The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-05-06

\ There Is no historic record Of Il time
Wfle1, the oyster was not used for food.
The ancient Roman epcurcs ate raw oys-
ters Oh the half she'll as the prelude Of
meal Just as Is done to-day, and the
native" oysters Of Britain wore brought
to Rome to grace their banuuets. IN oil
times the oyster has been FULLY nppro-
cinted, and Its tako lave constituted one
of the most valuable branches OF the
fisheries.
Very soon after America was settled
the oyster beds attracted attention, ana
those OF the 5chesapeake Bay became SO
noted that the scientific name given the
American oyster Is ostren virgihica-tne
Virginia oyster. 1t differs In some MINOR
details from the European oyster, put
there Is only q single SPECIES on our AT AT
larltic coast. Those from different parts
of tho coast present slight differences IN
size, form and flavor, due to differences IN
IN food and environment, but they arc too
small to be material. In genera inc
oysters from Long Island Sound anG othor
Northern waters are smaller IN s1zc IMAM
those from more Southern regions, hnu an.
those from special localities are sala
to possess peculiar navors, but now much
of this is real and how tlucn Is pure
Imagination, is hard to determine.
The oyster feeds on what are called ga.
tones; llttlo lnscroscopic plants mat
when highly magnified, show q dividing
line through them TINT makes them look
as though they were cut into two paris.
Their name comes from the Greek "orus
meaning cut through, and was given pc
cause OF this dividing line Ihey Aro
very common IN fresh and SAT- "h.uis
and form the Shiny coating lh l eoS ~
TONS - : :. $50 10 food tho food
oSstcr cu,.no. - 80 and so it thrives
Nus rants keep the water
Dess w WITS 49, - ~
- -, y, ,,on pny. or river" the
-. -, 80 ,cro 40 nnlv some two and half
water wafer, ,ulls +hn tide rises and
feet4 II uep.l'' s a' =, ,bot ,he water IS
falls upou. W. 800 ~ tw,co every day.
chanseu - sten. i'ade,tad nv shallow
me SHORES aie 80 civ hanks, clothed
coVes' WI" fNN3 ne, ro,, 3 thesa coyrs
with underprusn, ~" tomas IN infinite
each epp- tsue .Maanu M Mo food .ur tie
numbers ',.oo con the Lynnhaven
oysters. To- 80 ~ in rood condition
oysters uln p'.ss. =, ,,,,ds and DO 40. re-
when taken ~ ~ 49, mus, be given
ouire the taetes'. - - a1 rog,ons
those lro ~ f ioSe 80, - , -, yetor
The development: OF w s .,,,a 1905 a ~
IS a most ilite' $3.50 ,,..,t,r II, a milky
thrown out Into the Wa'e,. ~ ..,tu,,;,,S,
cloud. and mixes VIII VIC ~ 'S.1Tar.
mllt thrown out by anotiier ~ l.,
tiliza.ion takes place Ut ' ILL., ,,o
short time the llttie sss t,,rdividn and
smaller spheres, which -, e,1 - mass
so on, until ithe SollS ,,li,f ~, ssi},,oxt
of minute ro 11 cei., ,.it,, 'tho ais ar
fattens out into q etisk ~. s.oosI,,,o II
ranged IN two layers, stu -, -. .ti,,.od ~
four hours satter@li'e - :, ,,.,.1 tho 'lover
has become an oVai pih.1' ,rhIs ooncnvItv
surface sllsh'yf conc. ~, cdt,es
grows ,ueep., $40, aoclosod
almost meet anu ,e e.,a m. Young
the olsestiHe =. su,s /, c,,n yi. h n very
oyster titen 10 thp s,rImltiye
Mario" opeiil, =, tho ,,ncnintr closes
lno ,.,.. a,aav,,,e tha digestive cavity COM
en'irely' o,,t ar wa III is soon
PletelS etos.u to,,, ,,most{ onnosite the
pusneu - :, nnd little har-like bodies
p.,i.a..'. "a,,,o, that arc n active notion,
calleu ol'n. ~ ,dy,5of551he dcprcs-
devc'o3 NJ .,'.o.ti,,a "a itv ,.ets larger,
slo5'' ,a., Atna nav rr1e mouti, COM
ali.. .. ,,,1th /, anf, tha ella drive IN
-. - ,.t;oaa - food which can he seen
:. ~ -, - .tnn,nch This stag, is reached
- go, tnontv.four hours to six days,
~ ), :. 80 ,,,oin,v IN rho temper,turo OF
t,,a ,,,oter
~" r. the meantime the embryonic shell
-, hacn forming and by the time the
n,o,,th 10 dcveloped the shell can be seen
, {. 't1vo -trnnsna rent rather thick pa teS.g
T., ~ yarv vounr oyster these plates
-. -, ,,aIvea FRO alike but after It fixes
,4,o,f -, !, s,,nnort the lower or attached
side grows faster than the other az
becomes deep and spoon-shaped,@ while
the upper shell remains allnos'ty$iiat. Al
though the shells nre one above and one
below the oyster as 1t lies on the bottom,
they arc not on tho top and bottom of
the body, but on the right and left sides
rho head is at tho hinge, and II an oys-
tor he held on edge with the hinge turned
from tho observer and the fiat shell to-
ward the right, the back of the oyster
will he uppcrmost
The young oyster enjoys brief stage
in which 1t swims freely and Is born3
nv currents, but it soon fixes itself by
rs left valve to any hard or firm body.
suitable or unsuitable, with which it may
come into contact. II II DC cream ana
remain so long enough for the young
oyster to fastcn Itself to ~ me nature
20 tho ~ torio1 sno,nS n mako little dill