THE OYSTER-INDUSTRY. 



153 



Eecoed of oystebs in shell which passed through the Chesapeake canal in 1879-'80. 



During months — 



May 



June 



July 



Ausust 



September. 



Octobt^r 



November . 

 December . 



January . . 

 February . 



March 



April 



1880. 



From Virginia 

 waters. 



31,680 

 7,740 



1,080 

 3,780 

 10, 200 

 10, 800 



8,280 



11,840 



36, 400 



166, 400 



267. 760 



From Maryland 

 waters. 



ire, 720 

 30, 960 



4,320 

 lii, 120 

 41,040 

 43, 200 



33, 120 

 45,360 



145, 600 

 166, 400 



651, 840 



Total. 



158, 400 

 38, 700 



5,400 

 18, 900 

 51, 300 

 54, OCO 



41,400 



56, 700 



182, 000 



332, 800 



939, 600 



Number of oys- 

 ter-vcssolsi 



176 



43 



None. 



None. 



6 



21 



57 



60 



46 

 63 



140 

 256 



From- 



Maryland waters . 

 Virginia waters . - . 



For planting. 



488, 880 

 215, 820 



For Philadelphia 

 and other markets. 



162, 960 

 71, 940 



The planting of this 700,000 and more bushels of Chesapeake seed, is not attended with any features greatly 

 different from the same iudastry and investment at Fairhaven or Staten Island. When a load of oysters for 

 ](lanting arrives from the South, the owner of the cargo sends on board the vessel all the men he has, and the 

 schooner then sails back and forth aroiiiid and over the designated ground. The effort in loading is to have as 

 much as possible of the cargo on deck. It is an easy matter, then, as the vessel proceeds, to shovel overboard ; 

 and as she is constantly changing her position, and the men shovel uninterruptedly until the whole load is 

 overboard, the oysters are pretty evenlj' distributed. An ordinary crew of five will thus unload 400 bushels in an 

 hour, for five or six hours in succession. Adding this expense to his first cost and charges, a planter, who j^uts 

 down large quantities, expects the cost of his various lots of oysters, big and little together, will average about 

 25 cents a bushel. 



These Chesapeake oysters, it is scarcely necessary to say, are left down only until the succeeding fjill, before 

 being taken up for market. They have then grown into larger and fuller proportions, and have assumed a far 

 better flavor than they originally possessed. Sometimes accident or circumstances will cause a bed, or a portion 

 of it, to be saved through the winter and not harvested until the second fall ; but this is rare, very risky, and not 

 attended by a large increase of profits. Making a recapitulation of the western shore produce, I derive the 

 succeeding particulars : 



Statistical recapitulation for western shore of Delaware bay: 



Extent of natural "oyster-rock" acres.. 500 



Extent of cultivated ground, .about acres.. 3,000 



Number of plantens, not counted elsewhere 40 



Number of men employed, about 625 



Earnings .and board $117,000 



Number of men partially employed 400 



Earnings of same |30, 000 



Number of trips made after southern seed, about 620 



Freight earned by same f;62, 000 



Canal charges on same $;5I,000 



Southern seed planted bushels.. 704,700 



Cost of same, about |17C, 175 



Northern seed planted bushels.. 370,000 



Co.st of same, about |1,5(», 000 



Southern oysters sold annually bushels.. 650,000 



Value of same §500,000 



Northern oysters sold annu.ally bushels. - 300,000 



Value of same $325,000 



Total statistical recapitulation for Delaware bay: 



Number of planters, ^vholes,ale dealers, and shippers 350 



Extent of ground cultivated acres.. 9,000 



Value of same, about $15,000 



Value of shore-property $123,500 



Number of vessels and sail-lioats permanently engaged 1, 305 



Value of same $350,000 



