120 



THE FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



and a half cents a bushel is the usual price paid in "catching up" for market. The seed-planting, spring and fall, 

 the watching of the beds, and culling of the oysters on shore, are the chief requirements of work done on days' 

 wages, for the shifting is chiefly done by contract. 



The OYS'i'ER-FLEET. — The oyster-fleet between New York city and Sandy Hook is very large. Almost 

 innumerable crafts, with ti'im sails, crowd the bay on working-days. The sail-boats used here are of good build, 

 and often cost $3,000, while an unusually good quality of clinker-built, shallow-draft keel-boats, called skiffs, worth 

 from $75 to $125, are used. A third sort of small boat is flat-bottomed and straight-sided, like a small Connecticut 

 sharpie ; this is known as a bateau, and costs from $15 to $30. Two skiffs and a bateau may be coimted for every 

 regular oyster- sloop or cat-boat. 



The net results. — The total product of Staten Island beds, so far as I could ascertain, is as follows, the time 

 being the season of 1879-'80. This enumerates only the native oysters, since I could learn of only about 15,000 

 bushels a year of southern oysters planted at present around Staten Island, except those brought north by New 

 York city dealers, and counted in the chapter devoted to the metropolis. The total product is : 



Bushels. 



At Prince's bay 50,000 



By Tottenville planters 55,000 



By Chelsea planters 25,000 



Total 130,000 



Add to this : 



For Perth Amboy 100.000 



For Keyport and South shore 25,000 



Total 255,000 



Southern oysters not counted for New York city planters 175,000 



Grand total of all kinds 430,000 



Estimates in eecapitulation : 



Perth Amboy 

 Tottenville .. 

 Prince's bay . 



Chelsea 



Keyport 



"Native." 



100, 000 

 65, 000 

 60, 000 

 25, 000 

 25, 000 



255, 000 



"Virginia." 



10, 000 

 6,000 



*160, 000 



176, 000 



Families. 



75 

 75 

 50 

 25 

 400 



625 



* Many more Virginia oysters are planted in Keyport, but the rest are owned and counted in New York city. 



Statistical eecapitulation for New York bay: 



Number of planters, wholesale dealers, and shippers 500 



Extent of ground cultivated, about acres.. 2,250 



Number of vessels and sail-boats engaged, about 400 



Value of same, with equipment $200,000 



Number of men hired by planters or dealers 125 



Annual earnings of same $62, 500 



Total number of families supported 625 



Annual sales of — 



I. Native oysters bushels.. 255,000 



Value of same $250,000 



n. Chesapeake "plants"' bushels.. 175,000 



Value of same „„ , $125,000 



Total value of oysters sold annually...... ,.....„., ..r... ..........•.•'>»•.. •^••...••..•••. $375,000. 



