Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-24
"Fed'' Oysters
-.
Under a Ban

- &
EFEFFFE FFFrE Sc e r =
rTNCLE SAM has cast the first stone In
- what promises to develop into a
long continued battle between the gov
eminent and men actively engaged in one
of the most important industries of the
| country-oyster growing The national
| board of food and drug inspection, de-
spite insistent protest, has declared that
fattening the bivalves by floating in fresh
water is prejudicial to public health and
has ordered its immediate cessation.
| Dealers, growers and shippers in all
parts of the country are astounded and
| indignant and say the life of the industry
is threatened. They demand the rescind-
| ing of the order and declare it spells
ruin to the business Of thousands of
persons.
Since the oldest fishermen can remem-
Der 1t has been a practice among oyster
catch" at the mouth of fresh water
| streams. there to remain for weeks be-
fore being shipped to the markets.
This process is called by some oyster
men feeding" Others term it float
ing.
The water in which the bivalves are
hoated Is, of course, much less salty
than that of the beds from which they
and drinks the fresh water greedily, fat
tening itself and cleansing it's gills of
the sand that 1t has collected during
growth
The active eyes of the board of food
and drug inspectors have been watching
the oystermen for a long time. Agents
from Washington have been sent to the
big beds the New Jersey coast and
taken away and analysed. The analyses
showed according to the experts, that
such treatment of the oysters caused the
! propagation Of typhoid germs and with
| an alacrity that lmost paralyzed those
| engaged in the trade the board declared
the practice unlawful.
| The oyster growers ridicule the argu-
ment of the learned chemists who insist
soaking in fresh water tends to inoculate
the bivalves with disease germs. and have
cision of the board.
The utimatum of the board will not
only affect the growers. The dealers in
the great markets for years have been in
the habit Of keeping their stock soaking in
watts of fresh water, and in every oyster
| cafe and restaurant in the country it has
| beel, the habit of the proprietors to store
the bivalves in damp cellars where they
can be fed from time to time with
buckets Of fresh water. These men, it is
will be forced, it is believed, to comply
with the new law.
The oystermen are particularly dis
! gruntled because just now is the time
| when the work of floating is usually at
its height
Between March 1 and July the large
oyster grower hires hundreds of extra
men to transfer the oysters from the bed
to the fresh water. where they are al
lowed to fatten for the fall trade.
| 1t has been estimated that the dealers
of New York alone handle between 3d.
100000 and 100000 worth OF fed oys-
| tiers every season.
| BY far the greater part of the oysters
consumed in the entire country are raised
in the waters Of New York. New Jersey.
Maryland and Connecticut. For years the
great markets of the country were sup
piled from the natural beds of those
states, but of late years it has been nee
essary to resort to the method Of private
planting.
| The oyster planters have hundreds Of
acres of ground under cultivation.
| When the oystermen are ready to start
! "fattening'' they take sailing vessels and
by means of dredges and tongs tear the
oysters from their beds. They are then
ready for the "drinking'' or "fattenin3'
process. After a short time in the fresh
| water the bivalve assumes a whittier.
plumper appearance and is much more
marketable.
| The Staten Island planters take their
| oysters around to the Raritan river to
drink while the Keyport, N j., growers
| drink theirs in the Luppatatong creek.
Other New Jersey growers use the mouth
of the Morris river.
| The work of sorting the oysters for
market Is of great Importance. This is |
usually done after the bivalves have been |
| transferred to their destination. The work |
| is carried on aboard the great barges used |
| in carrying the shipments from the
| drinking ground" to the markets.
known respectively to the trade as
| box .'culls'' and "culentines." Box |
oysters bring $3.50 thousand; "culls"
| about $3.50, and "cullentines' 50 cents
| The Keyport oyster planter is Just |
| about entering on his busy season now |
| for his speciality is marketing oysters |
during the summer season. AS the ma
| tive oyster is not At to eat during the |
summer, which is the spawning season. |
the Keyport fishermen secure large seed |
| from Chesapeake bay in the early spring |
and transplant them. About the end of
April they are shifted again to the drink
| ing ground and by July / are ready for |
| market.
New Jersey growers are particularly |
sore because of the new law and intend |
putting up a strong fight for the pro- |
lection Of the industry. They have called |
| to their aid Chief Bacon of the state
bureau of shell fisheries of New Jersey |
who has promised to help them all he
can.
Chief Bacon Is of the opinion that the |
government did not pay sufficient at |
| tention to the remonstrance of the 200 |
| oystermen who visited Washington prior |
to the action of the board of food inspec- |
ton. and will demand that the discussion |
be renewed.
| "When we concluded our testimony be- |
| fore the board at Washington" said Mr. |
Bacon, recently, 1T was with the reser- |
walton that we were to have the oppor- |
! tunity to present testimony from our |
state biologist to the effect that the float
1 ing process is but a process of nature |