The Rise And Decline Of The Ol^mpia Oyster 



The "Culling House" with benches on which to place the 

 oysters for culling, and a fire to keep the cullers warm 

 and comfortable while doing their work, was worked out. 

 Large cedar logs were assembled, fastened together by 

 cross pieces and covered by a floor which afforded the 

 foundation for a small house called a "Culling House." 

 At first these culling houses were small, perhaps twelve 

 or fourteen feet wide and fourteen or fifteen feet long, 

 but as time went on and the development of the oyster 

 beds and demands of the market increased, culling 

 became a family operation and the houses were increased 

 in size with living quarters in one end of the building. 



The culling house, when completed, was anchored in 

 the nearest available cove so that a top float could come 

 alongside and the culling house could be more or less 

 protected from wind and storm. The oysters were then 

 carried in and placed on the culling tables where the 

 cullers could work in comfort. The young oysters (or 

 culls) were then put back on the top float and replaced 

 on the beds for further growth. 



Another need for development was soon felt. — When 

 the oysters were loaded on the top float they were dirty 

 and some method of washing them before they were 

 taken into the culling house must be found, Again, the 

 cedar log, then abundant on the shores of Puget Sound, 

 v/as the answer. When the top float was turned over 

 before the floor was put on, the cross pieces were under 

 the water and when the tide was out, the floor was nailed 

 in. When the tide came in this floor was twelve to eigh- 

 teen inches under the water and was known as a sink 

 float; the oysters were forked into this sink float and 



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