144 The Commercial Products of the Sea. 



the business has increased tenfold, which may be attri- 

 buted to the facilities of transportation. They now ship raw 

 oysters from Baltimore to South America, California, and 

 Australia, besides all parts of Europe; and the demand will 

 steadily increase as they become better known, from the 

 fact that Chesapeake oysters, like canvas-back ducks, owe 

 their superior flavour to the food obtained on their feeding 

 grounds. 



The oysters of the Pacific are beginning to attract 

 attention in British Columbia, and the cultivation of this 

 mollusc and the preservation of oysters in tins for foreign 

 markets will soon become an important industry there. 



The Chinese have a mode of raising oysters on bamboo 

 screens in the beds of rivers in the southern ports of the 

 empire. These are prepared for keeping in the following 

 manner: The oysters, when taken from their shells, are 

 placed for a time in boiling water, and taken out with a 

 skimmer. They are then exposed in the sun to dry. Oysters 

 taken from the rock cannot, it is said, be so preserved. 



The number of oysters consumed in Victoria is very 

 large, and averages nearly 15,000,000 per annum. Each 

 year's return manifests a decided increase over its pre- 

 decessor, and there is every likelihood of this number 

 being doubled if not trebled in the space of a few years, so 

 growing is the passion of " oyster-eating." Oysters are 

 divided there into two classes, viz., " mud " and " rock." Of 

 the former, there are several kinds, varying in quality 

 according to the nature of the ground and the depth of 

 water in which they lie. The latter is generally found in 

 shallow water, bordering on rocks, and is a more delicate 

 oyster than the " mud." Melbourne is supplied from 

 several distinct sources, but the great bulk comes from 

 New South Wales and Tasmania. A few are also received 



