Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-19
The Oyster Season.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

Thanks to the scientific system of oyster
planting and harvesting developed by the
United States bureau of fisheries, the
oyster season that has just been pro-
claimed by the oyster men promises to
offer to the people one of the most
bountiful supplies of bivalves in the MS
tory of the industry. All along the
waters that mark the shore line of the
Atlantic and gulf seaboards the oyster
has thrived this year. Where a few years
ago it seemed that the natural peas
would not long stand the drain that they
were undergoing, and 1t was Indicated
that the oyster was in danger OF pecoh-
ing food to be enjoyed only by people
of well filled purses, today they are more
plentiful than ever.
For this. artificial cultivation be praised.
The oyster is a salt water animal. Dul
he needs fresh water, too. so his faVorlte
habitat is at the mouth of a river, WheTe
he can live in salt water and drink fresn
water. Give him a place that fuiiilis
these conditions, and then add shells
from which he can borrow lime TO Duiid
bis own house and you have an oyster
farm. That has been the program IN
many places and the result Is that vast
supplies of oysters now grow Where none
grew before. In single year louisiana
gathered DuSHtis VI " 5'Si - o'i'
such "oyster farms.
An adult oyster can live almost any
where the scientist may place him, but
the baby oyster
Tc Ahla RI live is IA idious.
TIL er efore III
Almost Anywhere. making arti ii
cial oyster beds, it is necessary TO con-
vert Undiscovered bottoms with gravel.
concrete. or broken shells. 1t takes an
average of about 800 bushels to the acre
IN convert water-covered mud flats into
oyster beds.
After the oyster bed has been prepared,
then comes the seed time" Some plant
ers sow small seed oysters and raise them
10 marketable size. Others SOW few
brooding oysters and grow the crop from
their eggs But whatever way Is CHOSEN
there are seldom any serious crop iaiiuieS
in the oyster industry There are some
wears when Oysters are more plentilul
than others, but the years Of very short
crops are few and far between.
AS an egg layer, the oyster makes the
American hen look like plker. some
of the best of them lay Jo,ooo,oOo esss
wear and common everyday oyster
can show f6,CGU,OOO eggs year. II Is
mighty good thing tnat the percentage
of eggs that hatch and yield adult oysters
is very small one. for If 1T were not SO.
in five oyster generations there would be
no room on this old planet Of ours for
us: instead there would be IA pile OF
oysters over it's entire surface, with
total volume eight times as great as That
of the earth.
Under natural conditions, il is said only
one egg in ten million matches. II this
ratio of d u |
One in 100000 chickens to eggs
=. We're maintained,
Is Productive. il would take about
7,GG0 hens a full year TO lay enough eggs
to grow one chicken. When the baby
oyster is Matched out it is a free crea-
ture and it spends a few days looking
for a home 1t tries to find a place
where the tide runs strong, for, with all
of its reputation for lack of converse
tional ability, it is wise enough to know
where ii is most likely to get enough to
eat. When it finds this spot it settles
down to build its home. This process
consists of straining many gallons of
water a day, and using the lime gathered
in the operation to cover itself One thin
layer after another is secreted and per-
mitted to harden. Where a parasite or
a grain of sand gets into place that