Evening star., 1920-11-28
BY H. O. BISHOP.

II rs always interesting to know
how, why and when we COM
menced eating certain articles Of
food. Take the oyster. for in
stance.
The oyster has been a popular lit
tie animal for many centuries. 1t
. doubtful if there are more than
seventeen people within the borders
Of the District of Columbia who have
not. at some time or other. introduced
their appetites to raw. fried. stewed
or escalloped oysters. And it's doubt
full IL there are. more than 700 people
in the entire country who have not
tackled these succulent deep sea
birds. But where 10 the keen student
of ancient historical lore who can
Aeil us all about the experiences Of
the first man Cor was 1t a woman?
who made q meal on oysters? AS q
matter of fact no such student fs in
existence.
History maintains discreet and
prudent silence as to the first oyster
banquet.
A prominent citizen named Pliny.
who passed to his reward away back
In the year 20, wrote some very
complimentary things about the
oyster family. Indicating that the
folks Of early days not only looked
upon the oyster as a necessary ar
ticle of food but as luxury.
According to an eminent old Roman
doctor. the Romans prediction for
oysters was a sanitary one, which he
explained thuswise:
Living oysters are endowed with
ha nodf0fnol VfpfnaR. thew
nourish wonderfully. and solicit rest;
for he who sups on oysters is wont
O that night to sleep placidly; and
10 the valetudinary afnicted with q
weak stomach. eight, ten or twelve
raw oysters in a morning. or one
hour before dinner, is more healing
than any drug or mixture that the
apothecary can compound"
young man named Sallust, whose
earthly activities occurred about fifty
years before the birth of Christ, ac-
quired q kindly feeling toward the
He said: 'The poor Britons-there 10
afme good in them after all-they pro-
dhce an oyster"
A man named Sergius Orata was the
first man to cultivate oysters. Pre-
viously It was the custom to pluck
Tho previously mentioned Mr.. Pliny
became = bit peeved at the sordid
commercialism of Mr.. Orsta. COM
menting in this brusque fashion
.'Orata did not raise them for the
sake of indulging his appetite. but
through avarice. and made great
profits on them" Possibly this Orata
chap was the original prohteer.
Long before the advent of white
settlers on the shores of America the
Indian tribes living near the Atlantic
coast subsisted to a large extent on
oysters. In fact. many of the Indians
Of that period not only made COM
mendable use of oysters at meal time
but they actually used the shells as
coin of the realm. These commercial
tIries converted their oysters into .
hedium Of exchange by drying and
smoking them. They would then
string them on twigs and carry them
TO the tribes living in the valleys be-
tween the mountains considerable dis
tances from the coast. where they
would be used in purchasing buffalo
meat and hides and various other
articles that were unobtainable along
the coast.
At many places great mounds OF
shells deposited centuries ago mutely
testify to the free and generous use
which the red man made of oysters
% the Damarfrcotta river in Maine
where no oysters are now found. there
1900. 900 bushels OF oyster shells.
When the early white settlers came
to America they apparently lost nc
time in helping themselves to the
fine oyster beds of the Indians. This
was gently accomplished by pokine
guns in the general direction of tho
red oystermen and in that way polite.
1y intimating that a change of die
could be obtained somewhere to tn,
westward. The Indians. being wis.
in their generation. took the brother
ly hint and thenceforward changed
their daily menu from oysters ant
flsh to fresh buffalo meat. wild tur
key, etc.
\ 4
Today the oyster fishery OF th'
United States is the most valuable o
any fishery In the world. 1t is con
Quoted in every seacoast state from
Cape Cod to the Rio Grande and from
Puget sound to San Francisco.
The annual oyster crop average
about 115,000 tons of food as prepar
ed for consumption. This is the equiv
Aent Of 100000 dressed beeYes. %.
000.o 600 ten-pound turkeys. or $4,000.
600 two-and- nd-one-half-pound sprin'
chickens.
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