The National tribune., 1892-02-25
THE OYSTER INDUSTRY.
Interesting Description Of the Raising OF the
BiYalTe IN Connecticut.
BY WALTER MINER.

ductive of natural growth oysters from time
immemOrial. Oystermen Of a few years arC
with their rakes aud tOug7 who did business
in their primitive way, little dreamed OF the
magnitude Of the business Of the present day
IushOro oyster-plauting began among the Nor
walk Islands i'm 1914. When the stalking out
Of ground for the purpose Of planting oysters
began, there were six or eight applications
and the average area staked out TO each app,i-
cant was about two acres The ground select
ell was the north shore Of Tavern Island
Applications kept coming in, and the commit
tee would 20 down 10 the Islands and stake of
ground for two or three persons at once. Thus
began the great oyster industry Of Connecticut
To day nearly all the legally available ground
for oyster planting has been decided % private
ownership, and the inshOrs ground Of the
rivers and harbOrs is used mainly for maturing
oysters taken from the natural beds or trans
planted from deep water beds. Iush0ro ground
Is often valued as high as $1,000 an acre.
Ofshore planting began in 1sG5, in water
from % 10 % feet in depth, between Fish
Island and the Norwalk Islands Some men
who are fortunate enough to own five or 10
acres obtain a comfortable living By planting
an acre or two each year with seed or small
oysters taken from the natural beds Tho
capital is small, and the owners have much
time for other pursuits.
The system Of Sound planting, or deep water
oyster-farming, is more complicated. Ii began
outside Of tho Norwaik Islands in $50, aud
n few years later oil New Haven. Now We
have great system Of deep water oyster-fsrms
stretching for miles from the shores. and OK
tending IN an almost uubrOkeu line from
Greenwich TO BranfOri-an airline distance
Of - miles These submerged farms are COW
cred by from 30 10 90 feet Of water Planting
consists in strewng a few thousand bushels Of
shells 20 settle on suitable bottom. This is
y -, ft,F.y he Of T,fr~
The spat will adhere 10 anything that is
clean even old boots have been dredgcd up
with thriving colony attached. Cultivation
has been extended TO bottoms thought unfit,
owing TO their sOitness or other causes This
has neCcssitated the deyising Of dredgcs Of
peculiar construction 10 meet special cases, and
the requirement Of great skill i'm their use
DrCdgCs have been especially designed 10 catch
5tartsh; some OF them only catch the starti5h
and other small animals, aud do not disturb
the oyster.
Oysters are male and female at the spawning
time, but at no other. The male appears at
the proper season in numbers equal to the
female. whose possible eggs are estimated at
GO,OOO,OOO; but waste Is great. Unless fertil!Za-
ton is immediate the sea-water destroys them
and the few that reach the embryonic stage
and swim about the surface OF the water for q
day or two, are decimated by fishes, while
cold rains and winds are equally destructive
The surviving embryo descend and fasten
themselves to any smooth, clean surface. If
they adhere 10 soft bottom they grow fast but
long and thin; but if they settle upon hard
grayclly bottom they enlarge moro slowly, but
IN a round, handsome way.
The vessels used in the oyster industry are
skiHs, canoes saiIboats, sharpies sloops, schoo-
neTs and steamboats,. The skis are Of all
sizes aud shapes: the sharpies and canoes are
peculiar TO Fair Haven. The steamers vary
in length from 30 10 90 feet; 20 feet bea- s
common 10 boats - feet in length. Some Of
tile steamers are built strictly for the business,
while others have handsomely ftted-up cabins
large pilOt-hOuscs heated with steam and many
decorations and cOuveuiences that render them
attractive. Many OF them carry a steward and
a crow consisting OF five or six men, who live
on board.
The amount Of machinery is large. A scpa-
rate engine is used for hauling the drcdges
The propeller engine has all the improvements
that economy requires, while tho speed of the
boat while dredging is regulated by the pilot
4 lever or small wheel is within easy reach, so
ecared as to enable him to increase or decrease
the speed at pleasure.
The greatest enemy that the oystermen have
10 contend with is the stariish. which is q star
shaped animal, consisting Of a central disk
from which radiate five arms, which are not
marked off or separated from the disk, but are
under sides are different The upper side pre-
sents a rough surface of greenish- brown. This
is lcathery membrane covering the skeleton
of the animal. which consists Of small lime
stone plates united at their edges by a sort Of
cartilage. This forms the framework Of the
arms and disk, and protects the soft parts
within. The under side Of the body is softer
than the upper. and much lighter in color. The
mouth is in the center Of the disk and bears
no teeth, but is surrounded by an elastic tube
Five burrows run from the mouth down the
center Of each arm; they are filed with nu-
merous extensible soft tubes, terminating in a
disk and arranged in four rows; these are the
sO-called feet OF the startsh. Oysters are often
dredged up with o starish wrapped tightly
about the edges of the shell. 1t is believed
that it waits for the oyster to open, and then,
inserting q part OF its stomach digests it to
death. A reddish fluid is first injected to
stupefy; but the most common theory is that
it smOtheTs its victim.