Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-07-05
FISH AND OYSTER NOTES

FlSH AND OYSTER NOTES
An error has been found in the Gov
eminent charts showing depth of water
at the entrance to Chesapeake bay.
Ten carloads of Atlantic coast seed
oysters, shipped across the continent to
the Pacific, arrived in prime condition.
The accumulations of oyster shells in
the kitchen middens of the Neolithic
Age show that oysters were appreciated
for thousands of years before either
Rome or Athens was heard of.
Fishing was dull Wednesday, so half
dozen of the menhaden steamers
loaded up with pine boards which had
washed off barge at the mouth of the
Rappahannock during the heavy wind
that morning.
Herei dispatch from independence,
Missouri: During heavy downpour
of rain here fish fell by the thousands.
They clogged sewer catch-basins, gut
tiers and covered the sidewalks. After
the storm two tons of the finny tribe
were picked up by the inhabitants.
The people of York river claim that
menhaden fishers are trespassing be-
yond the line, and are lodging COM
plants. Owners and captains of these
steamers are reminded of the prohibi-
tive law for certain rivers. Also as
to the law against carrying scrapes
for dredging oysters. This class of
fishermen, as a rule, are law-abiding
people, and it is only necessary to call
attention to these points.
To discover the heart of an oysterth
fold of flesh which oystermen call the
mantle" must be removed whereupon
the heart, shaped like a crescent or
horned moon, is barred to the view.
The oysters heart is made up of two
parts, just like that of human being.
one of which receives the blood from the
gill and the other drives it out through
the arteries. That portion of the oys.
ster which keeps his shell tight, usually
termed the heart, is merely powerful
muscle.
However badly the tongers may be
managing their end of the oyster busi-
ness, however badly the dredgers NAV
be depicting the natural rocks, the
State continues to get an increasing
net revenue from the oyster taxation.
We have before us, by courtesy of the
present Board of Fisheries, their last
annual report for the period from Octo-
Der l, 1905, to October 1, 1906. which
shows that the net revenue to the
State was $40, 123. DC. 1t will be re-
membered that before the Baylor Sur
vey the oyster bottoms paid little, if
any, net revenue. Since that survey
and since the establishment of Board
of Fisheries, the net revenues have in
creased in spite of the expenditures to
police the waters.-N. N. News.
One of the most lucrative branches
of French oyster cultureis the raising
of the celebrated green oyster, carried
on on the bank of the river Sendries. tits
of more value than the white oyster.
The peculiar color is impaired to it by
the vegetable substance which grows
by the beds where it is planted. This
brings up the question of greening.
Some say the American green OYSTER
has liver complaint; others ascribe it to
a parasite that overgrows the mullusc.
Now be it remembered that these
green oysters" of France were once
white. This oyster, the oyster of par
excellence.among Frenchmen, is stepped
in the muddy ponds of the river SEN
dries for year or two, only getting
sea water during very high tides.
They fatten on green slime and are &C
counted a great delicacy.-Oysterman.
The ancient method of oyster culture
or breeding in in Italy was to erect
pyramids of stone on the water and
surround these by stakes of wood, to
intercept the spawn; the breeding oys
ter being laid on the pile of stones.
They also used faggots of branches to
collect spawn. This method might be
tried In this country. = An old
planter in Virginia says that seed from
the natural rocks is better than that
from made rocks. He says that shell
planting on the old rocks will save
them. He thinks the government ought
to shell the old rocks and then protect
them, for the public, from the public.
The depleted rocks cry out and say:
"Will the government save me from
my friends?" A man who did not be-
iieve in shell planting has been con-
yerted-he planted 1000 bushels of
shells and the second year, he got 1456
bushels of culled oysters. The Oyster
man.
VIRGINIA W0MEN