The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-08-27
Activity Seen Among Planters,
Tongers and Shuckers Along
Rivers and Bays.
PLENTITUDE OF SEED
GOOD CROP
Rugged Bugeyes, PUNCHES and
Other Crafts Await Sound of
Opening Gan-Reeeipts
Will Be Large.

With the approach of September,
the first "R" month since the spring.
the thousands of oyster planters. ong-
ers and shuckers In Tfdewater Fir-
ginia are getting ready for a record
breaking season. Under h law the
season does not open until septem-
Der IS, but a great dea! % prepa-
ration is necessary and great activity
has been noticed among the oyster
men during the past two weeks. and
will continue until the last OF next
April.
The oyster industry IL one OF the
largest n most. profitable In Vir-
ginia. being OF paramount interest to
t~wenty-one counties and the life of
half q dozen or more cities as well az
thousands OF individuals. The oyster
receipts OF the State u close to
those of agriculture, the total amount
of money paid to the planters and
tongers for their b~ivalves being we'll
up in the millions every season and
increasing each year. The State gov
ernment's gross receipts from the oys-,
ter trade last season was s7e.6s3.7s.
Expect Good season.
Reports from Tfdewater Virginia
are u TIE EASEt That tEiG StAStH h20Gk
to open promises 10 be a greater sue
cess tina that of any previous year.
This IL IA to the fact that more seed
and a better quality OF 1t has been
planted than ever before: the plant
ers haze watched their beds and cul-
tivated their oysters as though the
btvaives were favorite children. and
the additional fact tina the 230, 600
acres OF water and bottom on which
oysters abound a bee patrolled
closer and better than ever before
by the navy maintained by the ON
missioner OF fisheries. j. Mcdonald
Leo.
A visit TO Ttdewater will convince
one that the planters, tongers and
shuckers are preparing for a much
larger business tina in many years,
ON all sides one can zee the pictures
que. though ro~ugh-iooking. bugeyes.
Chesapeake Bay canoes and PUNCHES.
anchored ready for service or under
going o~verhauling to bolster up their
strength sufficient to Withstand the
season. There are countless
gasoline boats In readiness to go forth
into the Chesapeake Bay, Hampton
Roads. James river. Elizabeth river.
L~ynnhaven Bay. York river. Kappa
hanock and other streams. inlets and
bodies of water where oysters have
been found since the days OF Captain
John Smith. The tongers have hauled
out their crude looking, rake-nke Inn
plements of toll and their rubber coats
n are eager to boar ship and
sally forth for big hauis, for they have
eysrGreason NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
crop this year will far exceed that OF
last season. Although such should
not baye been the case. the Virginia
n yStayrsx Hp vpapa ha I'd h{t last xaor bg
the ''piluted oyster scare" started by
Northern newspapers. The continued
excellence. good quality. size n fla
o OF ths Virginia oysters and fire.
quent analyses proved conciustyeiy
last season that h product OF the
waters OF Ttdewater Virginia Is pure
and wholesome. 1t Ia believed that
the imputation of impurity has been
totally disproyed. and that Virginia
oysters. tonged from fresh. clean wa
ters distant from notwithstanding cities.
over bivslves taken from stream con-
tiguous to centers of industry In the
North.
Beyond Rivalry.
The Virginia oyster. Is
not and has not been in competition
with bisaives from any other section
OF the country. This Is due TO the
recognized superior quality and flavor
of the bivalves taken from Lynn
Haven Bay, Chesapeake Bay. Mob
jack Bay. James river. Elizabeth river
and other streams of Tidewater vir-
ginia. The Lynn Haven Bay oyster
has been styled by connoisuers and
eptcnres h finest oyster In the
world 1t has been steadily improv-
ing in flavor and quality each year,
the planters c~ultivattug II with all
care n scientific e~xpertness
with q view OF maintaining the high
est possible standard for taste. size
and general excellence. The oysters
from Mobjack and the Chesapeake are
among the largest II not the largest
in the world and hay a favor all
their own. and 1t Is surpassed only by
the Lynn Haven add blue point
oysters. The York river Cherry stone
oysters which are sent In great guam
titles to Richmond and Northern
cities, are believed by many -epicures
and lovers Of the succulent bivalve
to be more delicious and toothsome
than any other taken from the waters
of Tidewater Virginia, but this is
personal taste and not a con-
census.
Richmond receives daily during the |
season between 1880 and 1900
barrels OF oysters a day from Nor
folk, Hampton. Newport News. Ports
West Point and other hiyalve
markets.
Richmond Wants the Best.
The capital city has one hundred
or more oyster dealers whose sales
range from Ave to fifteen barrels a
day. supplying the home trade. and
the hotels deal direct with the oyster
shippers on Tidewater, The quality
Of oyster received In Richmond Is of
the best. ecaus OF the ctty's nearness
to the beds and the demand on the
part OF oyster lovers here for the best
the market affords. 1t u ar easy
TO fool a Tidewater dredger on an
oyster as q Richmond bivalve tater.
tho latter having been educated up"
to the best and insist. on having II. IT.
Of the cost. The oysters
are shipped to Richmond at frequent
intervals during the day by fast .ex-
press and are opened and served on
the shell, fresh. juicy and fat. bat =