The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-11-25
7EKsEDEHTArYS CALLOP.
LIS Cppture In the Waters of the Sporty VI
cinity of BuzEard's Bay.

LIS Copturs In the Waters of tn" sporty VIZ
cinity of Buzrard's Bay.
BI-ZZARD'S BAY. Nov. 1l-When sum-
mer joys have departed, the city foiks
have returned to their homes and the
villages along the Buzzard's Bay shore
have elapsed into their usual state OF
quictude. the fishermen begin what tHey
called the "scdllOp season. Inc atdi
IOp season has heretofore begun me
LIST day Of October, but oWlnS 10 an
agreement between the fishermen WHO
follow the occupation the season tAls } ca!
did not open until November ISt'' anu II
is more Indn likely that TINS .leceueHt
will be followed in the future. 6eelliniins
November list, the season OF dredging
continues until April LIST. The Globe man
had the fortune 10 find at work opening
a special order of one quart OF scallOps
A. j. Hathaway, the Oldest fisherman
actively engaged an the business IN Buz-
"I'ye been a fisherman all the days
of nv life. and that IS nearly my
years. he said but | amt been in the
scallop business only bout twenty years
uSefore that time scallOps were not
caught for the market IN these waters,
although they were very plentiful, 50
much so that Il person could go down
wagon load Of them at any time. It's
,...n.s ,..o ...-t o"e".s ss.-'- 80 So
lop usnIu}. has grown 10 be 50 prontdDie,
until TO day il is a better monoy-maklng
business, while IL lasts, than the oyster
The scallops that you see in the mar
kets in New York and Boston are not
like the scallOps YOU see me opening now
They are all soaked before We send them
TO the market. You see, by SOAKING
tWenty-lour gallons Of scallops We can
measure out about thUl--t"o N".H
We get ready to ship Them. The increase
a quantity but III nayof IL anol o,,.,,
u u a.. 40 ,trlf
ewes out II we diG not soak them the
demand would increase, for Just as quick
as people began 10 eat SCdlupS ihal
we're not soaked they would find them
so sweet and delicious that they would
use twice as many as they DO now.
In their natural state, as they come Out
%: the shell, they far 5urpass the oyster
IN GeiiCiCLSLtSS.
men all know that we soak Ihcm, ana
they tell US if We did not put JhCm
through this process we would get letter
prices: but it is no use for Nv TO STAND
out. and so they are INK ly 20 continue
t. soak every scallop that goes INTO me
market this season at least Sc2lloI'S
wnen soaked swell, but as soon as lhey
are cooked they decrease, ." O.. nj sh,.
are but Cne-quarter size when ready
to be served; II they were not SOAKED
they would be large JUICY, ara tender.
The scollCp is a Shoil-llNtu H~H' NV
ing only about two years in its natural
element and only TWO days when taken
away from it, they are very plentiful
now. but not 80 much so as when ] was
boy. The scallOp market Ia very unsteady
at nearly all times during the season.
The prices 80 down easily enough, but
il is hard work to push them up. Inc
prices we receive for our fish vary from
% cents per gallon 10 s.. To-day GOT
returns for ST. - per gallon, which is
fair price for this time OF the year
I'VE DO all our dredging on this side
Of the bay from yachts. a uredSe nous
iron, with a bag-hke attachment of net
Ting The dredge is drawn over the bot
tom OF the fishing grounds until IT IS
filed when ii is taken aboard the boat
and the contents dumped on what we
caU a cullng board. The scaiops are
then separated from the refuse. which IS
thrown, overheard Some OF the yachts
put out seven dredGcs, and a le" DoatS
carry as high as ten. Two men are re
duired i'm Il boat and a good DAY eaten
rs about thirty bushels, from thirty BUSH
els Am the shell about ninety quarts can
be obtained. as the eye OF the scdllop IS
the only part Of the ism that IS III 10 eau.
THE best place in tho pay 10 Get the4u
is between the Monument BtaCh saore
and Wings Neck light The boats all con-
gregate iu that vicinity ana y Is 10 IN
usual sight TO sec 100 on the Hshilg
grounds 10 is hard work dredging Tor
scallops when The weather is cold, bur
the colder the weather the greater tAf
demand, so you see, continued M,
Hathaway, 'ihdl lIt H9l4'l'i I'i ~
their money The boatmen all have
ranges TO sail by, ana III ten We Ihcy
don't leave many fIll-gr9Wn stailop5
after q seasons dretsiLg. the small oH'"
ike the small oysters. are thrown over
board A. fair breeze Is always required
10 make II possible to dltdSe, ana IA
the wind is blowing IL don make no
difference how high or low the tHeilh3IHv
ter is YOU viii see the scaIopeis down
the baN They are easy 10 open, thdt -
they don't closc their she'll so uSht rs
the oyster They are hard On the aahnS:
owing to their having sharp-eoSei shcI
ana nearly all in opening lhem wear
rubber finger cts
4 small steel Knife made like an oyster
knife with the blade about two anu q
half inches long and nearly an lnch WIG,
$ what We use to open them with, an u
these knives we buy in New oiA.
ScallOp openers get twenty cents per
gallon for their work, and good opener
car oDeu q "a gallons day
AIR. Hathaway modestlY confessed that
mis- son Charley was considered 10 ne
hgh line among the fishermen OF Buf-
Yards Bay i'm opening scallops.
considering the way prices Jump up
and Down we manage 10 make Sooi
wages. ne continued. and very often l
make $50 n week We usually open the
sCaIIc9s and ger them ready Tor market
on the days that we can't go down the
bay and ii night. The scallopS are pllcd
on the benches in the houses; ana We go
at them. throwing the shells ana that
part which is not good INTO bucket
, me eyes we put into what we call
soaking tub where they are allowed TO
sfand for several days They are then
mt into tubs and half barrels and sent
10 the markets. so you can see that they
are not as fresh as they might be, Meth
er are they as nice in naVot
I