New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-11-08
CALIFORNIA OYSTERS.
HOW THE BABY BIVALNES AXE iAhH-'
FROM THE EAST.
From The San Francisco Wave

FROM THE EAST.
From The San Francisco Wave. ,
Among other things OF which you VIII NJ hi'om ~
nothing until the day you pay your 90 eatine an oyster
alive just he comes from the bottom OF i'm, him
WIN bne and barnaccs sticking to his she'll
An oyster eater I'm this fashion. sitting on ~ ~
ns i ovr face and pryine the shell open
with your knife. is quite dheient ossm' ftnr he
thcair. i'm a hot gas-heaied room det us not say y
private room). with all the dclcatt nay hoy do Won
know what kind of oyste. you are getting? II tne
rcstauratour chooses. you may De settimS al ,hai
looks like the ,ransplantod article but that Is
shipped across the scorching Arizona desert ~, tho
Morgan oyster camps. off Belmont. for ins'amce~
just eat an absolutely fre oyster r , ~,
local features distinct and individual Just rs d
sardine village has, or mining camp o oa,s fine
breezy afs they are, wnerc all distant objects LOOK
haf-Guricd in the ground to where very sen ~ me
bank OF saltwater creek an inlet from Inc Ias
You might be in Holland or and nat The ground
some two feet above the waters levels coT.ard
with reeds TIA, 70 eelqMns ana in p antieipaon Of
The ocean There is a big desoateness about 'he
whole thing that is almost insnirine Of YOU and
Won bcrin winding in and out in the most hewlde
!. ~ cromn Of white buildings miles away beyond the
nofs buildines that somehow look like stranded
The camp Is some half-dozen white buildings
built. il would en- on p'lns anu MI, sur yo rec
ognize a familiar smell. Where have you me WIN
that smell before? J. suggests rahu lsre and Other
things. Then you remember Il All a. o"oe bryer
smell OF raw oysters put herea bcsn wbI,s hud
ngs that look Ike stranded EXCURSION steamer a, ND
II 6ue-whi,e sky ana the pale green water ana
seswird of course rs the bay not Of the . sea S S
inf to
growing out o. the wa,er arH mifcn ra.Syn O Hem
selves into a fine thin linz. II makes one mink o
III pine swamps OF Louisiana These ;Niss are me
ana miles Of them and they driven there TO Keep
Out the .stingerccs' tha, will break you an oyster
Wee Tac s:lrgeree'' i The sworn and natural
enemy OF the irinspantcl oyster. ard 20 keep him
0f-wrL four mic. Of stakes AZ 10 GEMS stake:
you may figure it out for yourself And that's only
Oyster culture in California j. iar dneren, affair
from VIVA, i Is In the East on New ork me oys
tiers lie Ia from iwo 70 ten ilthoms o. WlieI, Ahl
mus; be dreas'i up whefeaf iae ot b pes are
and may De- gathered ~ me manu- to.ss. .ns
Eastern beds are naturally conducive 10 M grown
and breeding onoys.ers. win a., me beds must be
ci,t sensitive Ike mol.uscl. and VIII none OF mud
sHi ey m ne H. afa d H yS" the nmmf no
whereas for iAr more favored Californian every
But the spawn n the Eastern oyster. the trans
planted kind viii not thrive In California waters.
n year once i'm the spring and once IN tn. iall.
loads Of Tiny Oysters must bee shipped from tho Al
orator cars ana planted up ~ ~, q, rnrnnys camp
at Dunhurton. Here they remain for e. year or 80.
down To- the lower camps. For another year they
are allowed to grow. are again 'tongu'G." broken
IS three years old-rs ut rs prime thon.t Is mar
The "brcakrg apart" would appear 20 De quite
feature in oyster culture. oysters ar" ~ srious
they want he compauionshlp Of their fellows they
u. ia 81 der ltit f
Il way Of attaching thcnseiVcs To- amy object
the bottom "A boat a in az iron an old shovel or
up on to the barrcs. broken apart with sharp
Pointed hammers. and thrown back
one thing that surprises you az the oyster camp
| saw wcro nearly a foot IN length uhoueh thcs.
longer ones werc TO be sure rather thin 'plnchci"
IS The technical wor). Others when -fi 20 them
selves GROW In thickness rather than IN length
takes bark. An oyster Will live for eighteen or
size though The oyster Itself will 6e but little larger
He gets tough. however ard loses his flavor. Iialf
the oysters that taste bad and seem to be spoiled
The principal cause of the impossibIy Of raising
insect called a drill The "Gril t. IN. wors, Kind
of pest He thryes in precisely the conditions
a. do the oysters only In countless numbers Their.
II absolutely no means OF getting rid OF him He's
q TIM littlc beast. ana can work between the
closely planted stakes. He fastcns the young
oyster whose she'll Is not hard enough To resist and
In few minutes has drilled pin hole into his
very vltals. ana OF course the oyster dies at once
oysters are best Just after a rain-why. 1t Is not
exactly known little fresh water fatienlng them
AMI improving their taste
whenever YOU see a transpantcd oyster OF very
unusual s.zc You are al liberty 10 entertain sus-
picOns. Either he Is old and therefore tasteless or
has been dociorci and again therefore iasic.ess
You may fattcn turkey 10y blowing him up with Il
quii and YOU may fatien oyster by chopplng or
the end Of his bill and forcing him to drink fresh
water for hour
Popular prejudice TO the contrary notwiths landing
oyster must not be large the larger ne Is the older
he j.. ana IN" older y" Is the tougher he becomes
and the he loses his favor :, three years Old
he is in his prime: he's fIt them and about large
a silver dollar. and II he Il a point-ln oyster fit for
the table Of gourmethe is tipped with black about
the edges.
These the kind that rather close to the
shore. whore they obtain richer and more generous
nOurishmcnt. BE assured that more .abor has been
expended upon that oyster to bring him 10 this
dillon than you can have any idea Of Think 81 his
long westward journey IN refrigerator cars. think
OF ho three years Of constant planting and repant-
in. and the army OF abominabc little drills that have
been kept away from him and the miles and miles
Of stakcsat 10 cents sta6e-dnd me "breaking-up'
and the 'tonguing' and all that. once read about
Romii emperor warning In Palestine who had
oysters brought him fresh from Ost!a. near Rome.
by relays Of runners. Surely equal amount OF
labor has been spent over that oyster you VIII
tonight after he theatre mot In privai" roDm)
oQuli amount Of labor surely, only 10 really 'njOy
him. yJu should him sitting on the s,rngplccc
Of the wharf the Belmont camp, pfyng open the
wet she'll with your penknlfr. the wind IN your face
and the smell Of salt In your nOsrils.