OYSTER RESOURCES OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 357 



Tlie statiou known as San Bruno was established by Corville & Co. 

 about 1872. It was subsequently owned by Swanberg- & West, and 

 liually passed into tlie hands of the Morgan Oyster Company. 



The establishment at Millbrae dates from 1874, and is one of the 

 most valuable. The house is nearly 2 miles off shore, and is connected 

 by telephone with the city office. 



Dumbarton was begun in 1877 and may be considered the most 

 important station of all. The oyster beds here are the most remote 

 from the sea. There is probably sufficient warmth of water here in sum- 

 mer to admit of more extensive oyster-spawning than elsewhere. South 

 of this point the tide water backs up many sloughs and creeks far 

 inland, where it can become warm, and there is little doubt that future 

 tests will show this to be decidedly the warmest part of the bay and 

 the best adapted for raising seed oysters. 



The Alvarado j)lace, about 8 miles north of this and in a very exposed 

 situation, has been abandoned on account of the heavy seas, caused by 

 winter winds, to which it was subjected. The South Belmont place 

 was started in 1877 and ISTorth Belmont in 1881. The last, founded 

 by Doane & Co., was later consolidated with the Morgan Oyster Com- 

 pany, of which Mr. Doane is now the field superintendent. The San 

 Mateo oyster station has beeji in operation for five or six years. The 

 employes are moved from station to station as the beds at different 

 jdaces require attention. 



Seed oysters are usually laid out at the Dumbarton beds or the Bel- 

 mont beds (all of which are near the head of the bay) for a couple of 

 years, and are then transferred to the beds at Millbrae and San Bruno 

 for the final year before being x)ut on the market, as the latter localities 

 are supposed to be better adapted to fattening them. 



This company employs a schooner, quite a fleet of sloops or " plun- 

 gers," many scows or barges, and some floats, No retail stands or res- 

 taurants are operated. They have considerable territory in Willapa 

 Bay, Washington, devoted to the cultivation of the Washington coast 

 oyster {Ostrca lurida). Large regular shipments of tliis species are 

 made to San Francisco. The wholesale oyster business of the company 

 is transacted at a commodious building on Third street, San Francisco, 

 from which oysters, opened or in the shell, are supplied to the hotels 

 and restaurants of the city, and, boxed or canned, are shipped to all 

 the large towns of the Pacific region, from Victoria to San Diego, and 

 from Salt Lake to Honolulu. 



Oyster establishment of ilf. i>. Moraglian. — Mr. M. B. Moraghan, an 

 importer, planter, and wholesale and retail dealer in oysters in the Cal- 

 ifornia Market, San Francisco, established his oyster bedding-ground 

 at INlillbrae about 1882, wlicre he owns 200 acres and leases 900 acres of 

 tide lands. Much of the product of these beds is used at his restaurant 

 stalls in the California Market. The methods of the Morgan Oyster 

 Company, previously descril)ed, apply also to this place. 



