The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-09-24
Sound Oyster Culture
Yet In Its Infancy

try. but In recent years more partic-
ularls identified with oyster culture.
While here a few days ago, told an Is
lander representative many interest
ing facts about the industry, and the
work being done in this direction.
Mr.. Steel is associated with four
others in the Pearl Oyster Company.
which owns the old Fravel beds on
the Samish flats. Its holdings com
prise nearly 1000 acres. One hun
dred acres have been stocked with
Eastern and Japanese oysters for the
past five years and Mr.. Steel reports
them as doing finely. The company
expects to begin shipping from this
bed in Septem ber of next year.
Men of business and finance are
now deyoting their energies and capi
tai to the development of an indus
try that is fast assuming proportions
that will rival many of the older es-
tablished industries in the state of
Washington.
The growing of Eastern oysters in
the waters of this state has grown in
the past few years to such an extent
that about $500, 900 is spent in the
Eastern states for seed oysters annual
~, added to this about S15O,OOO is
paid the railroad som anies for
freight. about SIS. 100000 more is in
vested in oyster lands, boats, dredges.
culling houses, oyster stations, etc.,
etc.
The annual returns from this
branch Of the industry amounts to
many thousands of dollars.
The. amount of native oysters Cos
trea lurida) sold in 1908 exceeded
$500, 600.
Both branches of :he industry EN-
ploy vast armies of men during the
shipping season, which extends from
Santemher to April. and large mum
ar OF men are employed the year
round.
The oyster industry, while in It's
infancy, is developing at an extraor-
dinary rate, and in the hands of in
telligent and progressive men will as
sure vast proportions in the near fu-
ture.
A growing demand for product is
the most trustworthy Indication of an
industry's prosperity, and the only
rational manner in which to bring
the supply and demand into equilib
rum is to increase the former.
The total output tor the year end
ing Nov. l, 1900, was 20. 900 sacks,
or about $50. 900. This amount of
business was doubled the following
year the amount of business done in
native oysters alone in 1908 amount
ed to over S50O,O00 on Puget Sound
alone.
In the next five years. at the pres
ent rate of growth, the native oyster
business on Puget Sound will reach
total of at least quarter OF mil
lion dollars per annum.
Large quantities of native oysters
are also raised and marketed in Will
lapa bay. Pacific county. Expert
ments made by the state in 1899 and
1900 proved that the Eastern oyster
thrives we'll and the older oysters
spawn freely, but difficulty was ex-
perienced in getting the "spat' to
"set.'' Several companies have been
experimenting with the Eastern oys-
ter with the object in view of propa-
eating them on the Pacific coast, and
with some degree of success. having
discovered beds which during the last
spawning season the temperature aver
age 70 dergees Fahrenheit; which is
the temperature at which the Eastern
oyster spawns in it's native waters.
Experiments with the Eastern and
Japanese oysters will be conducted
the coming season. Ten tons OF jap
anese seed and grown oysters are COM
ing from Northern japan. and they
will be taken from waters with as near
as possibl the same temperature and
salinity as the waters in which they
will be transplanted. the depth OF
water will be the same, and condi
tions generally will be made as near
as possible the same as where the oys
ters grew naturally, and by assisting
nature we may be able in the near fu-
ture to propagate and grow TO mark
etable size. if not our own Eastern
oyster. then one equally large and
palatable.
Will Jakles has taken the local
agency for the Clifton Motor Works.
of Cincinnati, whose general agent
for this state. Mr.. A. M. Darling, of
T. A.