246 THE FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Oystee-can. — ^The tin receptacle, holding from one pint to four quarts, in which oysters are packed for shipment. 

 These may be square or round, and of various shapes. The industry of can-making is perhaps the greatest 

 auxiliary of the oyster-trade. In the chapter on the oyster-trade of Maryland and Baltimore, statistics are 

 given to show how enormous is the industry there. In New England all the retail trade is carried on by means 

 of cans, in which the opened oysters are delivered raw to the consumers, either in the city or outside, by railway 

 express. In 1878 a company was formed in Boston to manufacture tin cans, with a capital stock of $25,000. 

 In 1879 they made about 150,000 oyster-cans, distributed as follows : Of four -quart size, 15,000 ; of two-quart, 

 30,000; of one-quart, 90,000; of one-pint, 15,000. Including the waste, the amount of tin used was nearly 

 65,000 i^ounds. This is nine-teuths of all the cans made in Boston, the total manufacture amounting to about 

 $5,000 worth a year. Providence and Fairhaven use, perhaps, an equal number of cans. 



Oyster Ceab. — The female of the Pinnotheres ostreum, found parasitic in the gills of oysters from Massachusetts 

 southward. 



Oystee-grass. — The kelp and other sea-weeds which attach themselves to oysters and mussels, or grow on the 

 beds. (Cape May.) 



Oystee-glove. — A leather palm or mit worn as a protection for the hand in opening oysters. See Cot. (Georgia.) 



Oystering. — Fishing for oysters. 



Oystee-hajmmee. — A square, blunt-headed hammer of medium hard iron, used to break the shell of the oyster 

 before opening. (Fairhaven.) 



Oystee-keg. — A small wooden keg for transporting raw oysters ; now gone out of use. (Connecticut.) 



Oystee-knockees. — Double-headed hammers used for culling oysters and prying apart the bunches. See Gulling- 

 tools. (Cape May.) 



Oystee-pail. — A wooden receptacle with a looked cover, used in transporting raw oysters. They hold from four 

 to six gallons each, and cost from 75 cents to $1 each. They are made chiefly at Fairhaven, Connecticut; 

 Jamestown, New York, and Brooklyn, New York, and are of various patterns, with several patented devices 

 for securing the cover. These pails are returned to the wholesale dealer by his customers. 



Oystee-palm. — See Oyster-glove. 



Oystee-eake. — See Bake. 



Oystee-sacks. — Sacks or bags of coarse gunny-cloth, holding about IJ bushels. Used chiefly near Philadelphia, 

 in place of barrels. 



Oystee-sign. — A large letter " O " plainly painted on a board affixed to a stake, to mark the boundaries of marsh- 

 land claimed for oyster-culture. (Georgia.) 



Oystee-tongs. — See Tongs. 



OYSTEE-TtTB. — A large wooden receptacle for transporting raw oysters. It has a cover which may be locked down, 

 and is sim^jly an oj'ster-pail of large size. 



Packee. — One who buys oysters from the planters and packs them in barrels for shipment to Europe. (Long 

 Island.) 



Panama-shells.— Mollusks of the genus Volnta. (Florida reefs.) 



Paec. — A sunken bed, wherein oysters are placed for reproduction and growth, which is filled with water by each 

 high tide. (Europe.) There are French and Italian pares. In England the word is spelled j>arft. 



Paek. — See Pare. 



Peg. — A square, sharp-pointed iron spear, used in striking turtles. (Florida.) 



Pegging. — Spearing green turtles. (Florida.) 



Pennywinkle ; Pennywinkler. — The mollusks of the genera Fulgur and Sycotypus, interchangeably. 



Periwinkle. — I. Littorina Uttorea, (England and in America, fiom New Haven, Connecticut, northward to the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence.) 



Periwinkle. — II. The Sycotypiis eanaliculatus, a large pear-shaped moUusk, destructive to the oyster. Also 

 known as WinMe and Wrinlde. 



Pick. — To gather wild oysters for seed from the muddy shores at low tide. (Georgia.) 



Pinched. — Long, slender growth. 



PiNPATCHES. — Littorina Uttorea. (Suffolk, England.) 



Plant — I. To place oysters on artificial beds, intending them to survive the winter, attain full size, and spawn. 

 See Cultivate. In Connecticut the term is ajjplied only to southern oysters laid down for the summer. See 

 Bed. 



Plant — II. An oyster which has been " bedded ", in distinction from one of natural growth. The name of the 

 original locality is usually prefixed, as "Virginia plant". In Boston the term is generally applied to oysters 

 that have been transi^lanted to Providence river. In some localities, also, by " plant" is meant a young oyster 

 suitable for transplanting. See Seed. 



Plantation. — Cultivated areas of oyster-bottom ; a common and legal term in the state of Delaware. 



Platform. — The planked floor on the bank, where oysters are laid out to freshen before selling. (Atlantic county, 

 New Jersey.) 



