Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-12-03

from 12 to 90 per cent. The same re-
suit is produced by placing the oysters
In fresh water after they have been re.
moved from the shell. The oysters
simply gain water, not food The re-
port states that Pumping" while not
harmful in itself, may be attended
with danger. Oysters may, and no
doubt sometimes do, consume disease
germs with their food, and such germs
transferred to the human anatomy,
with vitality unimpaired may upon
occasions have serious results. Care
should be taken in fattening the oys-
tiers that the water is absolutely free
from contaminating influences of
sewer discharge and other sources of
pollution. 1t will be recalled that
some time ago number of cases of
typhoid fever was reported which were
traced back by the physicians to the
consumption OF raw oysters 1t is not
an impossible hypothesis, that the
original source of the typhoid fever
germs was the polluted water in which
these oysters may have been fattened.
The fish commission combats the
popular prejudice against green" oys-
ters. notwithstanding that almost
every recent writer upon the subject
has insisted upon the harmfulness of
the green coloration which is frequent
ly observed in certain portions of the
oyster, there is still considerable mis-
apprehension of the subject by con-
sumers and oystermen alike. The
prejudice is confined to America, in
Europe such oysters being considered
superior to all others, and much trou-
BILE being taken to impart to them
their peculiar viridity. In our waters
the greening is liable to occur in GER
tain localities, and at irregular times.
Rather shallow waters appear to be
more susceptible to the production Of
this effect than the greater depths,
but it has recently appeared in the
deep-water bends of Long Island
Sound.
When oysters become so colored,
oystermen find great difficulty in dis
posing Of them, owing to the popular
belief that they are unfit for food, or
even poisonous. They often have
what is called a coppery taste, and un-
informed persons assume that the
green color is due to the presence of
copper. A number of careful investi-
cations show that such oysters con-
tain no copper whatever,' but that the
green color is derived from harmless
blue-green substhnce, phyco-cynnin,
which is found in certain of the lower
plants.
Under proper conditions, these veg
etable organisms multiply in brackish
or saline water with great rapidity,
and provide an important item of food
for the oyster. The green matter is
soluable in the juices of the oyster.
and passes into the tissues, affecting
principally the blood corpuscles. An
oyster usually shows the first indica-
ton of "greening" in the gills and
palps, but when the supply of green
ing food is long and abundant, the
whole organism with the exception of
the muscles, acquires a deep green
hue. Such oysters are usually, but
not always, fat and we'll fed, the result
of the abundance of nutritious food,
and such a condition could hardly
obtain were the dye copper product,
as has been generally supposed. The
color may be removed from the oysters
by transferring them for a time to
waters in which the green food is de-
ficient.
In concluding paragraph devoted
to the transportation of oysters, an
instance is cited where marketable
oysters survived for over ten weeks
while hung up in the window of a
shop during December, January and
February. 1t is suggested that in
transporting oysters, perfect shells
should be selected, and they should be
packed with the front edge downward,
and kept moderately cool in a crate,
or some receptacle which allows free
circulation of air. Selected oysters
thus packed would keep from eight to
twelve weeks.