132 THE FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



underwent in their close quarters and long: seclusion from the world while on the passage ; they loudly demanded that 

 holes should be left in each barrel and the contents deluged with fresh water daily, and that a plentiful supply of 

 bran should be mixed with them to serve as food during the trip ! This was au astonishing example of Berghism 

 run wild, and did more credit to the hearts than the heads of the philanthropists, who were so concerned in the 

 welfare of their bivalvular brethren. 



The length of a voyage to Europe in cold weather is no feat worth mentioning to a well-constituted oyster. 

 In Prince Edward island I found it to be the common practice for citizens to purchase fifteen or twenty bushels 

 of oysters, pile them in their cellars between layers of sea weed, and use them gradually all winter, finding the last 

 ones alive and well in the spring. This used to be the universal custom iu New York before restaurants came in 

 fashion. Southern oysters en route from Chesapeake bay to Boston and Portland are frequently a mouth out of 

 water, yet do not suffer, and grow well enough when returned to the water, though it is so different a latitude. 

 Stock is frequently kept several weeks iu the holds of the "arks" in New York, or in the cellars of wholesale 

 depots, waiting for profitable sale. One gentleman assured me that he kept a quantity of "Blue Points" 107 days in 

 his cellar, losing but a few of them, and these are not generally considered so hardy as some other sorts — those 

 from the East river, for instance. The hardiness of the " Sounds" is well shown in the article ujjon the oyster-beds 

 of New York bay, in relating the old custom of peddling them up the Hudson river iu the fall. 



Packed so as to prevent injurious jarring, and stowed in the extreme forward part of the vessel, where they 

 keep cool — the score or so of barrels of oysters smashed when the Arizona collided with au iceberg, found it really 

 chilly! — the mollusks therefore find it a pleasant exiierience rather than a cruel hardship to cross the Atlantic. 

 No time is lost in getting the oysters, when packed, into the steamer, and many are taken in sloops directly from 

 the producing jjoints to the steamer's wharf, and thus escape the bother and expense of a second or third handling 

 in New York. 



Some American firms' have regular agents abroad who care for and dispose of the oysters sent to them. In 

 other cases they are consigned by the shippers to commission merchants on the other side. Liverpool has been the 

 great receiving point for Great Britain, because it was the nearest jiort. It was found that the extra time required, 

 and the port charges on cargoes sent direct to London by steajner, more than overbalanced the slight saving 

 effected in freight over those forwarded by rail from Liverpool. The amount of oysters sent each week, though 

 not large, has sometimes been more than could be disposed of before the next shipment arrived. To provide 

 against loss in this contingency, the largest dealers own spaces of sea-bottom, where the surplusage is thrown 

 overboard to keep in good condition and drawn upon as required. Some thousands of barrels are sent anuuallj', 

 which are intended to lie and grow there from one to three years. American oysters laid down thus iu foreign 

 waters have never been known to spawn, so far as I could learn, but the conditions have never been fixvorable ; 

 and no experiment, that I am aware of, has been tried, to ascertain whether seed-oysters from the United States, 

 properly planted, would not grow into good health, emit spawn, and establish their race upon the European coasts. 

 I see no reason why such an experiment should uot prove entirely successful. It is said that the English beds are 

 becomiug so depopulated as practically to have become worthless. The eighth edition of the Encijclopccdia 

 Britannica, speaking briefly of oysters (vol. xv, p. 348), under "MoUusca", says that only about 30,000 bushels of 

 "natives", or oysters from artificial beds, and about 100,000 bushels of "sea-oysters", are annually sent to the 

 Loiulon market. This seems extremely small, but the English i)eople have not yet learned to regard the bivalves 

 as anything more than a luxuiy, and heretofore they have always been beyond the purses of any but the wealthy. 

 The demand, however, is increasing through the cheaj)ening of this excellent food, and the acquired habit of eating 

 and enjoying it. Nevertheless, it is easy to overstock the European market, and no little harm has happeued to 

 consignments, with dead loss to the owners, through being delayed too long before being sold, in consequence of an 

 oversupply. This hapi^ened more frequently some years ago than it now does. 



One large shipper gave it to me as his belief, that London could not use more than 500 barrels a week, at the 

 present time, nor the whole United Kingdom consume more thau 3,000 barrels. Occasionally this year the market 

 has been so crowded that sales at 5 shillings a barrel have been made, to avoid total loss. On the other hand, it is 

 not always easy to obtain supplies in New York for the European trade, in midwinter, with necessary promptness, 

 iu which event those planters who are able to run into New York good stock realize large profits, and the agents 

 in Europe make handsome returns to their principals. The winter of ]879-'80 was so mild aud "open" a one that 

 this difficulty was not experienced, but previously it has been an important element in the trade. 



The prices received for American oysters sent abroad have been very various, ranging the past year from 5 to 

 40 shillings a barrel. Leaving out the various deductions necessary, it is considered fair to estimate ^.j to be the 

 average cash returned to this country for each barrel. At this rate the stated total of 63,300 barrels (about 175,000 

 bushels) would net the United States no less thau $310,500 in gold, an amount which would by no other means be 

 brought into our pockets, and wliich enriches the country by so much, since the value exchanged for it does not, 

 in any degree, impoverish the country, but is a product of labor which would not otherwise be employed, and the 

 disposal of a product not otherwise to be used. 



