The sea coast echo., 1902-12-13
THE OYSTER INDUSTRY.
NEW YORK CITY Is THE LARGEST
eIVALvE MARKET.

StNALNE MARKET.
nineteen States and Canada Have an
Annual Production of Over Twelve
Billion-Dclaware Bay Is Now the
Greatest Oyster Farm"
Nineteen states and Canada have
within a few years. boosted the oyster
industry from something over Ave bill.
lion bivalyes annually to a production
OF over twelve billion. At an average
retail price OF one haif cent per oyster,
II VIII be seen that II probably costs
us at least $G0,000000 per year to in.
dulge In the luscious sea.frult, par.
tlcuiariy when most of us have to pay
twenty-five cents for stew" or
SHELF of six oysters.
Delaware Bay, by the way, has ap.
parently wrested the oyster champion.
snip for production from Chesapeake
Bay. Therein the oyster grounds
cover over 220 square miles, engages
over 600 vessels, and employs over
1000 men. Every hcrc OF Delaware
oysters Is estimated to pay an annual
proft of 500, so your Delaware oyster
farmer sniffs contemptuously at his
brother OF the OK and the hay, and In
vites Edwin Markham TO write another
poem. The capital Of this industry Is
fifty called Blvalve, with Venetian
streets, all debouching on water-fronts,
wharf-lined, and covered with steel
rails by railways which wrest what
trafhc they can from the sail and
steam craft Most of these farmers"
however, use little sloops and luggers
OF their own. II the wholesaler doesn't
compete actively enough for the pro.
duct at the wharf he loads his oysters
hoists sail and takes to PHILADELPHIA
for best prices. II the prices are un.
satisfactory, why, he stores his goods
In floats, or dumps them overheard,
where he can fish them out again when
the market booms. Your oyster goes
right on growing and fattening, like
hotel bill which works all the time,
so what cares he Of the sea? New
Jersey built up It's oyster industry
from the bottom, 50 to speak. First,
1t laid out Its natural oyatcr.beds to
supply seed for all It's citizen growers;
then 1t staked off the remaining areas,
and leased them to growers. The
growers takes his seed from the
natural beds between April / and June
15, In accordance with the terms Of his
special State license, and transplants
them on the grounds he has leased.
The seed oyster Is a little fellow. but
In ten months has grown sufficiently
to be transplanted into deeper water,
where 1t remains, sometimes for as
many as three years. or until 1t
achieves the proper commercial size
and weight
New York is naturally the largest
oyster market In the world, both as Il
consumer and universal supply de-
pot. 1t necessarily handles the crops
of most of the Atlantic coast, besides
having five or six million human
mouths to feed In city and environs.
II handles millions of bushels of oys-
ters and clans annually. The State
waters. supply the most noted varie-
ties of oysters In the world, such as
Blue Points" and "Rockaways," the
near Jersey shore assisting with
"Shrewsburys."
Connecticut, which revolutionlzed
methods Of oyster.culture, leases up
wards of $4,000 square acres for the
purpose, and holds Its own with other
States. Rhode Island fosters its she'll
fish industry, and utilizes every square
inch OF water areas, in which It re-
sembles Holland. Its total oyster
area, however, is less than 1000 acres.
In Massachusetts the industry Is new,
but growing, and the demand for IT'S
very salty-tasting Cape Gods" and
"Buzzard Bays" Is greater than It's
supply, so that at times It's bivalves
have brought as high at $12 per bar
rel. Cape Cod is the northern limit
of the oyster-culture in the United
States.
Louisiana, where oysters are
cheaper than elsewhere, realizes about |
one million dollars annually from the |
industry. It's experts claim, however,
that capital refuses 10 interest itself, |
and let's 1870 million dollars worth OF |
oysters annually go to waste. They |
claim that there are 450 square miles |
of oyster grounds never raked over,
and vast ledges or deposits of them
never touched except by inhabitants of |
the deep. In these subtropical waters |
the oyster is self-propogating, large |
and fat, and capable of existing for |
weeks on the sands in the sun with
out water. In Florida, hundreds of
miles of coast are similarly utilized,
although growing industry has been
established The other Southern coast
States have each their industry. cul-
minating in Virginia's crop of 1900 900
bushels annually used mostly for can
ning.--Harper's Weekly