CHAPTER XIII 



Oysters^ Clams, and Other Mollusks 



OYSTERS, like many other fishery products, 

 have been eaten since prehistoric times. The 

 ancient Greeks and Romans were very fond 

 of oysters. The origin of the culture of oysters is 

 shrouded in antiquity; some writers say that the 

 Chinese first practised the art, while others contend 

 that the Romans cultivated oysters before the 

 Orientals learned to do so. The answer to the question 

 seems to depend upon the definition of oyster cul- 

 ture. If one defines it as the putting out of cultch or 

 spat collectors and the care of the oyster from the 

 spat stage, ancient Rome probably led. 



Oysters are taken along the coasts of nearly all 

 temperate countries. Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, 

 and North and South America all have oyster indus- 

 tries, although the bulk of the production comes from 

 North America and Europe. 



Europe produces about five million bushels of 

 oysters annually. France, England, Holland, and 

 Italy furnish nearly all of these. The French industry 

 is highly developed, and is the greatest in Europe. 



The United States now produces annually about 

 seventeen million bushels of oysters, valued at twelve 

 million dollars. At the close of the nineteenth cen- 

 tury the production was approximately twenty-seven 



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