Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-18


Atlantic coast species do multiply and can be
is on the point Of being announced by the
United states fish commission.
For more than twenty years such oysters
have been regularly grown in the Bay Of San
Francisco. Every autumn about 100 car loads
OF baby bivalves not bigger than thumb nail
are carried all the way across the continent and
planted at the Golden Gate. There they are
cared for until they reach marketable size,
when they are sold for eating. So highly are
they priced that they fetch cents apiece
twice as much as they are worth in the east.
Up to the present time it has been believed
that these valuable mollusks would not breed in
this adopted home, because the water IL SO
temperature OF 10 degrees while those waters
seldom register over 81 degrees Fahrenheit.
Thus, though the soft clam transplanted from
New England has prospered on the Pacific
shore, all hope Of similarly demonstrating the
Atlantic oyster was abandoned. Nevertheless,
recent investigation has disclosed the fact that
the alien species is adapting itself to Its new
habitat and is multiplying naturally to some
small extent. Furthermore, it is practically
certain that it could be made to reproduce its
kind on . satisfactory scale by very simple
methods.
BROUGHT FROM TIE ATLANTIC.
Live Atlantic oysters were first brought to
San Francisco in 1870, when the earliest trans
continental railway was completed. They were
so highly appreciated that the business of
fetching them 5000 miles to market rapidly
grew. Eventually, however, the practice was
adopted Of transporting the bivslves only in
the shape Of ''seed, )" and the infant mollusks
were planted out in beds until they grew big
enough to be sent to market. The young she'll
fish are shipped from the east by fast freight in
the autumn. Usually the loss does not amount
to more than 10 per cent The freezing of the
liquid about them does not injure them. To
illustrate the length Of time during which
frozen oysters may remain out Of water with
out dying ii is worth mentioning that on one
occasion several car loads OF them were lost
through mistake and were two months on the
journey. When they finally arrived in San
Francisco nine-tenths of them were alive and
in good condition. Californians will undoubt-
eddy consume more oysters when they can get
them at Baltimore and Philadelphia prices.
THE NATIVE OYSTER OF THE PACIFIC COAST
abounds in San Francisco bay. 1t is q very
poor sort Of sheIlfish compared with the BIZ
valve of the Atlantic. 1t is small and very
prolific. The shells Of this species form ex-
tensive deposits covering the shore for miles
| and stretching In bars out into the bay The
"spat' Of these small mullusks fastens upon the
| eastern oysters, which soon become covered
with the growing parasites. Thus it is neces-
sary to clean the imported oysters for market
by knocking off the young natives which have
adhered to them. Doubtless the latter crowd
out OF existence many OF the young OF the At
lantic kind In San Francisco bay there are
very few Of the star fishes. which are such for
midabe enemies Of oyster culture in Long Is
land sound, but the little mollusks known
| as drills" which bore through the oyster
| shells and suck ont the soft parts Of the ami
mails. are becoming plentiful, having been
| brought from the east together with the oysters.
FOES TO THE PACIFIC OYSTERS.
But the most dreaded foes to oysters in
Pacific waters are the stlngrays. These dis
agreeable and sometimes dangerous fishes enter
San Francisco bay in large numbers in the
| spring and remain until late in the fall They
feed exclusively on shellfsh, for crushing which
their mouths are provided with a sort Of bony
them, all beds have to be fenced around with
| closely set stakes eight feet high. When a
broken stake allows q school OF stingrays to
raid oyster bed. its surface after the tide has
| gone out presents the appearance OF a field
that has been rooted by hogs. Sometimes the
oystermen, discovering the presence Of such
intruders, manage to entrap them inside the
line OF stakes, thus destroying many during one
| low tide. This fencing Of beds against sting
rays is heavy expense to the oyster farmers
of California.
ON MUD FLATS.
All the eastern oysters now growing in San
Francisco bay are bedded on mud fats in
shallow water. Such locations are selected in
order that the beds may be readily fenced in
for the purpose of keeping out stingrays At
low tide the bivalves are out OF water and ex-
posed to the sun. The California summer is
rainless and hot. Probably this is one reason
why the oysters have not shown a tendency to
multiply rapidly, inasmuch as such exposure
would be calculated to lnjure the Young spat
At the same time the muddy ground is not
favorable to propagation. inasmuch as the baby
mollusks require hard surfaces on which to FIX
themselves. By paving the bottom with old
shells this latter difficulty would be overcome
and propagation would very likely be much
more rapid.
COOP PROSPECTS
II eastern oysters can be propagated natur-
ally in San Francisco bay these bivalyes will
become comparatively cheap at the Golden
Gate. One plan suggested by the United States
fish commission relates to the creeks and estu-
aries In that neighborhood which are flooded
by the tides. The water in such places. being
comparatively shallow. is raised by the sun to a
higher temperature Brush could be planted
to collect the epat, and it would not be dif3cult
to keep the stingrays out by means OF fences
notion OF the scale on which the culture Of
oysters in that region is now carried on NAV he
got from the fact that one company has oO0
acres Of beds fenced in. These are divided into
six groups. the individual beds varying in ex-
tent from fifty to 1000 acres. The seed oysters
are transplanted from certain of these localities
to others for fattening before they are sent to
market. This concern ships the mollusks
canned or boxed, to all large towns from Vic,
toria to San Diego, and from Salt Lake CITY 20
Honolulu.
OYSTERS FROM WESTERN MEXICO.
Attempts have been made by the ovster
growers Of San Francisco bay to Introduce
there the large oysters Of western Mexico. which
strikingiy resemble the Atlantic species. I'm
fortunately, most of the bivaIves died on the
voyage. Now that there is railway Connection
between Guaymas and the Golden Gate tho
transportation of these mollusks by rail might
give better results. Along the Mexican lagoons
referred to enormous mounds of oyster
shells accumulated by past generations of In
dams, who did large business in driving the
meats of the shellfish and sending them inland
for sale. Previous to the introduction of the
Atlantic species oysters were brought from the
beds OF Acapulco and sold readily IN San Fran
cisco at Is cents apiece. Their arrival was
regularly announced by placards on steamer
days. However, SO many died on the voyage
that the business was not profitable, and il was
finally ruined by the introduction of eastern
oy sters on the completion Of the overland rail-
road in 1870.
A sack full Of oysters was recently brought 10