THE OYSTER-INDUSTRY. 183 



Oysters for planting aro obtained from Back bay and Linkhorn bay, tributaries of Lynnhavcn river, in wliioli there are natural beds. 

 They are also obta ued from spawning-coves in the river itself. Oysters from James river and other localities have been tried, but have 



not done well. 



The seed-oysters are carefully separated and planted evenly and thinly over the bottom, by a careful hand-sowing, broadcast, with a 

 shovel. Any bottom will suit, provided it is not sandy, so as to shift with the action of the tide and bury the oysters, and is not too soft 

 to bear their weiijht. They remain in the beds six years or more, and are then sent to the market, where they bring from $5 to $7 per 

 barrel or from $2 to $'3 per bushel. They are disposed of almost wholly at retail, in the shell, over the tables of saloons and hotels as 

 "fancy" stock. 



The amount now planted in this river is about 200,000 bushels. The amount marketed viiries, of course, with the demand. For 

 this year (1379-'80) it is estimated by Mr. Joshua Garrison, one of the largest planters on the river, at S.'ijOOO bushels, and the planters 

 receive on an average $2 per bushel. 



All the coves of the river and a greater part of the bed are occupied by plants, and it will probably be found in the future that they 

 have overtaxed the capacity of the river. 



Summarizing, -we credit Lyniiliaven bay witli 25,000 bushels, vabicil at $50,000. 



OvsTER PLANTING AT CuiNCOTEAGUE. — Another poiut where pLinting has loug been carried on .successfully, 

 is at Chincoteague bay on the ocean side of the peninsula. As described briefly by Mr. Edmonds, the whole bay is 

 staked off in small plats, which are always salable should the owner desire to retire from the business of planting. 

 Oj'sters are bought in the Chesapeake bay at prices ranging from 10 to 21) cents per bushel, carried by vessels to 

 Chincoteague, and there planted, and allowed to remain undisturbed for two or three years. Sometimes they 

 will remain very poor for several successive seasons, and at times it happens that the entire bed will be found on 

 examination to be dead. The winter of 1879-80 was the mo.st profitable one that Chincoteague bay has known for 

 many years. The oysters were large, fat, and finely flavored, while for several preceding years they had been 

 poor and almost entirely unsalable, and the trade, iu consequence, had been very unprofitable. Chincoteague 

 oysters are shipped almost exclusively to New York and Philadelphia, and during good seasons command higli 

 prices. From September 1, 1879, to May 15, 1880, the shipments from the bay amounted to 318,113 bushels, of 

 which 106,113 bushels passed over the Worcester raih-oad, and 152,000 bushels were shipped in sail-vessels. Of 

 those shipped over the Worcester road, 71,181 bushels were taken directly from the bay, while 91,929 bushels were 

 taken from small creeks on the Maryland shore, where they had been transplanted and allowed to stay for a day 

 for the pur^iose of fattening. 



During the season of 1879-'80, Chincoteague oysters were in active demand at high prices, the average for the 

 winter being not less than GO cents per bushel, and in the latter part of Jlay 00 cents was readily obtained. A 

 feature of the Chincoteague trade is, that all oysters are sold by the thousand, aud not by the bushel, as in other 

 parts of Maryland and Virginia. This custom has been adopted iu conformity to the usages of northern markets. 



Oysteking AT Chincoteague in 1805. — The correspondent of the New York Times, whose letter I quoted 

 a few pages back, accompauied the schooner to Chincoteague, describing the operations witnessed. Greenback 

 is a town situated near Franklin, on the Chincoteague bay, the southern terminus of the Old Dominion Steamship 

 Company's railroads on the peninsula. Nearly every man living in Franklin, and every one iu Greenback, depeuds 

 on the oyster-business for his support. Both of these villages have grown up since the war, Greenback being the 

 older place. It was so named by an old oysterman, one of three or four who first planted in the bay in front of the 

 place, because the first season's shipment of oysters returned to the oystermen such a rich reward iu greenbacks. 

 Tliis was in 1805, and since then the quality of the oysters produced iu this part of Chincoteague bay has been 

 so generally good, that they have made a favorable impression on European shippers. Following is the quotation : 



"When the Dennis had secured 3,500 baskets— called by the courtesy of the oystermen half-bushel baskets, but really holding over 

 two-thirds of a bushel— the captain pronounced her loaded, and then all energy was used in getting under way, because the sooner the 

 plants are returned to the water after they are removed from their natural beds, the less will be the mortality among them. In 3fi hours 

 after Icaxiug the James the Dennis let go her anchor on the planting-grounds off Greenback, and one day sufficed toiiLace all her cargo 

 on the beds, staked out, and, by Virginia laws, made the private property of those who so marked them. They will be left to remain on 

 these beds for upward of eighteen months, and, although many of those planted will die before the gathering time, yet it will be a poor 

 return that will not give to the planter a bushel and a half for each bushel planted, and sometimes as high as three and four bushels have 

 been gathered from each bushel of plants. These plants cost the planter in Virginia 5 cents per bushel, aud about 6 cents to freight, 

 and, perhaps, 2 cents to plant, making 2,500 bushels of plants cost but about §300. 



The cost of taking these oysters up and preparing them for the market is about 20 cents per bushel, and as 2,500 bushels will almost 

 always return 4,000 bushels, it will bo seen at once that those planters who have favorable planting-grounds, have it always in their power 

 to make their energy pay them a good profit. At no time for the past ten years have Chincoteague bay oysters sold, delivered on board 

 of vessels in the bay, for less than 50 cents per bushel, and mostly for 60 cents. At the lower rate it will be seen that any one at Greenback, 

 possessed of a working capit.al of 81,000, can realize a profit (if he owns sharo-jirivileges) of $800 a year from it, with a chance of doing 

 much better. Doubtless such also is the case in all the bays and coves celebrated for their line oysters, yet many places along the James 

 and in the Chesapeake bay grow as fine looking oysters as can be produced anywhere, and quite popular at home, that will not sell for 

 enough to warrant the expense of jilanting. 



Oystee-industry op Hampton and vicinity. — In Hampton, and Elizabeth City county generally. Colonel 

 McDonald spent much time in investigation of the oyster-industries, and reports as follows : 



The fleet of larger vessels th.at fish, from Hampton, consist of 13 vessels, sloops and schooners, averaging about 25 tons burden. 

 These vessels employ 50 skiffs and 100 men, ami allowing the same average per man per season as deduced from the actual operations of 



