Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-10-26

| OTetQIon. ana o
fact well known to expert oystermen that one
dozen Blue Points when eaten equal in their
invigorating results three dozen Of any other
kind Of bivalve.
How THEY CAN BE TOLD.
Can one tell thisrare bivalve from his meaner
fellows by an inspection Of his she'll? Yes, with
careful study this can be done. have already
referred to the greenish- blue points 40 one dis
tinguishing point, but. alas, that characteristic
Ii frequently possessed by Rocksways, which
are most frequently used to defraud the public
The Blue Point, however, can almost infsIlibly
be told by the extreme thickness and depth Of
Its shell and above all by the oyster itself when
opened, filling every portion Of its conchologi-
cal cavern so completely that. like the cham
fined in its recent prison. The oyster opener
should know that he holds in his hand bogus
Blue Point when he finds that he has to knock
Oh half an inch Of shell before he can insert his
knife. The genuine submarine tidbit is never
built that way. The consumer can declare that
it is not the eye OF Blue Point which is staring
into his unless the meat Of the oyster-to coin
thoroughly bad but Thoroughly expressive
phrase-reaches to the very edge of the she'll
This substantial quality of the Blue Point in
both oyster and shell has specially commended
1t for shipment to Europe, and no inconsider-
able portion Of this seasons crop of 10000
barrels will be shipped abroad, mainly to Eng
land, where the Britisher has forgotten to praise
his copper-tasting bivalvular abortions in his
newly found love for the luscious mollusks Of
Brother Jonathan. The difficulty met with in
exporting oysters arises from their natural in
cllnation to die when removed from their
native element. But the Blue Point with his
deep shell is enabled to retain an extraordinary
quantity of what men call its liquor" and in
this as long as it does not open its shell, it not
only lives but actually fattens. In addition to
this In packing oysters for foreign shipment
their fatal predisposition to cape is discouraged
by 25O-pound weight being placed upon them
after they have been placed in a. barrel to its
very top. The thick shell of the Blue Point
can withstand the pressure, while the thin
covering of the Rockaways is crushed beneath
the heavy burden.
THE OYSTER LAWS.
This peculiar adaptability of the former oys-
tiers to expectation led to a condition of affairs
which, until recently, threatened their exter-
mihation at the bidding of English palates.
The sale of oysters is forbidden in most states
In this country from May to September /, but
there Is no embargo upon their dredging. Con-
sequently during the close season in the months
without an IT" some of the men owning the
Blue Point beds continued an active business
by making shipments to Europe. To prevent
this the legislature of the state of New York,
upon being appealed to, passed special law
ior the Blue Point BEDS which forbids their
being dredged between June Is and September
10. This Is not only commendable but neces-
sary, for even with this restriction these oys-
sters are decreasing In Numbers so rapidly that
the largest dealer in them, when asked by me
10 make ten years contract to SUPPLY them,
declined for the reason that he was not certain
that genuine Blue Point would be obtainable
at the expiration OF that time.
Ihe most serious objection to the widespread
deception practiced upon the public in the
matter OF the Plue Point oyster is that q great
majority OF the small oysters used to carry out
the fraud are seedlings which have been trans
ferred to the bays adjacent to New York har-
Dor, where the impure water from the sewers
OF the city flows over them. 1t is a foolish be-
lief that the Blue Point is a diminutive oyster,
FEW POPULAR ERRORS.
In conclusion let me endeavor to correct a
few popular errors concerning oysters. Dealers
who say that they feed them on corn meal
don't tell the truth. Oysters eat nothing after
being taken from the water
10 have cold water dripping over them is in
furious, as 1T tends to drive out the natural
juice which is sustaining and fattening. They
should be kept cool but dry.
what are apparently fat and luscious oysters
are too frequently snares Continued rain will
pun the bivalve up, but leaves him without
flavor or substance.
Which Is the male and which the female?
Some wiseacres say that the dark oysters are Of
the masculine gender. That is not 30. Old
salty savants, who have been dredging nearly
all their lives and who by the inspection of a
shell can tell within mile of where an OYSTER
was dragged from, say that is the one thing in
this great universe which no fellow can find
out. CHARLES DELMoNICo.