The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-08
DUTCH OYSTER CULTURE.
Interesting Industry Which Oecu-
pies the People of Goes

The Industrious nature of the Dutch
women has long been proverbial, and
this in various departments of human
activity. Not only are they expert in all
kinds of fem mime accomplishments but
also in manual labor of the heaviest sort,
and the fathers and husbands look on
With the utmost complacency at the toll
Ings of their wemeh folk. Thus women
are employed on a large scale in the
Dutch oyster fisheries, where they per
form the work which IN other countries
is the lot of the stronger sex. Owing to
Inns tact and the quaint costumes end
primitive customs of the Dutch fisher
folk IN general, the oyster culture in the
Netherlands is of more interest and of
fers larger element of the picturesque
than any other in the lowlands
The old town CT Goes Is the center of
the oyster industry in Holland, and Is
as quaint and primitive place ass can
the Island OF South ReoIland in the
province Of Zealand, Goes is entirely off
the beaten route of tourists. The whole
population. with few exceptions, men,
women and chlldren-are engaged in fish
ing, and more particularly in the oyster
industry. Entire families are engaged
in the cultivation Of oysters during the
whole year, for the oyster beds demand
unceasing work The oyster women are
a queer sight when alfred In their cos
tume-especially adapted for the pur-
pose-ttght-ftting red flannel knicker-
lockers. black stockings a shirt with
sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and a
quaint sunbonnet which thoroughly pro
tects the head and neck
Though the inhabitants of Goes are en-
gagged all the year round in the oyster in
dustry, it is in April that the most in
poTtant part OF their work is done 1t is
then that the collectors" are placed In
the oyster parks" These collectors
are curved tiles about foot long, which,
| after being carefully washed, are COW
cred with a layer of mortar. Thus pre-
Jared, the collectors are able to retain
tl1rz,
white spat, naissailIs, as they arc,
termed in Holland. These embryos are
very minute, and float about on the sur
face Of the water until they become af-,
fixed to the collectors" They are then
gathered into boxes eight feet long by
two in breadth, and the tiles are so ar
ranged as to be constantly bathed by the
sea wafer From 800 to 400 larvae are at
tached to single collector"
In August the COLLECTORS are removed
from the beds and taken on land to be
put through first process of cleansing.
| This operation, which is performed EbV.
women is destined to cleanse the young
oysters from all kinds Of impurities and
also from the small shells which, be-
| comtng afhNed to the yeung oysters,
might hinder their growth Once thor
ollghly cieansed the tiles are replaced in
the boxes, where they remain until au--
tunln. The collectors are then once
more removed, and the oysters, which are
already the size of a Recent piece. are
sufficiently strong to live alone without
being affixed to anything.
To remove the young oyster from the
collector" a special kind of scissors is
used. For this purpose the COLLECTORS
are placed in the middle of a large table,
around which the oyster men and
women are gathered. The women woo.
are far more deXtrous than the men
| in this matter, hold the collector In
: one hand while with the other they care
/ fully remove the mollusks and throw
| them into baskets. This operation re-
/ quires considerable skill, for. if per
/ formed too hastily. the thin shell of the
I young oyster would be injured. But not
| outstanding all the care that is taken
! there Is always loss of from 20 TO IS
] per cent
Thus removed from the collectors
j the oysters begin the second period of
| their eAfstence-an intermediate period Of
| you'll, so to -speak-for though sufficient
! " developed to exist alone they are not
! yet strong enough to resist the attacks
| of their numerous enemies They are
| therefore, placed for. few months in an
! apparatus called an ambulance" These
| anbulanees are fiat boxes about ten
| inches high, the bottoms of which are
| OF wire grating. Thus isolated. the
young oysters are completely protected
/ by box identical with the one in which
| they are inclosed, but reversed. so as
70 constitute kind Of cage in which
| the water can circulate freely without
allowing fish or crabs to enter The
boxes, which contain no fewer than $500
| oysters each are arranged side by side
|
| park by means of stakes In this
/ manner the young oysters can thrive in
| peace and without fear of being attacked
! py any OF their numerous enemies who
/ appreciates oysters fully as much as
! man appreciates them
| The oysters remain three months in
! these boxes. during which time thew a re
| jealousy cared for, being watered fire.
| quently to remove the impurities and sea
! weeds which have gathered among
them At the end Of the three months
| they have reached a diameter of from
| Two to two and onelhalf inches They
/ are now of sufficient size for sale h1it
! not yet large enough to bring in mIIcb
| pront They are, therefore thrown
| along the bottom of the '1park'' where
| they continue to grow, their shell being
! OF sufficient strength to withstand the
! attacks of fishes. The oysters continue
to grow until the age of two or three
| years, when they reach the size of four
| inches In diameter. After the age of three
| they stop growing and there is no af-
| vantage in allowing them to remain any
1 longer in the beds
The oyster Gsher-peopIe of Goes. who
| form a community by themselves live
| IN small wooden huts facing the oyster,
| beds. Though the oyster Industry de-
mands constant care, the life led by the
! good people of Goes is free from the
Eardships of most seafarfng people
/ New York Tribune.