THE OYSTER-INDUSTRY. 127 



Under this system the country partner reports to the census what amount he raised and sold, saying nothing 

 about where his means came from— which is something the inquirer did not care to linow. It only remaius to aslc 

 the city man the uumber of oysters that pass through his hands, without (piestion as to what part of these were 

 raised out of his money— a question it would be almost, or quite, impossible for him to answer. Nor could lie 

 tell what these cost him, since a part of the investment which has been made long ago, is known to have been lost, 

 a part remains ungathered on the beds— always au incalculable quantity, for accident may destroy all of it— 

 and the harvest comes iu by piece-meal. He caunot tell what these oysters have been worth precisely. He only 

 knows, in a general way, whether his ventures in a certain place have been proQtable or not. 



A large proportion of the oysters handled by these New York fii-ras, however, are bought from planters who 

 own beds on the Connecticut or Long Island shore, iu Trince's bay, Staten Island souud, or elsewhere. The owner 

 may load up his sloop and bring his crop to the city to dispose of to him who will i)ay best; or the dealer may 

 send out his own sloops to the producing-grounds, and with his business-card painted all over the mainsail, cruise 

 about until he has bought a cargo at a satisfactory price. The more usual method, however, is to have it 

 understood beforehand that certain dealers will take all the oysters certain planters can raise. Often money is 

 advanced upon this uuderstandiug, or other help given, so that there is a closer business-relation than ordinary 

 between the buyers and the planters — an intimacy (and confusion iu the matter of statistics) to which the 

 extensive partnership system lends itself. 



The third method- of sales on commission— explains itself. It is not extensively followed, since the planters 

 do not have fixith in it, and the dealers do not care to encourage it. 



Some dealers are shippers wholly, others find their whole custom iu the city and suburbs. The former require 

 less men and dispose of larger packages at each order; the latter require many trucks and delivery carts, though 

 most of their customers themselves come after their supplies. I believe the shipping trade is generally thought 

 more desirable. 



Extent of New York otstee-trade in 1880.— The procuring of statistics of the amount of oysters handled 

 in New York city was a matter of slow and painstaking inquiry. It was dilficult, to bcJgin with, to make the dealers 

 understand the full purport of my inquiries, even when, as too frequently occurred on the east side, there was no surly 

 indifference or active opposition to my investigations. Few of the oyster-dealers keep track of their sales, much 

 less of the amount, iu bushels or by the thousand, of the stock which passes through their hands into the city retail- 

 trade, or out into the country. I desired to keep the northern distinct from the southern oysters, and here began 

 another difticulty, and so on. It is with au apologetic feeling, therefore, that I venture upon the publication of these 

 totals, which are founded only upon careful estimates of the annual transactions at the present time of each firm. 

 Round numbers had to be used everywhere, and the whole matter is au approximation. I believe, nevertheless, 

 although it falls far short of all previous estimates, that it is more nearly correct than any account of the 

 wholesale-trade ever ventured upon heretofore, since it is supported by inherent probability, and by comparison 

 with other statistics; for example, the reported total of the oysters produced at the beds which find their market at 

 New York. 



The quantities of oysters handled each year iu the city of New York, then, are approximately stated iu the 

 following figures: 



Southern, in shell 1, 06.5, 000 'bushelB. 



Northern (natives), in shell 1,634,000 bushels. 



Opened, from the south 600, 000 gallons. 



By count, iu shell, at 250 to the bushel 765,000,000 



The selling value of these oysters may be estimated as — 



Of southern $800,000 



Of northern 1,500,000 



Of opened 458,700 



Total 2,758,700 



Scenes at the bakges. — The scene at the barges on both rivers, during the busy months of autumn and 

 winter, is a very lively one. The sloops, very trim craft, bringing oysters to be sold, will sometimes lie a dozen deep 

 opposite the barges, with plank walks across their decks from the outer ones to the shore. The captain and crew 

 attend to the getting up of the cargo out of the hold and putting it into baskets, sorting it at the same time. In 

 the case of East river and Staten Island OAsters, they are sold by the hundred or the thousand, as a rule, and must 

 all be counted. Au expert man will count them accurately as fast as they can be carried ashore. Long Island 

 stock is generally sold by the "basket", this measure holding somewhat less than a bushel; but some dealers 

 compel the sloops to measure by baskets furnished them, which hold a full bushel, or a trifle over. Even then uo 

 great measure is given, for care is taken not to shake the contents down. A'irgiuia oysters may be measured l)y 

 the basket, but are paid for by the cargo or fraction of a cargo, except where, as in the case of Staten Island 

 planters, southern oysters, having laid a few months in Prince's bay or the sound, are brought to the city to be sold. 



