The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-08-04
The cy.:ern,an and His Income.
I,,or ~ The Times.Dlapatch:

Editor OF Inc llIUeS.Ol5pIlSH.
srIt appsars to be the o ypIrain. Of tb 5hs
Tidewater is verltable ."Eldorado." and
that the oystermen are LYING, in iuxa ors
and storing away WeaIta untotu' co ms Hne
ter Industry, I would like to ut the scales scale,
from the Of so ane rres w6ch viii
apply in general way to that class OF
people engaged in the oyster business as
dependsn. class Of ns oysteymIhehi, p psssno.
able bounds when say there are at least
twenty poor oystermen who i've from
hand to, mouth, day by day. to eyery
oyster planter, including the slha!! pta'-
ii is also safe to say that oystermen;
as a class. are the poorest people a no
State, having defined occupation.
Now. let us Illustrate: The, oyster sea
son, We'll say. in Accomac and Northa un65
oysterman the first week will catch.
forty bushels per day or two, hundred
and forty, bushels the week. under tae s,Is
amount to $780, SO numerous are the oys-
termen the rocks will not .: y:eldd I moEe
nor more than third the third week.
From, the first Of October to November
18TH the oystermen Will barely average
toms About that time these rocks ana
bottoms become depleted. and unprofit-
able, and are practically abandoned; thus
man from September 18th to November
18th has earned. in September s5i, ana
the following six weeks. allowing one
a9uIfh s 81 m 1uf Gas total OF ss6
These two months are worth more 70
them in taking seed oysters IRON t tha
natural rocks than tn the o eIoss eason the
Young oysters are supposed TO be- undis-
turbed and viii grow and replemsh the
rocks by September lat o nat ti we swo DOB
r roIa a are again gain pracically useless IN
they can rccuperate under the protcctloh
of the law.
and rne appa ar nGsh Invisible spat ef. o.
the rocks in the fall CATCH, that at GII oys
ment 10 a small percentage Of the oyster.
men in the spring, just PRIOR 10 the Close
of the oyster season; ,,a,.o,her r,hen
the natural rocks arc cleaned OF me
young growth, the oystermen are tnsn zen
employed by. planters 70 tong IRON and n ,,e
pare planted and cultivated, stock TER
market. The usual price Of labor TOT TINS
work is 10 cents per bushel, ana tl1 Tbis
continues til about April 1st. and allow,
ing one-third OF the time off that period
OF the year for bad weather and Snnuays,
he Will make apOuc si2o, hSki a.."s 90
ease 1st isR IS 10 t HeFl eg ifi
mate end of the season, ~,
These oystcrmen will probably PICK UP
500 from April LIST to September lo1n
through the close and idle season d.
Cleaning, transpanting planted Oysters
for planters, fishing, &c. ms wings WIGS. ~
Of OF about bout ss2s, ana not one in five will
make this amount. ,star
Now when it Is considered that oyster,
men. as q rule have larger famllle9 70
supnort. the statement that they coulu
not support then at this liVellhooa; " InfS
did not partly furnish their taple, VIII
fhe fisheries afforded by the waters;
would not be considered an unreasonable
This argument is not intended to stand
for or against any side or phase OF oyster
LEGISLATION, but merely to show those VINO
are not conversant upon the INDUSTRY una
It's relation to the many thousands or poor
oyster1nen, that reports creating llP'sS-
sions, that oystermen are reaplng rlSn
haryests are vague and exaggerated, On
the contrary, the work Is hard and expo
sure severe, and business poorly TeHlulles-
atlye. ~. a..
pense of keeping up the poat, y hne
FISHERMEN. owns one. ana IL, II no GOES a n bs,,
fore the surplus can begin Its mission OF
supplying the wants and needs OF the
With the man who has the means and
experience fitting him TO become platl-
ter, the financial side of the question -
ui RIehmond, Va August Sd.