
touched by frost. When upon the
beds in the evening my attention was
called to the fact that in certain
places, although the tide was out and
there was no hollow to retain the
water, there was water enough to cover
some Of the oysters, and in such places
they were not frozen.
"This is fresh water springing con-
tinually from the ground" said Mr..
Taylor, it is called seepage and pro-
baby comes through subterranean
channels from Black Lake, only few
miles away"
NATURAL OYSTER GROUND.
Here you see the answer to your
question OF what is natural oyster
ground" continued Mr.. Taylor. 1t
must be mud bottom, and one in
which person when walking will sink
about two inches is the best, and there
should be this seepagc, for there the
oyster is not only reasonably safe
from freezing Gas in the pond holes
which you saw above, only on small
er scale) but it has the fresh water
which it needs and here it attains the
greatest perfection OF size, flavor and
flesh."
Whether or not the cultivation of
oysters upon the.fats at Seattle can be
made II success depends upon these
conditions. l should not" said he
abe afraid to undertake it wherever
this seepage occurs"
The oysters generally lie upon the
ground in punches of perhaps dozen,
the nucleus being muscle or an
oyster shell, and in some places, where
the seepage was small, picked up
punches of oysters in which those
upon the under side and on the mud
and in the water were not frozen,