Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-01-11
FINE, FAT OYSTERS.
Plenty Of Them Found in the
Waters of Talbot County.

| OSN'sNys
In Some Places the Product is Dimin.
ished, but the Producing Bottoms
Have Been Enlarged by Scraping--
| Suggestions MS to Legislation.
EAsroN, Md, Jan. 9.-Last year at
| this period the rivers and creeks were
frozen and the oyster business was en-
tirely suspended ON that account. This
season neither the weather nor the ice
has interferred in the slightest degree
with yster-catching and there has been
no finer weather for oystering than has
prevailed since Christmas. Nevertheless
The business is extremely dull and in
some places is practically suspended.
The cause is the oversupply aud the lack
of demand, caused by the scarcity of
money in the hands of the people
throughout the country.
Oysters have been very abundant all
tine season in all the waters where the
Talbot, Dorchester, Queen Anne's and
Kent oystermen work, at least, and the
shell fish have been from the beginning
of the season in good condition, fat and
well favored. The quantity of large
oysters, selects, has greatly increased in
all the waters named and probably in
the rest of the Chesapeake waters, and
nobody remembers when they were SO
large and fat as they are now.
An oxford oyster-packer says: "a
prominent and hitherto unknown feat
ure OF the business last fall was the fact
that there was but little demand for
selects. Hitherto we have always had
trouble to get selects enough to fill our
orders. This season it has been the re-
verse. Selects are slow of sale, and
most of the orders have been for the
very cheapest stock we could furnish"
This packer has large trade in
British America, extending from To-
ronto to Winnipeg. This trade has not
been affected like that in the States by
the current business depression and
scarcity of money.
The writer has made numerous in
quiries as to the abundance or scarcity
OF the oysters on the grounds, where
work has been going on ever since the
season began, and is assured in most
cases that the scraper or the tonger can
make as good days work now on most
OF the grounds as he could at tine begin
ming of the season.
The fact must not be lost sight of that
while the product on some of the
grounds is materially dimished, the
area OF oyster-proGucing bottom has
been greatly enlarged. There are many
acres profitably worked now that were
barren 20 or 30 years ago, and rocks
that then were "ranks," that is, over
grown with masses of small, poor and
worthless oysters, now produce fine
stock. Working them has broken them
up and scattered the oysters over the
contiguous bottoms, where they have
room to grow.
The people of this section generally
are opposed to any form of leasing out
the oyster grounds to persons or cor
porations and are likely to remain so.
Several years ago about half of East
ern bay, body of water lying between
Talbot and Queen Anne's counties, was
opened to State dredgers, and has since
been so overworked, 1t is alleged, that
dredging there now is not very re-
muneratiye. 1t has been suggested that
this part OF the bay be closed by an act
OF Assembly this winter for term of
years. Then let the State scatter oyster
shells over the bottom, and at the proper
time, say three or four years, open it
again to the oystermen. An experiment
like this, it is claimed, would be much
more valuable than theorizing.
In talking about the proposition OF
placing tax of a cent bushel on all
oysters sold, to be paid by the buyers, a
Queen Anne's member of the House
advances the idea that the tax should
be more. The price of oysters when
sold by the catcher does not change up
or down by the cent bushel, but by
five cents bushel. A cent bushel
tax, he says, would be paid by the
catcher, as the expense of a cent a
bushe! would not lie an excuse for put
ting up the price five cents. But if the
tax was made, say, two and a-half or
three cents, the catcher would advance
his price five cents, and thus the CON
sumer would have the tax to pay.