Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1940-09-06
CENTURIES AGO THE
OYSTER INDUSTRY
WAS COMMENCED

Twenty to thirty centuries ago the
Chinese and Japanese were engaged in
crude forms of oyster farming. By
100 B. C. Roman aristocrats who were
very fond of oysters had set up salt
water tanks in their villas in which
to hold oysters fresh for their tables.
This led one Sergius Orata to under
take the cultivation of oysters by
transplanting them to beds at Baias,
the Atlantic City of ancient Rome.
This venture according to legend was
a very profitable one. The pages of
ancient history are dotted with ref
erences to the popularity of oysters
and efforts to supplement the natural
supply by artificial cultivation. In
fact it has even been suggested that
the fame of the British oyster was
the deciding factor in inducing Caesar
to undertake the conquest of Britain.
The first American Colonists found
an abundance of oysters as far north
as the coasts of Maine. However, the
beds north of Cape Cod early showed
signs of exhaustion and by Its the in
iative stock had practically disappear
ed from these waters. By 1910, even
the more productive areas along the
shores of Rhode Island, Connecticut
and New York showed signs of ex-
haustion and laws intended to con-
serve the supply were enacted.
In March 1885, a schooner laden
with Virginia oysters arrived in Conn
ecticut waters too late for that sea-
sons market. Rather than lose the
cargo the owners dumped the oysters
overheard in a cove near New Haven.
The following autumn it was discover
ed that these oysters had increased
at least a third in size and were of
most excellent flavor. This accident
resulted in the bringing of thousands
of bushels of oysters from the Ches-
apeake by schooner every spring to
supplement local stocks. This was
one of the earliest steps leading to
the development of oyster farming
in American waters.
In the summer of 1862 Captain de
Broca of the French Navy, acting
under orders of Emperor Napoleon
III, visited the United States for a
study of our oyster industry. During
this visit Captain de Broca suggested
the laying of old shells and brush on
the oyster beds to serve as cultch- a
hard, clean surface to which the tiny
free swimming oyster larvae could
attach without being submerged in
soft mud and killed. Thus the volume
of production of seed oysters could
be greatly increased. A local resi-
dent who had the temerity to try this
procedure was called a lunatic for
following the suggestion of a frog
eating Frenchman who had the cheek
to come to New Haven and teach our
oystermen how to grow oysters"
Nevertheless this innovation opened
the way to further improvements,
leading to the large scale production
of seed oysters which has eliminated
in the extensive oyster farming oper-
atoms of the present day.
At present, of approximately l.
100000 acres of oyster producing
areas, some 100000 acres, or 20 per
cent, according to DR.. Lewis Rad
cliffe, Director of the Oyster Institute
of North America, are under private
cultivation and yield between 55 and
60 per cent of our annual harvest.
According to the statistical reports of
the Fish and Wildlife Service of the
Department of Interior, the catch of
market oysters in the United States
in 1888 totaled 1891, 300 pounds (17,-