The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-10-03
THE OYSTER

The always popular oyster Ia sup
posed to arrive after his summer va
cation, Sept list, but up here in the
country where transportation Is some
times slow it is well 30 wait until
the cool October weather renders the
oyster more fit to meet his friends
4 The federal bureau of fisheries has
Just issued bulletin on the oyster
which is full OF interest IT liscloses
the fact that the oyster fishing is the
most important and valuable Gf all
/ the American fisheries. The ubiqui.
tous Goldfish Is a mere piker by com.
parison, with a gross production
value OF a paltry. three millions while
the value OF the oyster catch yises to
the grand total OF fifteen millions an
lnually.
Following are a few extracts from
the government bulletin above refer
,red to:
In Europe the oyster Is, and long
has been, luxury enjoyed by the
few. When the first settlers came 10
the shores OF America, one OF the
most impressive indications OF the
richness of the new land was the
great abundance, large size, and excel
llence of the oysters which they
found. Under these conditions, and
(, at time when the infant communi
ties necessarily were dependent in ]
great measure on natural products
for food, this readily obtainable and
delicious shellfsh came into common
use as an important element OF their
diet. Even before the white nler
came, the Indians of the coast snbsist
ed largely on oysters. and, Il Is said
FUSED them In q dried and smoked
state, strung on tYigs, as an article Of
4 barter with their inland neighbors. ~
many places great mounds Of shells
deposited in prehistoric times tell OF
the free use which the red man made
OF oysters. and on the .Damariseotta
miGer iii Maize, where none are now
4 found. there lis mound con aining
about 7,o0G0O0 bushels Of shells.
The early white settlers, IKE the
Indians, relied on, the supposedly mex
haustibe natural beds; but in the oil
der and more densely populated parts
Of the country. particularly on the
/ New England coast where the natural
beds were less extensive than farther
south, the almost universal use OF
this popular shellish by the coastal
/ noprlatioA showed many years ago
that nature, in many cases wantonly
abused by wasteiul methods, could
not keep up tie. supply unaided 1t
was obyions that lest the supply
should fail, at least locally, man him
self must lend hand much as he had
! in raising land crops.
| The oyster, as most persons know
| 1t, is as immobile as the turnip an
| like that stolid vegetable is attached
TO the soil, although not by roots but
/ in its infancy ii swlms freely, though
| feebly. and before it settles down
may wander far from the parental To-
I CulllN. A uc EhublsO u W oNttt hANh
forms after the egg is discharged into
the water by the mother, is so small
as to be just visible to the unaided
I human eye This embryo soon be-
comes covered with microscopic
heehy bristles, which, beating In uni
son, give 1t some power Of locomotion,
| though they are servieeabe chiefly in
suspending it in the water and bring
ing it within reach Of the tidal cur
rents which wait 1t afar
After q brief career of travel tiny
shell begins to form, and as the bur
den OF this increases a change or
| habit comes. The little oyster must
attach itself to support and settle
down to the sedentary life OF the
adults. and this necessity brings one Of
the grayest crises of its lille. 1t is
hardly visible without lens and the
| thinnest film OF sediment will cover
and stifie it, and most of the bottom
over which it has been SWIMMING is
muddy. Only oyster beds, gravel and
shells, piling, and similar bodies i'm
the water present a surface sufficient
ly firm and clean to serve the little
oysters purpose. The more fortu-
nate ones cement their shells to such
objects, grow, and henceforth remain
where they fell unless displaced by
some external force but for each one