The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-08-23
DIGGING FOR OTSqBRS
Richard R. Green Writes
of His Observations and
Experience at Fair
haven.

little village OF Fairhaven. locatsd IN a
picturesque section of the Navesink
River. is populated mostly BY industrious
and thrifty habitnnts. who are engaged
In the occupation Of digging for oysters.
This rivar add the Shrewsbury estuary
are famous for the excellence aud the
enormous yield OF its pivalvuiar products.
which ara known IN the market aud
among spicnrss under the title OF
Shrewsbury" brand. Yesterday / had
nm opportunity to 60 out with a veteran
oyster man aud watch the process of dig
ging for oysters. and learn from him
some interesting facts In relation to their
peculiar nature and frutifi :ation.
EHcu oystermau has d lease OH his par
ticulsr grounds which are indicated by
stakes or some shore marks. The seed
and the growing oyster Ara protected by
law from the incursious Of pirates, or the
coDimon oyster thief. Tue seed oyster
comes ffom the hatcheries ut Virginia,
and are planted In the sprlnR at the APP
proach Of warm weather, II takes WI
full years to raise a good crop. A salt
stream, plenty of warm weather and o
sluggish condition Of the water will
cause them to mature rapidly.
Nature needs no ASST stence In the pro-
cess Of frutiication. This oyster simply
feeds. fattens aud grows plump by fmbib-
ing water, and laying indulenrly in It's
seed in mild weather. The seed oyster is
no larger b adims and Ii called "spaE."
II OYSTER DIGGER.
The oyster digger usually goes out for q
catch 1t low tide in small boats with high
~gunwales. The only implement used in
the business is an apparatus that re-
sembles two hay rakes pinned together.
and worked on a swivel. This duple
rake is q queer looking arrangement to a
laudsman. 1t Ia amusing TO watch q
movies trying to use ono OF them. The
teeth are long, aud curved sharply. The
work OF digging for oysters - toilsome.
This men who follow this occupation are
hale and brawny, and can 1t any amount
OF exposure. q hardship on water or
land. Some Of the men have been all
their lives at this kind of work. The oyster
digger stands smidshiD, careiully balances
himself. opens the handles, ofthe excavator
as wide As possible aud then piunxes the
whole thing ia the water until no touches
| bottom. Then he rocks the handles tao
and fro in an erratic fashion SO as TO
churn the mud loose. dlslodge the
| ivalves, and get a grip on a catch. This
done the handles are drawn together
| tightly and pulled up han over hand !.
| When the pig lump of nasty black mud
IL released FROM the jaws Of the rake aud
spread out an experienced eye quickly
te Is which are the best quality and which
are The "culls.n
They consider eight hours a fair days
work. The excavaIors are unwieldly and
cumbersome. The handles are nearly
thirty feet long. Ia deep water the
handles are often sunk to within four
feet OF the ends. Sometimes the man
strike u streak of good luck by picking
out u bed that is pIentlfully stocked with
oysters. Then they get enough in one or
e.-- - - AeY R~AA ~And 0ANo
work.
After a bulky cargo has bean secured.
the men row their boats inshore, anchor
In shallow water near the beach and then
walk ashore IN their high topped rubber
1 boots. Two wheel carts are backed in
the water clean mp to the boats. and the
oysters coupe ont and dumped III the
carts aud taken TO the receiving depot.
They are then shipped to market and sid
by the bushel In two distinct grades
known as primes and 'iculls." Some
times after, the oystets have been lifted
they are cartel to n fresh water stream,
a reservoir. aud placed temporarily In the
water for a day or two. This tends to
TEACH the m. and also makes them firm
and plump.
THE OYSTERS FOES.
The greatest foe to The oyster 10 the star
fish. 1t is an odd looking freak of the
finny tribe, and works terrible slaughter
WHtH ~ ul6heS ls AuEuAac VI al oyStSE
bed. Another thing that works destruc-
tion among the oysters Is q prolific aud
pestiferous specie of sea fungus that
difuses itself over the oyster bed. smoth-
ers the oyster, and ruins the bed for
future cultivation. In years gone by the
Communipnw fats aud the shoals of New
York Bay abouuded in oysters of q very
fine grade. The ancient bucolic dsnizsns
of Bergen and C~omnunipaw made quite
q respectable living. I am told, by gather
ing these oysters aud carrying them in
sea skfffs to the New York market. The
garbage that has been dumped in lhe
harbor, aud the oily slndge from the
vicinity of the oil factories at Constabie's
Hook. have completely DESTROYED oyster
breeding in the waters in and about tue
Bay. RICHARD r. GREEN.