The daily sentinel., 1901-02-25
TO RAISE OYSTERS.
PATIENCE IN BRINGING UP THE
BIVALVE.
The Dutch In Holland Raise Oysters by
Hand-Women Are More Expert Than
Mon 1T the Work-The Loss L. About
10 Per Cent

The perennial discussion over the
question of tho cultivation and protec-
ton of oysters along the shores OF the
Chesapea makes t ) methods In use
In other rts Of the world Of great in
terest to all Marylanders-thos who
are not engaged in the oyster industry
Of the state as we'll as those who are.
One of the most novel. according to
American ideas. and picturesque ways
Of raising the bivalves is that of the
people Of the Netherlands. The center
Of this industry in Holland is the little
town OF Goes, on the island OF South
Beveland, in the province Of Zealand.
Nearly every one in the town gets his
or her living from the fisheries, and the
greatest feature Of them all is the oys-
ter industry. Whole families are en-
gagged in 1t all the year round. and, il
the pecuniary results are not very large
comfortable livelihood is the result.
The most important part OF the work
begins in April when the collectors are
placed in position. These are rounded
tiles, about a foot long, which are COW
"a VI Will hOl IGal. oh lACSc tuc WAlIc
spat or ova of the oysters find lodge
ment, and from three hundred to four
hundred larvae will become attached
to single collector. The larvae are
about 1-150 Of an inch long, and float
on the surface of the water until they
stick to the collectors. The latter arc
gathered in boxes about eight feet long
by two feet wide. and are so arranged
as to admit of free circulation of sea
water. By August the collectors have
generally become pretty we'll covered,
and they are then taken ashore to be
cleaned. This job is attended to by the
servfceable costume. consisting of tight
ly fitting red flannel knickerbockers,
black stockings, shirt waist with the
sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and an
odd looking sunbonnet Their duty is
to cleanse the young oysters from all
kinds OF impurities, as well as to re-
move the small shells which might in
teriere with the oysters growth. After
this operation the tiles are replaced
In the boxes, where they remain until
the autumn. At this season they are
taken out again, and the oysters have
grown to the size Of silver quarter,
and are old and strong enough to take
care Of themselves without anything to
cling to and they are consequently re-
moved. Most of this work Is also done
by the women. who seem to be more
expert than the men. 1t is not an easy
Job. for too hasty an attempt to effect
a separation may result in an injury to
the thin shell OF the mollusk. In spite
OF all the care taken, there is loss Of
from 20 to rs per cent OF the oyster. A
woman holds the collector in her hand,
and uses a specially made pair OF scis-
sors to remove the young oyster from
the collector. The mollusk's s next sta
tion In life is in what is known as an
ambulance, which is an apparatus de-
signed to protect it from its various
enemies. The ambulance is long,
shallow box. with wire netting at the
top and bottom, through which the
water can pass freely, but which keeps
fish. crabs, etc., on the outside. The
boxes contain as many as three thou
sand oysters, and are firmly staked
down to the bottom of the water. The
oysters remain in these boxes for three
months. during which time they are
well looked after and given frequent
washings. At the end OF this time
they are from two to two and a half
inches in diameter. They are then
large enough to be sold, but there is
not much profit in oysters of that size,
so that they are thrown down in the
water, being now large enough to take
care Of themselves, and allowed to re-
main there for two or three years.
After they reach the age Of three years
they do not grow any more, so that
there is no object in keeping them any
longer, and they are accordingly sold.
These various processes require much
patience and skill, and it is likely that
the Chesapeake beds will be consider
ably more depleted than they are at
present before such system is intro
duced here.-Baltimore American.