Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-08-31
Factories Lure
Younger Men
From 0ystering
Ample BivoIves Are
Promised; longing
Storts Monday

Inc widening influence of arnt1g
America against invasion was no.
ticed in Chesapeake Bay villages to-
day as watermen prepared to set
out to oyster beds for the opening
Of the longing season Monday.
The fleet will be operated by older
men who, for the next eight months.
will tong through ice and cold and
storm for the bivalves.
The call of higher wages for all
but the old-timers has been too
much for the younger generation.
Many have left the Clustering indus
try to work for Uncle Sam in facto-
ries turning out defense supplies.
AS carpenters and mechanics, they
are working in East Coast navy
yards and other plants for wages
such as the business of gathering
oysters never offered.
Abundance Promised.
But this reduction in the ranks
has its compensations, elders point
out. Clustering always has been a
highly competitive proposition, and
now those left behind will tong
llldt iIldIly lIlOT6 bushels.
Westinghouse who insist on
their oysters through every month
which contains the letter "R" will
have little to fear in the way of a
shortage this season, according to
Alfred w. Woodfield of Galesville.
Md. head of one of the largest
oyster packing houses on Chesa-
peake Bay.
He secuted talk of a scarcity of
those bivalves that have made the
bay famous.
There's going to be enough for
every one this year." he declared.
Joseph C. Lore, jr., of the J. C.
Lore d Son house at Solomons Is
iand' was optimistic, too, over the
forthcoming season.
Confident of Good Year,
This looks to be the best wear
we've had in some time" he COM
mented, adding that the quality of
the oysters is remarkably good"
Tor this time of year. He said in
formation had been received at the
island that the market for bay
oysters is to be exceptionally heavy
In the Middle West this year, par
TALLY due to a threatened New Eng
land shortage.
Although by law the longing sea-
son opens on the majority of the
bay and its tributaries September 1,
regulations forbid longing on Sum-
day. Monday, therefore, will see
the official opening of the season.
important New England oyster
beds have been faced with virtual
extinction as result of an infesta-
tlon OF star fish and a small oyster
BORE" These marine creatures have
been most destructive in recent years
throughout New England.
Chesapeake Bay, fortunately. is
1ree OF the pests, according to au-
thorities.
Dredging Starts in November.
Ionging, which finds watermen
working beds as "lone eagles" will
give way on November l to large
scale operations of the big dredging
boats that drag the bottom in a
wholesale manner. On September
10 the longing year opens on the
Potomac River. while dredging there
Is prohibited the year around.
TO Improve the markets for Mary
land oysters, the legislative council
OF the State Legislature is now
studying special proposals recently
made by the State Conservation
Commission.
The program calls for added COM
mission authority empowering it to
set up areas for cultivation of large
oysters. control licensing of dredge
boats and secure dependable seed
stock.
Principal aim of the plan is to
recapture markets lost to MARYLAND
as a result of shortage of large
or select" oysters. Some $500 600
bushels of large oysters have been
imported from other States in the
last 10 years, according to the
commission.