The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1909-10-07

Should the spawn fssten to solid sub
stance, as an old shell or stick, it ad-
heres and proceeds to build itself a
she'll from the mineral ingredients of
the water. But it takes from two to
three years to attain marketable size,
three inches across.
The law requires that when catching,
all small oysters be thrown back and
the dead shells culled out be scattered
so as to furnish place for the spawn
to adhere. From the factories the
shells are mostly sent to the grounds
for the same reason.
The headquarters of the main oyster
fleet is Biloxi, Miss, where the princi-
pal factories and dealers are located.
The main difference in the two classes
of oysters is that the Gamers use a
medium sized oyster while the dealers
in the raw article demand and use the
best quality and size. And, incidental
ly, pay about twice as much per barrel.
= Biloxi is well situated for the busi-
ness, having sufficient depth of water
on both sides of the town to enable the
schooners to come to the wharves while
across the bay is Deer Island, about
mile distant, effectually breaking the
force of any storm that threatens.
From this place goes host of craft of
all sizes and descriptions, from the tiny
dugout, or float, used in "cooning," to
the top sail schooner, mostly used in
freighting in the catch of the smaller
boats. When the skallowness of the
water permits, the small float boats are
used. They are put on the beds at
high tide. At low tide the catchers,
gatherers would be more correct, pro-
ceed to "coon" the oysters, piling them
in the boat which at high tide is floated
off and unloaded to the freight boat
and back again for another low tide.
This plan will only work where the
beds are exposed at low tide.
When the beds are covered all the
time the boat is anchored and the oys-
ters are tonged on deck and culled out.
This ia the general plan and each boat
is provided with tongs with different
length stales, or handles, from six to
twenty-five feet for use at different
depths. To use the latter in twenty
feet of water is firing work, as the
catcher has to work on his knees, often
with the tide running strong and he
will often bring up bunch of oysters
beyond his strength to bring aboard.
They generally work three IN crew,
two to do the longing and one to Gull
out. The latter job is the one they
start the boys at until they get strength
to handle the short tongs, working up,
or down, to the longer ones.
The writer started at this position.
But his ability to write and "6gger"
soon got him place on one of the
freight boats and in final shortage a
position as captain on one of the same.
The Alice was schooner rugged, sixty
feet over all, twentyone-foot beam,
drawing two and a half feet empty
while could just stand in the hold.
She carried four hundred barrels of
oysters under matches, and in good
weather we thought nothing of putting
on deck load of eight hundred more
sometimes leaving the grounds with
the edge of the deck awash. This plan
worked all right in good weather. But
when, in bad weather, part of the load
had to 60 over, something was apt tC
be said about buying oysters and not
bringing them in.
The work was hard but it was agree
able, always change, something do
ing. My crew were all single men anC
we lived on the vessel-mate, cook and
two hands. And as long as we made
our regular trips, little was said of any
goings and comings. So it happened
that there was little doing along th'
Gulf coast that we did not know of a
first hand.
There had to he drawback to it all
AS it came toward spring l was takel
with severe attack of malariai fever
Consulting a physician he advised M
to go to a colder climate and "freeze
; it out Of my system. took his advic
and have never returned. to the stretcl
of southern islands, stretching lik'
, q northern harvest field as far as tn
eye can see, under what they call tn
| winter sky, but We would call it mil'