NEW YORK: GENERAL EEVIEW OF ITS FISHERIES. 345 



TLe oyster and claui business now exceeds in value the fisheries proper, and furnishes employ- 

 ment to a greater number of men, and the business is increasing yearly. The demand for small 

 oysters for shipment to Europe has changed the market so that those which were formerly sold to 

 "open" and market by the gallon at a small price are now sought for at a great advance; and such 

 is the influence of fashion that the Americans have begun to imagine that they can detect the 

 superiority of these smaller " Blue-points" to the large " Saddle-rocky" names which formerly desig- 

 nated oysters from particular localities, but are now applied, the former to small and the latter to 

 large oysters, regardless of the region whence they come. The figures relating to the water 

 products shipped by railroad to the western terminals, including New Tork and vicinity, were 

 furnished by favor of Mr. H. M. Smith, general freight agent of the Long Island Railroad. In 

 certain localities all the products go by rail; at other points only a portion are so carried, while at 

 some places near the city nearly all shipments are made by water. 



B. THE NORTH SHORE OF LONG ISLAND. 



114. EXPLANATORY STATEMENTS, WITH STATISTICS. 



EXPLANATORY STATEMENT. The western half of the north side of the island, beginning on 

 the west at Flushing and extending east to Port Jefferson, includes all that is of importance in 

 the fisheries. The eastern half has an unbroken coast line, without bay or indentation, and fur- 

 nishes no point of laud to protect a pound-net from storms until Hortou's Point is reached, which, 

 for convenience, has been included in the eastern section. The country between Port Jefferson 

 and Roanoke Point, which is nearly opposite Riverhead, is sparsely inhabited, and differs in 

 character from the western half. The latter is a high rolling country, with its hills well wooded, 

 and abounding in deep bays, which are well laud-locked and form excellent harbors. 



RECAPITULATION. There are on the north side of the island 1,081 men engaged in the 

 fisheries, of whom 1,000 are oystermeu, and 2,586 persons are directly dependent upon their labors. 

 They have invested $38,650 in boats, $15,000 in nets and tools, and $342,200 iu oysters. They 

 produce, and either market or consume at home, 426,300 bushels of oysters, 156,900 bushels of hard 

 clams, 190,600 bushels of soft clams, 6,000 bushels of mussels, 2,000 pounds of scallops, 6,000 shad, 

 37,000 pounds of eels, 1,405,500 pounds of other fish, and 3,106 barrels of crabs, besides $24,500 

 worth of menhaden for manure. 



115. FLUSHING BAY. 



FLUSHING.- In the spring of the year about six pound-nets are set in Flushing Bay for shad 

 and striped bass. Each pound has a ''heart-bowl" and a leader running out from 400 to 500 feet. 

 There is no spawning place for shad here, and why they enter the bay is not known. They are 

 said to be going east when taken. Four thousand were taken last spring, and although this has 

 been the average for five years past, it is considered far from satisfactory, and it would not pay 

 to wet the nets but for the menhaden taken at the same time. The latter are used for manure 

 here, and bring 10 cents per bushel, which contains about 100 fish. One man, Mr. O. C. Burling, 

 says that when the northeast wind blows, more shad are taken than at other times, as they then 

 come into the bay for shelter. Bass have been scarce this year, only 3,500 pounds having been 

 taken. Ten years ago the bass were plenty, but they are gradually decreasing. 



