Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1910-02-24
GIVE OYSTERS. CARE
Dutch Government Exercises
Supervision Over Industry.
eeds and Pits Where Bivalves Are
Grown Carefully Watched by In
spectors - Water Is Given
Painstaking investigation.


Painstaking investigation.
The Hague.-Just now is The right
time OF the year for oysters and nc
first-class menu in Europe is com
plete without the far-famed iceland
oyster. But it has required many
years of labor and many patient re-
searches by the government of Hol
land to secure this position of pre-
eminence to the national product
Only short time ago the wholesome
ness of the iceland oyster was agai1
challenged by Belgium and there was
quite scare among the "gourmets'
of Europe. The Dutch government
has, however, allayed all fears by max
ing 1t widely known with what ex
IRENE care control is exercised over
all breeding places or oyster beds
and over the so-called "oyster pits
where the mollusks are. kept unit
they are fit for delivery to both
Dutch and foreign dealers. 49,
1t is since 1903 that such parental
government solicitude has been ex
tended to this inmate of Hollands
waters, for in that year many per
sons in Holland, France and Belgium
suffered evil effects from indulgence
In the iceland oyster and for a time
the trade in oysters and mussels was
paralyzed. In parliament and in the
provincial states," as we'll as ir
iceland municipalities, the matter was
taken up and the result was that g
government inquiry was instituted
This disclosed the fact that the waters
near Hertogenbosch were contaminat
ed by the sewers from the town and
by the drainage water from two sugar
factories. The water in the harbo1
was simply alive with deleterious bac
terra and the oyster pits near by got
their water from this very harbor
All the cases of serious "oyster infec
tion,' as it was called, were traced tc
the fact that the victims had eater
OF oysters taken from these oyster
pits. The government Immediately
had them closed and they have neve,
been used for the purpose.
To prevent such a scare in the flu
ture special government service was
Instituted for supervising oyster
growing, the fisheries and the oyster
trade in general. A laboratory was
built in the district and there a min.
ute and careful study is made, botE
chemically and >bacteriologically. The
water from the iceland streams anG
estuaries and the mollusks themselves
are continually under observation
there and only when all has beer
proved to be in good order does the
Dutch government give an officia;
guaranty certificate to the buyers OF
both oysters and mussels. So if only
every dealer insists on getting the
government guaranty with the wares
he and his customers can be perfect
ly sure that they run no risks.
One thing, however, it is impossible
to guarantee, and that is that the re.
tail dealers keep the oysters in good
condition. 1t has been found that il
sometimes happens that the water il
which bivalves are put to keep then
fresh is contaminated and in that way
those who partake Of such oysters are
often infected by bacteria. Of course
the larger and more reliable firms
are very careful to provide pure wa
ter, for they know that even a slight
scare will put them out of business
for considerable time.
It can hardly be imagined with
what painstaking care the government
service continually investigates all the
iceland waters, even many miles
away from the oyster beds and pits
The direction of the currents is as
certained by ingenious devices; also
the way the sewage and drainage wa
ter is carried out to sea. The mum.
Der of bacteria, both innocuous and
deleterious, in every cubic inch OF
water at various depths and in vari
GUS parts of the same stream is de.
termined in the laboratory after the
many samples of water have been
studied. Generally some thirty sam
pies of water are taken near the
same place, and these thirty samples
again require about 500 glasses and
retorts to be subjected to all the vari
GUS tests. From this it will be seer
how this branch of the service alone
requires large amount of patience
and Skill The bare possibility that
some contaminated water current
might come in the vicinity of an oy.
ster bed or pit is sufficient to cause
the government to forbid the cultiva
ton of mollusks there.
: Clay Clement Dies Suddenly.