The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-02-14
OYSTERS IN SEASON.
AN EXPERIENCED DEALER TELLS
WHAT HE KNOWS ABOUT THEM.
The Universal Demand and How 1t Is
Supplied-The Number New York
DevOurs In a Day-Oyster
~ Planting.
New York Mail and Express

New York Mail and Express.I
~There will be plenty OF oysters this
season. said veteran oyster dealer of
the North river wholesale market i
have received advices from all who fur
nish me with the bivaIves. 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
Where do you expect to get the oys-
ters?"
"A considerable number will be
brought from the James river The Po-
tOmac promises 10 furnish large
quantity. Baltimore and the shores
of eastern \ irginia bid fair to add
largely to the supply. Besides these there
will be about the usual quantity from
Irince's bay, KeypOrt, Shrewsbury river,
other places nearer home. There need be
no fear of a 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
TENDER from 70, 900 to 100 900 bushels for
sew York a bushel contains from lao
to 200, according to size. That makes
from 10. 900, 900 to 20, OOJ, 900 oysters
That seems a large number. Is each
days demand as great"
pretty nearly. | should say that dur
ing the whole season fully lO, OOO, UOO oys-
tiers, reckoning at the average rate of BIZ
valves to the busheI 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
d sort Of luxury, like ice cream in sum-
mer. But oysters seem always to be in
good demand during the season. When
scarce it is hard work to keep up the sup
ply; but it has to be done somehow or an
other.
lou speak of the season. Are not
oysters good all the year round"
les But it would not do if the de
mand should be kept up all the summer
as heavy as it 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 annihi. ated through
reckless fishing The demand is rendered
less b. its being considered unhealthy to
eat oy sters when the letter "r" does not
appear in the name of the month. This
allows the oysters time to spawn and to
a great extent protects them without the
exercises of the game laws Besides
which it helps the trade in CLANS. There
ara persons so much inclined to the use of
shel1nsh that they feel they cannot live
without eating something of the bivalle
kind. COnse uently, when oysters are
out of season. they consume claims, and
thus give oysters rest, as it were.
The Guilty alton of the oyster is as
much a business now as the raising of
garden truck You would be surprised
If the Statlsti 8 could be had, at the num-
Der OF persons now engaged in The arti
nc,ai production of oysters. The oyster
was at one time the natural product Of
the Amer can waters. Years it was
only necessary to ish for thenL y OW, as
much care has to be taken in planting
them as N planning green stuff. To rob
an oyster plan tation IS as much crime as
70 rob garden. And there are plenty of
oyster thieves too lanting oysters has
become quite a trade or profession,
whichever you may like to call
It. and the preparation of oysters
for eating has also become an art
\ on would think by reading the signs ON
an an oyster saloon that there are only
few ways of preparing oysters for use.
But If =. GU go to DelmOnicO's, or some of
the first,class hotels you will find there
are al many ways of cooking oysters as
there are arieties. l 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. [ re,
member the time when the people OF
New York were content with either
raw, a stew, a fry or broiL But now
oysters have to be done up la something
or other.
Are oysters shipped largely into the
interior where they are not prOduced?"
Yes The quantities that go west are
something enormous They are opened
near the place Of production, and after
being carefully packed are sent OF by
rail Even with the cost of Transports
ton they can be shipped so that they are
supplied to actual consumers. nearly as
cheaply as in New York. The canning pro
cess has made them reach their destlna-
ton in nearly as good a condition as when
fresh opened. OF course there is differ
euce But to those who cannot get the
fresh oyster, those canned or barreled
form a delicious substitute. l 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 recollect that
there Is very large reputation residing
within short distance Of New York.
They get their supply of fresh oysters
from or through this market When this
is taken into consideration it will easily
be understood that supply of 10000, 900
oysters every day cannot be too many"