The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-09-04
OPENING !, OF OYSTER SEASON.

cr-Popularity Of the Clam.
New York Post: In honor OF the
first day OF Its season. the clubs and
hotels OF the city give the oyster a con,
splcuous place on their bills OF fare to-
day. oyster-dealers are prepared to
meet all demands made upon them, and.
5000 tons have beer, distributed by them
among the consumers since yesterday,
After the first of October the wholesale
men take about 5000 tons every morn
,nr from the oyster:scows. anchored
mostly around the Fulton Market. The
Wholesale buyer feels q rise of from
Atty cents to 81 a thousand for oysters
since one year ago to-day, paying "a
and $3.50. where he then paid IS 80 and
81; but the hotels Will pay proportion
ately higher prices, and the Individual
consumer WIFI probably recognize the
advance in the bill-of-fare price. The.
reason is that the oyster-seed, from.
which has been developed the crop to-
day OnEthe market. was scarce and
high at the time OF purchase last
spring; and growers have now to make
good their profits, III 81 d
The oyster. according to those grow,
Ing them, are abundant and OF excel.
lent quality, but nothing like what they.
will b9,with'. the, first touch of frost. Not
until October ] do oyster men expect a
continuous. rushing business. Blue
point tBay, shinnecock, and Afllipond
arc sending in; the best oysters now on
the market These varieties from nat.
ural beds are being bought by clubs
and ladins hotels, In some Instances at,
twIcesthe usual price. hic
f. e.iStrong. who has been In the
oyster. business for tifty:6ne years;
says that not more than 2 per cent Of
the total number of oysters consumed In
this city are natural grown the other
Sc per cent being taken from cultivated
beds. IA
The cultivated oyster Is not as fine
as the one taken from natural bed"
said Mr.. Strong to an Evening Post re-
porter; sit suffers in the trnnsplanting.
and is not as dellcntely favored. 1t
shows. that there are otheP eplcures of
our way Of thinking when some OF the
big clubs and hotels make, advance con-
tracts for all the natural Bluepoints.
MlllPonds, and other varieties that me
can gather in.
The oyster-scows bring 4 in their
loads from the beds every morning. and
It is not the fault OF the oyster man II
fault is found with, their freshness-or
rather lack of freshness 1nmidwinter
hotel man can keep, oysters. out OF the
water In fine condition in the shell for
three months. but with weather such as.
we have to-day they viii. not keep
three days. Z, 8
Now that the oyster season has
opened. housekeepers would do well to
remember that the oyster. closed up
apparently in its tight shell, absorbs
every 'odor about it; so to insure the
preservation of its own delicate flavor
1t must be kept away from strong
smelling things. Raw Scnt onions.
paint. varnish. and such things ruin the
taste OF an oyster.
Some, years the oyster Is fat, and
some years he is thin. and there is no
accounting for this. 1 suppose 1t is the
quality Of the food from which he de-
rires nourishment. doubt II hot
weather, or wet weather. or any kind
Of weather has anything to do with It,
although there are some people who
contend that the oyster is affected by
the elements. One thing thatthe buyer
may depend upon 10 guide him In the
quality Of oysters in the shell is this:
that there is usually a fat, sweet.
healthy oyster in a smooth. fat. healthy
looliing shell. a Clipped shell or one
OF poor formation tits we'll 10 pass by.
DO you know that the clam Will
soon have to be cultivated. so great
are the drains made upon the natural
beds-the only ones which now exist?
One of the reasons why the clam is
coming to dispute popularity with the
oyster is that doctors prescribe IT for
their patients convatescing. Clam
broth contains great nourishment, and
madlcal men seem to be all OF one mind
on It's desirabil!ty where they want a
patient to: pick up rapidly. 1t takes n
clam four; years to mature: an. oyster
grown from small set will develop in
four months. SC. you see II the demand
for the clam keeps up We will have to
be cultivatlng It as we now do oysters
In very few years. The elnm-beds
now show some signs OF falling. An
oyster lives to about seven years. while
clam reaches ten. twelve, and fifteen
years. Both are at their prime,'when
four years oId-which age any one may
easily learn to tell from the size and
outside appearance of the shell.'
In connection with the opening OF
the oyster season. some OF the. figures
compiled by the fish commission :of the
United States in Its last annual, report
arc Interesting. According to this re-
port 2a,ooo.ooo bushels OF oysters are
opened annually In the United States.
me Chesapeake alone yields twice as
many oysters, according to the game
report as are produced by all foreign
countries put together. In the last
century Its total output has been about
aooVVs'oo9 bushels. selling for s2sO.OOo,-
W. q sum- more than four times as
the entire valuation OF the taxable
property In all the counties OF Mary
IA land where the fishery is prosecuted.