The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-08
How the Starfish and Periwinkle Assail
the Juicy Rivaive.
Chicago Tribune

How the Starfish and PeriwinkIe Assail
the Juicy Bivaive.
Chicago Tribune.
Bryant A. Treat, one of the shell-fish
commissioners of Connecticut, had an ex.
hibit in Parlor o at the Palmer house yes
terday, which was of interest TO people out
West who don't know from actual observa-
ton but that oy sters grow on kind of sub
marine bush and are picked when they are
ripe. MIR. Treat showed conch shell GOV.
eresi with oyster spawn as thick as grains
Of corn on cob.
"Trere isn't room for the thousand or
more TO grow on this shell, he said, land
as fast as The stronger ones grow they
shove of the little ones, who grow on their
on hook. They can get along j,.st as we'll
on the sand alter they get so far along. An
acre of oyster land will produce 100
bushels OF oysters, which are worth APP
proximateiy 81 bushei. So you see IT'S a
ioserably paving crop.
potato bugs or they will kill the potatoes.
so the enemies of the oyster have 10 be
killed. Now, here's The star fish," and Mr..
Treat took down some cards, on which he
had strung IN pleasing conventional forms
star dsh, usually hve-pointed. but with
some eccentric examples that run from one
TO nine points.
"Ihese are the oysters deadly enemies
and here is how hey kill him. We caught
this starhsh IN the act The i've points
had closed around the oyster ike a human
hand. They shut the oyster tight ill he
cant stand it any longer. and just as soon
as he opens little of his shell TO get biI
OF air. or water rather, in snesks finger
OF the starfsh. pulls the oyster out OF his
house. and devours him.
Here Is the periwinkle, another enemy
II has prettily shaped shell, and has a
tremendous power of suction. Ii draws
the oyster up TO IL with such force that it
cracks of q oit OF the oyster shell. Then
il sucks the meat of the oyster through /
haven't got specimen of the borer here.
He gets through shell in about twelve
hours.
Now the way we xii! these off Is this:
We rake over the beds aid all these other
aiimals stick t. the rake. The oys er
doesn't We take the enemies out and
kill them. Tney are good for tertisizing,
and that's all.
Il want to tell you about the system n at
Connecticut has of protecting the oyster
farmers. II is the best syst m of protection
ever devised. Ii doesn't give OF man the
advantage over another. and the m Nth
land on tne seashore can't claim riparian
rights farther than ioS water mark. Next
10 thar there are natural beds. An. BODY
I'm the season is free to g. on them and
make what he can. Beyond the natural
beds are the artificial bed. TIE state Is
the lsndlord. E sch owner OF lots
mas a perpetua. lease conditioned
on his payisg an annual rental on
lis value depending on the location The
state gets a good revenue, land owners are
nro1ected from oyster pirates, and yet the
common rights OF ali 70 dredge for oysters
j. not traversed. while the state Is stiil
the real owner of the submarine lands.
The upshot OF it ali is that man can
make from s. To $50 oay, anu wages
aIand are correspondingly high.
aoyslermen along the coast are univer-
ssllv yelt-to-do, and are comfortably
housed and educated. l think the same
system applied TO land in general would
De productive of the same good results
The state would then get lis sole revenue
tr,,, the value az land. while the rights o.
nroducers TO their product are gnaran-
iced. Wages would go np as they have In
the oyster business.