El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-10-09
E PAS0 EATS
MANY OYSTERS
Bluepoints Aristocrats of
Bivalve Kingdom; Must
be Especially Ordered.

Enough oysters are imported into FL
PasO each year that. If they were prop
erly distrubteed, no home would De
oysterless.
The oyster that comes to Ell Paso
makes its travel in a seal-shipped can
OF one gallon dimension. In these cans
there are a tribe of oysters that aver
age 200. Texas and Louisiana oysters
are available on the markets after
September !. The taVO-lte Is the
Louisiana product. which is medium in
size and can be swallowed without
stranEulation.
During the month Of September n
PasO homes and restaurants consumed
324, 900 oysters. These valued at one cent
apiece, shows an expenditure of 1928
for the first course Weu-tO-do people
eat y oysters at q sitting, people OF
moderate circumstances SIX On the
basis OF six to a a sitting. 1000 people
were rendered oyster happy during the
month of September on the oasis OF
affluence Of = oysters TO the sitting
q. 600 We're rendered happy
AS the weather grows cooler the
demand for oysters increases until II
reaches its climax with November ana
December. At its flood tide enough
oysters are imported into the city 10
give an oyster dinner TO every in
Cividual of the $1,000 population
Blue Point is Arist0crat-
In the higher priced restaurants the
Blue Point oyster from Chesapeake BAY
later the EockaWay is brought on
Neither OF these two oysters are to he
found on the local market, being
shipped in direct from the Atlantic
coast by way Of Kansas City. The
Blue point is the only aristOcrat among
the bi-valves- There is the same diff
ference between the Blue point ana
the clam as there is between Il Ply
mouth Rock ROSTERS tail and an
aigret The Blue Point got its name
from its appearance. the shell having
blue tint 1t is round and plump and
small and is a favOrite-
Because Of its fresher flavor the
Texas oyster is in more demand IN Fl
Paso than the Louisiana bi-valve trav-
cling this distance a day sooner.
Technically Speaking. they have
Oysters come somewhat higher out
on the plains than they do in the
coastal regions, being 10 cents = dozen
or three dozen Tor a quarter In Il
There is no indication Of an oyster
famine this year
Grent Industry.
The oyster fishing industry is
highly profitable one on the Texas
coast. and the towns Of Port Lavaca
and Palacios are ce'--ers for large
daily shipments 10 al points Of the
United States The oyster beds are
planted and cultivated with as much
care as gardens, the size of the oyster
IS watched by the inspectors Of the
fish and oyster commission and hi
valves below Q certain standard are
thrown back into the water
In some respects the beds are like
mining claims, fisherman stakes out
his holdings for the day and with long
iron tonEs draws in great clumps or
the dark shells with green moss be
tween and tiny crabs falling over the
surface When the hold of his bOar
is filled. the hands get busy and the
oysters are opened and placed on ice,
or in the shell and brought to the
oyster wharves where professionals Z
sit with a bucket between their legs
and open the shells with a deft turn
Of the wrist, and the insertion of a
pointed wedge The men are paid so
much a day, though on some OF the ,
wharves the pay depends upon the
number Of oysters opened In the more
advanced oyster houses the oyster is
separated and packed in the sealed &
cans according to their size