Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-01-29
THE VIRGINIA OYSTER
Chairman Lee Says 1t is I'm.
justly Blamed for Many
Things.

w. Mcdonald Lee. chairman of the
State Board of Fisheries, was found
In his room at Murphy's Saturday
night,reading one of the New York
"yellows", which contained an ac-
count of the diseases which are TO
be found In the oysters of the At
lant'ic coast says the Richmond News
Leader The paper went on to say
that one of the Vanderbilts had been
violently Ill with typhoid fever by
eating oysters while at one of the
big Northern colleges, and the story
Went on TO say that almost all the
Ills TO which the human flesh is heir
was to be- found in the oyster.
Mr.. Lee was laughing at the re-
port. He said that it was the habit
of the "yellows" to make an attack
which could not be resented, but that
so far as the statement applying to
virginia was concerned it was libel
pure and simple Mr. Lee thinks
what the paper says about New York
and Northern oysters being polluted
by the half billion gallons OF sewage
That comes down I, nj New York
every day may be trne, but that Toes
not touch the Virginia product. and
he offers to prove it by any disinter-
ested persons. Mr.. Lee said:
The New York yellow journals
have feared the oyster m..rket.
Week after week. with scare head
ings and hideous pictures they tell of
shocking revelations in laboratories
OF extracting disease germs from the
'succulent' bivalve. AMI he cant ans
wer back. II their exploitation were
confined to the New York or Cane
Cod or Delaware Bay oyster that an
imal or fish or whatever he may
be called. We're probably wise in
keeping still tongue. but it goes
forth TO Europe that the whole
American oyster family, and to the
enete and epicurean West. that the
Atlantic shell-liver is innoculated
with disease germs feeding upon the
sewage from populous coast and
chain of cities.
Naturally there Is slump when
such scare heads are fared in one $
face. II is true about New York
oysters to large extent. and to n
greater or less extent with the drink
oysters of the Northern States. but
IL is in no sense true of the Chesa.
peake bay stoclc--though we fall un-
der the ban through aforesaid ad-
vertising.
Our nlollusk grows 10 a good old
age unless mans ruthless hand
snatces him from his bed ridden
estate. have In my collection shells
Indicating twenty to thirty years
of growth, and goodness knows how
many additional years. for when n
oyster gets old the addition TO his
bill land consequent rings) are so
indistinguishable that he may race
our wild goose on TO the century
mark without positive contradiction.
"A drink oyster Is one that is
poor (from botbm on which they
do not fatten) and Is transported In
floats or otherwise up stream to
fresh or brakish water to bloat up.
When put in water OF less saline
density than is his habit the oyster
VIII drink In greater quantity OF
water either because palatable or
from n desire to procure more of n
certain nourishment that he misses.
and in this way becomes pulled IN
Or bloated. He will open more meats.
that Is, will measure more when
shucked. for market. but he soon
loses his embonpoint and when put
on the fire goes largely away to wa
ter. You know what an corn-fat-
tened hog does for the lard can
veal. that is the way with the drink
oyster: he is not sold. You can
stick fork In him raw and he col
lapses. the water runs out. So. II is
bun reasonable to believe that such
stock. when bloated with sewer wa
ter, Is dangerous to mans stomach
sven the man who has fortified
himself with snake bite
The Virginia oyster does not have
to be puffed up, though he does HIM
self proud wherever he goes, like the
Albemarle pippin, and all that is
needed is to give him little advance
advertising. The trouble Is that our
Chesapeake bay oyster is sent across
the pond under the beguillng name
OF Blue Point or Narragansett. He
loses his individuality and while fly
ing under high sounding title IS
really in bad company. In the West
he is known as Long Island Sound
OF Connecticut stock. amp, again gets
whaok in the neck. We have a
little of that dodge practiced right
here at home. There are ten barrels
OF oysters sold as Lynn Haven Bay
oysters to every one thar actually
better raised than Lynn Haven oys-
probably sixteen to one. There Is no
better raised that Lynn Haven oys-