THE OYSTER-INDUSTRY. 101 



Soutli bay oysters were generally meant, did not exceed yearly $200,000. "They are sold for an average of ten 

 shillings ($1 25) a hundred from the beds; but, as they are scarce and have a good reputation, they sell at a 

 considerable advance upon this price when brought to market. At one pei-iod, when they might be regarded as iu 

 their prime, they attained aremaa-kable size; but now their proportions, as well as their numbers, have been greatly 

 reduced. There are about two hundred persons engaged in the business, including the proprietors and the hands 

 emi)loyed in working the beds." 



Extent of South bay beds in 1873.— Twenty years later (iu 1873) Coiuit Toiu-tales, of Cambridge, made 

 an examination of the oyster-producing districts near New York, at the request of the superintendent of the coast 

 survey. Iu respect to this great bay south of Long Island, Count Pourtales wrote: 



Tho beds are of various extent, from a few acres to a hundred or more. They form large accumulations of dead shells, on the top of 

 •which the spawn attaches itself and produces a succession of crops. » • » Among the beds visited by me, the following deserve 

 particular mention : Smith's point has been mentioned as being the eastern limit of the oysters. The water -was found there to be only- 

 brackish, and the bottom of clear quartz pebbles, offering attachment to a small variety of oysters, tasteless though tat. They are only 

 used for planting.* 



The Great bed (subdivided into North and South beds) off Patchogue appears to be one of the oldest. The tongs bring up large 

 quantities of dead oyster-shells of great size, such as have been mentioned before. The living oysters obtained by a fleet of boats at work 

 on it appeared to be generally about three years old, and were intended for planting at Rockaway unl il fall. Another celebrated bed is off 

 Blue Point, which has a celebrity for the quality of its oysters in the New York and Boston markets. The California bed oil' Sayvillo is one 

 of the largest, about 100 acres in extent. It is the westernmost natural bed, and was formerly extremely productive, but has been very 

 nuieh reduced by over-li.shing. The oystermen recognize the oysters from that bank l)y the abundant growth of red sponge and serlularias 

 on them. The mussel-beds are the nearest to the inlet, and the greater saltuess of their flavor is a consequence of it. The lower .shell is 

 more frequently ribbed aud the edge scalloped in the oysters of these beds than those from beds in the eastern part of the bay. To the 

 westward aud between these latter beds, the bottom is more sandy, and the scattering oysters found on it are known as "sand" oysters; 

 they are easily recognized by their cleau shells, scalloped on the edge and somewhat striped with dark colors when young; the growing 

 edge is very thin but hard, while further east it is generally flexible. This would indicate a greater proportion of lime in the water, but 

 the reason is not obvious, since the eastern part of the bay contains a much larger quantity of shells in a state of decomposition. 



Signs of exhaustion in the oystee-beds. — It is nearly ten years ago that this inquiry was made by Count 

 Pourtales, since even then apiirehensions were felt, lest the supply of native oysters, once thought inexhaustible, 

 should speedily find a sudden end. For a hundred years no one had thought anything like protection to the 

 beds, or even moderation in raking, necessarj-. Boats had come from Ehode Island and Massachusetts, year 

 after year, and had taken away unnumbered loads to be transplanted there, in addition to all the home market 

 consumption aud the supply for Eockaway and Staten Island beds. Only 10 to 2.5 cents a bushel was asked for the 

 seed by the ea.sy-workiug catchers, and there seemed no bottom to the mine. This state of things attracted more 

 and more men into the business of dredging seed and tonging marketable beds. All at once young oysters began 

 to be hard to get, aud the increase seemed to be almost at an end. The young men had little knowledge of the great 

 armies of infant mollusks which the old men had seen speckling the graA'cl beaches and rocky shoals all over the 

 bay a few years previous. It began to be seen that if any oysters were to remain, none must be sold out of the 

 bay, and all oystermen must hasten to organize beds and encourage growth. Then came the attempts at help 

 from legislation, but the trouble was too deep for that, and the oystermen of the j)resent generation sulfer a 

 scarcity that their grandfathers w^ould have thought it impossible should ever occur. 



Extent of oystek-industey at the present day. — iSTevertheless, the beds are not exhausted yet, as is 

 evident from the great fleets that spring and fall operate to advantage in the waters between Moriches and Blue 

 Point. I suppose that no less than 500 sail-boats spend their time on the bay at these seasons in gathering seed, 

 carrying it away, and bujing it for outside planters. To every one of these 500 sail-boats, mainly well-built sloops 

 and cat-boats, three men may be counted, so that 1,500 men are probably employed in this industry alone at these 

 times. How much seed is prociu-ed each season — the fall of 1879 or spring of 1S80, for instance — it is impossible 

 to state; but I should judge it to be not less than 100,000 bushels, or twice that amount for the annual yield; yet 

 the amount is not large enough to supply the demands of the South Shore planters, who were compelled to bring 

 in last year (1879) about 100,000 bushels of seed procured in the Newark bay, the North river, East river, and New 

 Haven, Connecticut. This estimate is too small, if anything. 



Disposition of seed-oystees : Prices. — The poorer seed caught is sold to a great extent in the rough — 

 stones, shells, dead stufiF, and all— just as it comes up, siuce on much of it there is clinging " spawn"; that is, young 

 oysters too small to be detached. For this 25 cents was the ruling price last year. Much, however, is culled, boys 

 going in the boat and picking the tongfuls over as fast as they are poured out upon a board, which is placed across 

 the middle of the skiff, from gunwale to gunwale. For this from 40 to GO cents is paid. The buyers are planters 

 at Bellport, Patchogue, Blue Point, Say ville, and the towns farther west, and occasionally a man from Ehode Islaud 

 or Connecticut, who wants this seed to work up into a particular grade on his home-beds. Count Pourtales 

 mentions something I did not leam of in this connection, namely, "a class of men intermediate between the 

 fishermen and the marketmen. They use sloops and small schooners, and buy up fiom the oystermen the produce 

 of each day's fishing as they come in at night. A basket hoisted to the masthead is the signal indicating a wish to 



* This seed, however, makes the hardiest and most preferred oysters for the European trade, aud is much sought after. 



