The sun., 1901-08-22
OYSTERS Will
BE HERE SOON

September l will be the first day of the
season for natural oysters but as this
date wal be Sunday OF course the III.
valves will not be on sale until Monday.
september 2. Many persons think when
Their retail dealer supplies them in thv
hrst of the season that they are gettin.
bivalves from the natural beds ia Della.
ware bay; Perhaps taey are, but if So,
u is because the oystermcn anticipated
The season which, it is said, they have
way of doing. Ii this were not done
the september oysters would be from
the Same beds as the summer oyster,
come from. These are private beds from
winch the bicalves may be drrdged NJ
any tlhe, anu it is more than probable
mat nnSt Of the supposed natural oy>-
teiS dealt out are from these beds Bu,
shsre is no cause for disappointment IN
this account, for these oysters are about
as good as any other September oyS.
ters.
Dredging in the natural beds is not al
lowed until sun-up on September
When these oysters are taken out the,
must he laid up in fresh water for il few
Gays, and II will lac readily seen that il
The law has beer complied with they
could not be put on the market the first
clay of the season. hut as has been said
thr oyStermrn have n way of anticipat
ing the season and manage to get som
of these bivalyeS 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 Il
thousand on last wears prices. and then
there was Il rise of the same amount
This is expected every year now by oyS.
tcrmen. On this account the local
wholesale, and retail dealers have formed
4 combination and agreed to open the
season with AN advance of five cents III
the quart. making the retail prices thirty.
forty and forty-iive cents instead n'
twenty-five, thirty-tiye and forty. The
dealers claim they are compelled to do
this. ana their claim looks reasonable.
They will j" paying from Il dollar tn Il
dollar ami IL half more II thousand than
they did Il few years ago. and have
been selling oysters cheaper aud giving
larger measure With the advance III
price this year they say they cannot la
this AMI gct any profit ont of the bnSi-
ness. On oncned oysters they are con,
frontrd at the beginning Of the season
with rise of from ten to twenty cents
a gallon. Wilmington gets better t,rS.
tiers than any other city in the coiIntrN
according to \. l.. .tinscOw. This is h.
cause nearly all oysters sold here a,c
nlsncd and dealers huy thn best in ,lr
market.
Every year the hivalves are getting
Scarcer. II is not thar the supply j.
less. hut that the demand IL greater every
season and The supply does not increase.
Judging from he statement of retail
dealer of this city should the supply in
crease there would br no material change.
III the situation. as nothing ,.ln kcap pace
with the demand. Where oysters were
shipped only among several Of The Eastern
States y few years ago. they are now
sent all owe" the country ana shipments
m" mad" to England. An instance ~
tn" growing scarcity is given in the fact
that though baltimore is the cc,trc a.
tn" oyster industry of the world. hSi
year ut one time the market there w;,y
bare Of shell oysters, an unprecedented
circumstance
The waters of Delaware. Maryland and
lrglhla supply the oyster market Of
III" world. b"cause they are the choices,
bivavrS 70 h. had anywhere. The States
farther east have good oysters. hut deal
eis say ours beat them The Pacific
coast oyster is about the same as thr
EngliSh hlvalves. both having Il prcnlia@
r"pl"ry taste and hrng nothing in com
pariS"n to those of this part Of tie couli-
try
Local oystrrm"n arc as much IN thr
dark about the condition Of the hivalvcs
as the general public They are hopine
for good season. They have had aIl
kinds Of reports from men who have
looked over the situation. some SAYING rh
oysters are good, others saying they arc
had. Last year there was i spell ~
chlnl weather that int"rfcrrd with tin
work of tn" drcdscrs about this time.
lle WIND WAS not strong enough to -iy.
sufficient power for dredging. The mli
"nl'nnS point t" the prevalence or !,
similar condition this wear. and if snch i
til" case oystrrmrn win hc III doubt mn 4
better conditions prevail.