The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-07-26
OYSTERS IN SEASON.
AN EXPERIENCED DEALER TELLS
WHAT HE KNOWS ABOUT THEM.
The Universal Demand and How 1t In
Supplied-The Number New York
Devours I'm q Day-Oyster
Planting.
New York Mail and Express.l


"There will be plenty OF oysters this
season." said veteran oyster dealer of
the n orth 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-
ters?"
"a considerable number will be
brought from the James river. The 20
tomac promises TO 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 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, 200 to 100, 600 bushels for
New York. A bushel contains from 100
to 200. according to size, That makes
from 10, 900, 600 to 20, 600, 900 oysters.
days demand as great?"
pretty nearly. / should say that dur
ing the whole season fully IL, 100000 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 a.
sort of luxury, like ice cream in sum
mer But oysters seem always to be IL
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.
"Iou speak of the season. Are not
oysters good all the year roundi"
"Yes 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 annihilated 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 to spawn and &c
great extent protects them without the
exercises of the game laws Besides
| which it helps the trade in claims. There
are persons so much inclined to the use OF
shellfish that they feel they cannot live
without eating something of the bivalve
kind Conse 4uently, when oysters are
out of season. they consume claims, and
| thus give oysters rest, as 1t were
"1he cultivation of the oyster is as
| much business now as the raising of
garden truck. You would be surprised,
| If the statistics could be had, at the mum.
Der of persons now engaged in the arti.
fetal production of oysters The oyster
was at one time the natural product of
only necessary to fish for the N. Now, as
much care has to be taken in planting
them as in planting green stuff. To rob
! an oyster plantation iSas much q crime as
to rob garden. And there are plenty of
oyster thieves, too Planting oysters has
become quite 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 are only a
few ways of preparing oysters for use.
But if you go to Delmonico's, or some of
the first class hotels, you will find there
are as many ways of cooking oysters az
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. | re
member the time when the people oil
| New York were content with either @
raw, stew, 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?"
Eyes The quantities that go west are
something enormous. They are opened
near the place Of production, and aftel
being caiefully packed are sent off by
rail Even with the cost of transporta
ton they can be shipped so that they arr
supplied to actual consumers nearly al
cheaply as in New York. The canning pro
cess has made them reach their destina
ton in nearly as good condition as whel
fresh opened. OF course there is differ
ence. But to those who cannot get thu
fresh oyster, those canned or Garrelet
form delicious substitute / do no
think much of the supply which comes Il
this market is thus disposed Of Thos
who come here are either actually con
snmed in the city or in the outlying town
and villages You must recollect tina
there is very large population residin,
within short distance of New York
They get their supply of fresh oyster
from cs through this market When thi
Is taken Into consideration it will easil
be understood that a supply of 90, 600, 00
oysters every day cannot be too many"