The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1901-03-22
Oyster. on Samish Flats,

locnt' II. =. A. Darling, vice pres;dan,
Virgil Peringer, secretary; H. L. wellma
superintendent; Peringer. Scott and I. !
Cryderman. trustees.
The company has S3r acres of SAINTS,
mats suitable for the cultivation of oysters
they have engaged the services of VIM
Luark an experienced FISHERMAN. who !;
nireo by the year to stay on their ground,
ana to attend to the propagation of oysters
he is an oyster expert. having been in thu
oyster business in Mason and Thurs,or
counties for many years. The compan,
mas deed to all its lands, which are pro.
nounced BY experts to be equal to any in
the state for the growth of oysters.
oamish flats is said to be the natural
home OF the Sound oysters, having been
at one time covered with them. Up to
twelve or fifteen years ago there were plen-
ty ofoysters on these flats, but through
various natural causes they have become
depleted till at the present time there are
only few scattering oy,ters here and there.
1t IS said7t" a.sssy cause of their die
appes:1ss q, PSI. was an unosr.,-
ly CO. 81 nea years ago at
time Nsasea 4o, q we're mostly
uncoTeS<1 a'hE -; oysters were there
by killed. Y. e~pzoany will start in at
once to throw w a dixie about fourteen
inches HIGH which will give ample pro-
lection to the oysters from freezing in the
winter and from the hot sun in the sum-
mer.
The main difficulty experienced by the
new company is getting supply CT seed
oysters from which the full grown oysters
are produced in about two years. They
lind 1t impossible, owing to the limited
supply, to get more than enough to plant
ten acres this year and will consider them
selves lucky if they get many. They will
have number of men in the spring get
ting seed oysters from the state oyster
lands and some will be received from
Olympia and Shoal Water bay.
The price of Sound oysters has doubled
and almost trebled In the last few years.
Not many years ago the oyster producers
OF this state made money by selling them
at s. per sack, now the oyster producers
have reached the dignity of an association
and in this city today the retail dealers
have to pay them about $3.50 per sack.
The market, too. is being enlarged to an
extent. as the little oysters from
Puget Sound are beginning to cut into the
territory of the big oysters from the At
lantic, coast in the Eastern and Middle
states. The people of those states are be-
coming educated to the use of the little
fellows, and the demand has grown in
foreign territory far beyond anything the
limited production can supply.
When in a producing state oyster lands
are very valuable None of these lands
suitable for oyster raising is on the market
now. as enterpr!sing individuals and COM
panies have picked them all up. The
original price of these oyster lands was
only $1.25 per acre and at this price they
were picked up by people who were well
aware of their value and who either hold
them or have given quit claim deeds to
their rights for a consideration far in ad-
vance of what they paid. Most of the
activity in acquiring oyster lands by pri-
vate individuals and companies has been
displayed in the last two years when the
general public became aware of the profit
and the rewards in embarking in oyster
culture.
A short time ago I3o applications were
pending for the purchase of the tide lands
for oyster culture, embracing nearly 5000
acres. and prior to that over 1000 acres of
these lands had been sold by the state.
The natural oyster beds of the state re-
served from sale are Ago acres and the
state allows any citizen, on payment OF
license to take oysters in specified way
from these lands. The total area of other
tide lands suitable for oyster culture is less
than rs, 600 acres. AS there are over Co.,
900 acres of such tide lands in Connecticut.
and so, 900 already under cultivation in
Maryland it is easily seen that the oyster
product on Puget Sound is not going to be
overdone. Nearly all the Sound oysters
sold up to the present have come from
Mason and Thurston counties. The pro-
duct last year was over zo. 900 sacks, which
was double that of the year before.
A Fairhaven company owns 400 acres OF
Samish oyster lands and is going to expert
ment with the raising of Eastern oysters
on its lands during the next season, as well
as plating as many Sound oysters on its
lands as it can procure. The experiments
of the state with Eastern oysters show
that there is only one difficulty in their
production on Puget Sound on an equality
with the Atlantic coast. The waters OF
the Sound are seemingly too cold for the
spawn and the increase is very deficient in
point of numbers from those in the Eastern
oyster beds. The experiments to date,
however, in this state in growing Eastern
oysters have been limited. and it may be
found that this difficulty will not be
lasting one, as there were other conditions
in the shipment of oysters from the East
which may have been the cause of the
drawback.
1t has been shown conclusively that as
far as the growth of Eastern oysters is