The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1938-10-28
THE OYsTER-THE TRUE SYM.
Boil OF GOOD EATING
DR.. Lewis Radcliffe, Director
The Oyster Institute of N. America
Washington, D. c.

Oysters have been esteemed
throughout history as one of the
most highly priced articles of food.
The presence of large numbers of
shells found buried with stone axe
heads and flint instruments used by
the ancients bear mute testimony to
the fact that oysters were eaten by
primeval man. The graves of the
early British and Saxons contained
necklaces of the shells strung on
fibre or sinews. A form OF cultiva-
ton through the formation of arti-
fetal beds f1ourished in China at a
very remote period, presumably
antidating by some centuries the be-
ginnings of oyster farming in Italy
about 95 B. C.
The Romans were especially fond
of oysters, consuming them in large
quantities and devoting considerable
attention to their cultivation. Among
the many philosophers and early
writer's who dwelt upon the various
qualities and values of oysters as an
and Seneca. In fact at no period in
history were oysters SO highly priz-
ed as by the Romans at the luxuri-
Gus height of their civilization when
slaves were dispatched to the coast
of the Atlantic to gather them for
the feasts, and many Roman houses
contained great tanks of water in
which oysters were kept fresh for
the table 1t has even been suggested
that the fame of the British oyster
was deciding factor in the mind of
Caesar in setting out on the con-
quest of Britain.
During the Roman occupation of
Britain about Is B. c., oysters were
exported at great expense and with
much difficulty from Kent, England
to Rome for serving at banquets.
The oysters were carried in bags
tightly packed with snow and ice,
not only preserving them but pre-
venting opening of the shells and
the loss of moisture necessary to
keep them alive. Considering the
lack of transportation facilities and
good roads in those times, the at
tempting of such feat is conclusive
evidence of the high regard of the
early Romans for this choice sea-
| food. In fact the remains of the Ro-
man settlements in England are
concentrated chiefly in the vicinity
of the oyster beds in Kent, Sussex
and Essex
According to report, the first Eng
lish Whitstable oysters ,aken back
to Rome created new passion
among the gourments of the Empire
Agrippa is accredited with having
swept Lucrine oysters off his table,
replacing them with the British
species In giving an account of an
ornate and sumptous banquet given
by Trimalchio, Petronius, the Satyri-
con, describes one of the surprise
courses of the feast in these words:
"All of sudden two slaves burst
in having apparently quarreled while
drawing water at the cistern; at all
events they still had water jugs
hanging around their necks. While
Trimalchio was arbitrating between
the disputing parties, neither paid
the least attention to his rulings,
but began smashing each others
water jugs with their sticks.
1--WE stared at the brawlers, aghast
at this drunken insolence, when be-
hold we saw that oysters and mus
sells were pouring out of their big
jugs; a young slave gathered them
up and handed them around on
tray"
In SO B. G. Salust wrote of the
Britons, "The poor Britons-there
is some good in them, after all
they produce an oyster"
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