The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1917-02-10
THE LOUISIANA OYSTER.
Its Cultivation and Use Dealt With in
Interesting Bulletin.

/
tThe oyster is popular. you see;)
| Besides, it does its best to keep the cost Of
living low,
| And that's what makes mighty hit with
| I'd rather be oyster than pork chop OF
| a roast,
/ Or the parvenu potato. though it's nice,
For everybody'd relish me, and this woult
be my boast:
.'The only food that hasn't raised its
| price p
The foregoing bit of rhyme pre-
faces very interesting and attract
lively compiled bulletin on the Louisi,
ana oyster recently issued by the De-
partment of Conservation, Of which
| NJ. L. Alexander is the efficient com
missioner. The bulletin is the first
/ Of series intended to acquaint the
people of the state with the great
value Of Louisiana's many natural
resources, and the cleverness display
ed in its composition, as we'll as the
economic Importance of it's contents,
make it an unusually instructive and
readable publication, and one that
| should receive extensive circulation
A collection of excellent photographs
show typical scenes in the oyster
region of the state and illustrate
| methods of cultivating and gathering
the succulent bivalve.
The following paragraphs are
quoted from the bulletin:
Consider the Louisiana oyster
succulent, delicious. with world
| wide reputation for superiority-in
| this day when all other foodstuffs
have scared sky-high in cost and are
still on the rise. Yet the Louisiana
oyster has stood still-in price, not in
progress, for through modern meth
DDS of cultivation the quality of this
Incompatible bivalve has been enor-
mously improved, and its Importance
as a food has gone on increasing by
virtue Of the fact that it embodies all
the elements that constitute a wholly
nutritious and satisfying food.
"The oyster is one of Louisiana S
foremost natural resources, and the
cultivation of it is fast developing in
to an important industry of the state.
It's cultivation here is very simple
compared to what it is in other parts
of the world, for seed is abundant,
food is plentiful, and clims sic condi-
tions are particularly favorT1le to its
growth and development. .
"Fhe area along the Louisiana coast
available for oyster culture is enA
nous, including the territory now aid
formerly occupied by wild or un-
cultivated oysters, as well as great
tracts of water bottoms where oys-
ters have never existed but where
they may be made to do SO by intelli-
gently directed experiments.
'sThe Louisiana oyster is cultivated
fbelow tide lines. Small oysters from
natural beds or reefs are collected
and spread on bottoms, the waters of
which are discovered by test to be
rich in food. The bottoms are first
prepared by the depositing of a sup
ply of shells upon which the young
oysters attach themselves and pro-
ceed to fatten and grow. This is call
ed oyster planting. Usually bar
rem bottom is selected for planting,
and here the young oysters7are al
lowed to remain till they haSLA attain
cd marketable size Ga shree-inch
shell in Louisiana), at which time
they are gathered and sold. This
method of oyster cultivation is car
ried on extensively in Louisiana and
often gives large returns for the la
bor and money involved.
From careful figures compiled by
the Department Of Conservation, it is
shown that the industry is worth over
a million and half dollars in point of
actual consumption based on whole
sale figures alone.
s'New Orleans, famous the world
over for the quality of its oyster,
consumes approximately each year:
July, August, September, $4,000 bar
rels; October / to April l, 10000
barrels; April / to July /, $4,000
barrels. Total, 243,000 barrels.
"The wholesale price for oysters
shipped from the bedding grounds
averages on conservative basis
1925, while the retail price will go to
$3.50 a barrel The oyster cultivator
receives on an average 70 cents a
sack for the oysters he raises-the
price usually being between $1.50
and $1.75 a barrel throughout the
year.
"The consumption of oysters iii
New Orleans is about 100000 bar
rels This represents about one-thlrd
of the total output of the state, which
goes above 100000 barrels annually
OF this amount the canneries put up
for expectation on an average 500,-
600 barrels. 10
e.rrl. ax,a ,,,o rox,oy.oJ hr,Irad tho,1
sand acres of oyster bottoms in the
state susceptible of oyster culture,
vet only small percentage of this
great expanse is in actual cultivation.
When the present management of the
Department of Conservation came In
control there were but Approximately
1900 acres under lease. Since that
time the cultivated area has been
gradually extended and there are now
about $4,000 acres given over to oys-
ter cultivation.
"And now consider the oyster
from culinary standpoint. 1t is a
food, inviting, easily digested and
high in nutritive value. A family oil
four may dine sumptuously off of
four dozen Louisiana oysters at top
cost for the choicest variety Of one
nalf a dollar. Two dozen of these
will make delicious and nourishing
gumbo filet1a Creole dish of unsur-
passed axeellence-and the remain
ing two dozen may be served in va
riety of appetizing ways constituting
an inviting and satisfying meal.
every often just dozen fine, fat,
I n,,isiana nusta1.s added to some lefL-