The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1901-08-22
OYSTERS WILL
Be HERE SOON

September will be the first day of the
season for natural oysters but as this
date Will he Sunday. Of course the BIZ
valves will not be Oh sale until Monday.
September 2 Many persons think when
their retail dealer supplies them is~tha
first of the season that they are getting
bivalves from the natural beds in Della.
ware bay: Perhaps they are, but il 50,
ii is because the oystermen anticipated
the season which, it is said, they have
way of doing. If this We're not done
the September oysters would be from
the same beds as the summer oysters
come from. These are private beds from
which the bivalves may be drpdged ut
any time, and it is more than probable
that most Of the supposed natural oy>-
tiers dealt ont are from these beds. But
there is no cause for disappointment ON
this account, for these oysters are about
AS good as any other September Oys.
tiers.
Dredging in the natural beds is not al.
lowed until snn-up on September /.
W men these oysters are taken out they
must he laid up in fresh water for few
days, and it will be readily seen that if
the law has been complied with they
could not be put on the market the first
day of the season, but as has been said
the 0ystrrmen have a way OF anticpat-
ing the season and manage to get som.
of these bivalrCs on the market the first
day. Regarding this matter the public
is not too curious.
Prices will he higher this year. There
has been an advance of fifty cents "A
tbnIlS md nm, las ~. Al.
there was a rise of the same amount.
'lhls is expected every year now by oys-
term"n. On this account the local
Wholesale and retail dealers have formed
combination and agreed to open the
season with an advance of FIVE cents On
the quart making the retail prices thirty.
forty and fortyhvc cents instead OF
twenty-five. thirty five and forty. The
dealers claim they are compelled to do
this. and their claim looks reasonable.
They will be paying from dollar to n
dollar and half more a thousand than
they did n few years ago. and have
hren selling oysters cheaper and giving
larger measure. With the advance in
price this year they say they cannot lo
this and get any profit ont of the bust
ness. On opened oysters they are con
fronted at the beginning of the season
with rise OF from ten to twenty cents
gallon. Wilmington gets better oyS.
tiers than any other city in the country
according to A. l.. Ahiscow. This Is BE-
cause nearly all oysters sold here are
opened and dealers buy tn. best in the
market.
Every year the bivalves are getting
scarc"r. 1t is not thar the supply is
less. hut that the demand is greater every
season and The supply does not increase.
Judging from he statement of a retail
dealer OF this city should the supply in
crease thcr" would hr no material change
IN IN" situation as nothing can keep pace
with the demand. Where oysters were
shipped only among several of tic Eastern
states few years ago. they are now
sent all owe" the country and shipments
ar" mad" to England. An instance of
IN" growing scarcity is given in the fact
that though Baltimore is the centre Of
the oyster industry of the world. last
year at one time the market there was
bar" Of she'll oysters, an unprecedented
circumstance.
The waters of Delaware. Maryland and
NirGinln supply the oyster market of
the world, because they are the choices,
hvalves to be had anywhere. The States
farther east have good oysters, but deal
'rs say Ours heat them. The Pacific
coast oyster is shout tAe same as tho
English blvalves, both having a peculiar
""ppery taste and being nothing in com
parison to those # this part of the coun-
try.
Locnl oystermcn are as much in tho
dark about the condition Of the bivalvcs
as the general public. They are hoping
for good season. They have had all
kinds of reports from men who have
locked over the situation some saying the
oysters are good. others saying they arc
had. Last year there was a spell of
calm weather that interfered with the
work Of the dredgers about this time
The wind was not strong enough to give
sufficient power for dredging. The indi
cations point to the prevalence Of a
similar condition this year. and II such is
IN" case oystermen will be in doubt until
better conditions prevail.