Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-01-17
WESTERN OYSTERS.
THEIR DIFFERENCE FROM EAST
ERN BlvAlvE SHOWN.

THEIR DIFFERENCE FROM EAST.
! ERN elvAlvE SHOWN.
A Seattle Lawyer. on Visit to the East Give.
Baltimoreans Some Pointers on Their Noted
Productivity Differ From the " Baltimore
Cove" Oysters in Size nnd FIavor-Admira.
bly, Adapted for Cocktails" Of Which lie
Discourses in Excellent Taste.
Mr.. Honor L. Wilhelm, an attorney
OF Seattle, is in Baltimore visiting his
sister, Mrs. Beiswanger, wife of Rev.
George Beiswanger, pastor of Cavalry
Lutheran Church.
The Westerner has paid much at
tention to the oyster industry, both of
the Chesapeake bay and of the Pacific
coast, and gave an interesting descrip-
tion OF the latter industry. The oys-
ter of the Pacific coast is not only a
greatly different bivalve from that of
the Atlantic in size and taste, but the
methods Of propagation and Of gather.
ing are go unlike those familiar to
Baltimoreans as to cause much sur
prise to those uninitiated in such
matters. Mr.. Wilhelm said:
"I suppose it will be a matter of
not-a little surprise to many to know
that on Puget Sound there are many
acres OF beds of native oysters, and
that the oyster industry there is be.
coming a feature of much importance.
Just at present large operations are
being carried on to develop the re-
sources in this direction. Many thou
sands of dollars are now invested, and
the keenest business men OF the West
are interested in the undertaking.
"The native oyster of that country
is species of hermaphrodite bivalve,
small, but exceedingly sweet and de-
licious. They are, when taken from
the shell, about the size of ones
thumb. The she'll usually attains the
size of an inch and one-half or two
inches in diameter, and is quite thin.
In its propagation the Puget Sound
oyster breeds the male and female in
the same shell, and the young oyster
10 thrown off. 1t adheres to the old
mother shell until OF q certain age
when it becomes detached. We have
tried to cultivate the Eastern oyster,
but as yet have been unable to have
them propagate. Western men pre-
sumo that the oysters are male and
female, and the sputum thrown of
does not, because of our ice-cold
waters there, become fruitful, or, if
they do form spat, it is carried so far
out to sea as to become useless and
unavailable.
| 1--WE have what are termed natural
and artificial oyster beds. The natu-
raj beds are those upon which the
oysters have been growing so far back
as the memory OF the white man or
the Indian goes. The artificial beds
are those lands adapted to oyster cul-
ture which have been brought into
use by special efforts. Two plans are
in use-one to plant seed oysters Sc
cured from the State reserve grounds,
and let nature do the rest; the other
to inaugurate the French park sys-
tenn. The latter 10 the most popular
and successful.
"Under the French park system
tide lands adapted to oyster culture
are utilized. A system of dikes is
constructed in such q way that when
the tide goes out sufficient water is re.
tanned in the areas inclosed that the
land is covered by at least eight inches
of water, which protects the growing
oysters from freezing out in winter
and burning out in summer. The op-
orators cover the mud fats with
. layer Of gravel after the ground has
been diked, and upon the gravel strew
the seed oysters. It takes from two 10
three years before . crop can be gath.
cred. The yield has been proven 10
be 200 per cent. better under the park.
ing system than any other.
"The areas inclosed are called
pans and usually inclose about 400
square feet. In Mason county last
year one operator, who had 100 pans,
and had introduced the parking sys-
tem two years before, shipped almost
1000 sacks Of oysters to Seattle and
other points, for which he received
from 81 to $4.75 per sack. Another
operator. who has forty acres of natu-
raj, uncultivated oyster lands. last
year shipped about 5000 sacks of oys-
ters, for which he received an average
of $3.50 per sack, and during the busi.
est part of the season employed twelve
men.
"a special feature of the oyster in
dustry ON Puget Sound is the prepar-
ing and putting up OF oyster cocktails.
Because of the small and medium
size OF our Western oysters and its ex-
ceedingly rare and rich flavor, it
makes an exceptional and delicious
cocktail. Although only in the Sec
ond year OF this branch of the indus
try, yet the operators last year were
unable to meet the demand OF the
trade coming from so far East as Chi
cago, st. Louis and even New York
and Cincinnati. have no doubt that
some day the business and profession
l IL. ill hn ~