The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1896-10-09
SOME FACTS AS TO OYSTERS.
A DEALER TALKS OF THE METHODS OF
HANDLING AND KEEPING THEM.

HANDLING AND KEEPING THEM.
New York Tribune.
The oyster season is now fairly
opened. Dealers say that the delecta-
BILE shelltlsh are of exceptionally cx-
cellent quality. Concerning the care
and marketing OF oysters a leading
planter and wholesale dealer said to a
Tribune reporter:
"When oysters are taken from their
native beds they are temporarily
transferred to beds, floats or pens at
the mouths Of fresh water streams for
the purpose of drinking them. They
are allowed to remain in these places
for one tide, and, meanwhile, they
open their shells and take in or drink
the brakish water on which they fat.
ten. The best drinking places are
those in which vegetable matter
comes down from inland ponds, as
the oysters require such matter to
make them fat and plump, but the
water must not be too fresh. Imme.
diatcly after the drinking process, the
oysters are brought to market, and,
OF course, are sold as soon as possible.
Some are brought here in boats and
others by rail. Occasionally rush
order may come through by express,
but that is unusual.
In warm weather oysters can be
kept fresh for from one two weeks, or
even a little longer, II they are put
into a cool, damp cellar and covered
with wet canvas tarpaulins. In win
ter oysters may be kept for an almost
unlimited time il they arc not frozen.
Even II oysters do get frosted they are
not always spoiled thereby. My firm
once had about forty bushels Of Blue
Points left over on sloop. They be-
came frosted. We thought they were
dead and worthless, but we threw
them into the hold OF scOw and cOv-
cred them over with wet seawecd.
Three months and twenty days we ex-
amined them and found them to be In
prime condition. The scaweed seemed
to have drawn all the frost from
them, and they had fattcned on their
own juice, SO they had become plump
and were marketed at a good price.
In warm weather oysters that are
carried in the holds OF boats often
become heated. For that reason they
are carried mostly on the decks of
the boats and covered over with can
vas. Oysters that are grown 10 shal.
low water have become accustomed
to the changes or temperature, and, SO
to speak, acclimated, while the deep
water oysters, having been always in
an even temperature, are sensitive to
atmospheric changes when they are
brought to market.
"Oysters, when feeding in their
native beds, lie upon the deep sides of
their shells and open their fiat sides
to admit the water which contains
the minute nutritious matter on
which they subsist. The flaps or
boards OF the oysters separate and
have a motion which conveys the food
between their tissue-like folds to the
mouth, which is large enough to ad.
init the point Of sharpened lead
pencil to 4 considerable distance.
"After oysters are brought to mar
ket they are not fed, as is commonly
but enormously supposed. They SIM
ply subsist and fatten or 'bloat' upon
their own juice. There seems to be a
general belief that oysters are fat
tened upon cornmeal, but it is incor.
rect. Farmers who lay in a winter
supply Of perhaps ten or twelve BUSH
els of oysters for family use place
them on their deep shells and sprinkle
cornmeal on the edges Of the fiat
shells, but the oysters do not open
their shells, and, therefore, do not Ell t
the cOrnmcal, which has nothing to
do with their existence or fattcning.
II cOrnmcal could be stirred into the
water while the oysters are drinking
1t would undoubtedly nOurish them,
but / have never known the expert.
ment to he tried"