The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1891-05-15
FATE or THE OYsTERxAs.

the markets Of me country the q
e liclous biyulves has grown 10 gre
+, proportions, are now realizing ih'
The oyster beds from which The
supplies are derived r being raj
idly exhausted. They have bee
> compelled 10 close some of ihel
establishments and TO seek oyster
IN other waters. The Baliimor
Sun says in this connection that
Every season oysters have bee
getting scarcer ard higher, unit
, The day is not far distant, unles
planning is allowed to supplement
, The Other source of supply, wheI
oysters will disappear from tn,
poor mans table and become ;
luxury only for the rich. So i
will be seen that the consumer
especially the poor consumer, will
whom cheap food is a prime con
sideration. has interests in The oys
ter question as well as the pOol
oysterman. who spends hi,
days of hard labor in all sorls
of weather gatherering scant sup.
plies from The depleted nalura.
bars and rocks
The method of gathering oysters
forthe packing establishments is to
dredge them up from the bottom
with steam machinery which clean
up The beds, taking every oyster,
little and big. AS consequence,
not only is The present supply ex-
haus'ed, but there is no hope Tor
The future, because there is left
nothing for seed. Maryland re.
ceives nor than $4,000 a year
for licenses from the oyster dredg.
ers, but they are rapidly destroy.
ing the source of this income, and
the day will soon be al hand when
oysters will be as scarce in The
Maryland and Virginia waters as
they are now in those of New York
and New England.
The demand Tor oysters is con.
stantiy increasing with the adj
vance of railways IN the interior,
and every year The requirements
will be greater Than before. Oys-
ters are abundant all the way
around the coast from the capes of
Virginia to Texas, but we can
foresee that the dredger will soon
along and rake them all
mp and carry them away, so that
The coasts of the UnIled States
will become as bare of oysters as
are those of Europe. For thous.
ands of years The people of Europe
their oysters until they
entirely exhausted the supply. A
planted beds are all that are
available Tor European epicnr. S.
In two centuries the coast of
America, from New England 10
Chesapeake Bay, has been pretty
well stripped of The bivalves. In
wo centuries more the United
will be forced to bring oys.
,ers from the south temperate
Zone.
These delicious shell fish are
prepagaied by a proper svs-
of protection, but who cares
or ~posterityg II we can hut get
'nr oysters, the people of the next
century may 90 without. That is
he way people think of the mat
er. The trade of the FISHERMAN
$ certainly destined TO become eX-
inct.-N. O. Picayune.
The above sensible statement
10 us right here as well as
t does TO Maryland and Virginia,
md The only reason our beds have
lot been denuded # oysters by
Iredges is that, so Tar, The canning
ompanies have not been quite
arge enough TO require The dredge
nj have relied upon The longs in
he hands OF the hardy fisherman,
nd they have destroyed enough,
he Lord knows. We have some
retiy god oyster laws, If en-.
'rced. Our laws require that the
yster shall be closely culled on
ne reefs where they are taken
nd provides penalties for not do.
lg so, but this law is, and will re-
lain a dead letter until there is
)me officer elected OF appointed
hose duiyit is 30 look after them.
he factories will not report them,
ut on the contrary, encourage
MS suicidal course, and you will
ardly find one in five hundred
lat will act as Informer in such
Iatters just 10 get a portion Of The :
ne. If We would have our oyster
eds protected We must haye sala-
POLICEMAN whose duty il is to
out on The reefs and inspect =
very boa, load of oysters that is
Icked up. When we have that,
e may expect TO see The law car.
ed Uui-not before. 4;
SIGYoR CoRTE, the Italian Consul @