THE OYSTER INDUSTRY OP NEW JERSEY. 



507 



The oysters are removed from the floats by men whose especial duty 

 it is to i^repare them for shipment. These are termed "scowmen," or 

 "scow gangfs." The scowmen count out the oysters into baskets and 

 put them in sacks and barrels. The baskets hold 200 "cullens" or 100 

 "primes," or, approximately, one-half bushel. It is generally consid- 

 ered that 400 "cullens"or 200 "primes" make one bushel. A sack 

 will usually hold from GOO to 700 " primes," or about twice that number 

 of "culleas." The barrels are said to hold about the same number as 

 the sacks. When this work is done the oysters are handed over to the 

 shippers, who purchase them from the oystermen or catchers. The 

 shippers furnish the sacks and barrels, and the owners of the oysters 

 pay the scowmen for their work at a rate per thousand for the number 

 of oysters handled. The prices which the oystermen receive from the 

 shipj)ers have gradually increased during the past few years. In 1888 

 the price per 1,000 oysters was $5 for "primes" and $2 for "cullens." 

 In 1892 it was from $0.50 to $7 for "primes" and $2.50 for "cullens. 

 They are all sold by the thousand. About one-third of the entire 

 quantity in number are "primes" and two-thirds are "cullens," which 

 would make an equal number of bushels of each grade. The catch of 

 almost the entire fleet of vessels is landed at Bivalve and Maurice 

 River for shipment by rail. At the two places combined there were, in 

 1892, 36 firms, large and small, engaged in the shipping business. A 

 few of the vessels carry their oysters to Philadelphia, or elsewhere, to 

 market. The following table illustrates the exteut of the oyster trade 

 in the years 1889, 1890, 1891, and 1892 : 



Wholesale oyster trnde of Maurice Hirer Cove, Netv Jerseij. 



Items. 



1892. 



Nmnber of firms 



Persons entjaged : 



Proprietors 



Employes 



Wages paid 



Value of property 



Casli capital .' 



Oysters handled: 



Primes number 



Cost 



Cullens niniiber 



Cost 



Total oysters number 



Cost 



Selling price 



$28. 

 $178, 



64, 718, 

 $340, 



158, 298, 

 $327, 



223, 017. 

 $0H7, 



$30, 



$31, 



$191, 



71,850, 

 $402, 



169, 140 

 $385, 



240, 991, 

 $788, 

 $840, 



26 



38 



104 

 375 

 990 

 500 



388 

 258 

 907 

 371 

 295 

 129 

 228 



31 



46 



117 



$32, 573 



$37, 095 



$211,500 



70, 025, 373 

 $418, 724 



182, 817, 770 

 $453,718 



252, 843, 143 

 $872, 442 

 $902, 929 



36 



51 

 125 



$35, 080 



$41, 159 



$232, 500 



77, 744, 3G2 



$466, 786 



192,171,762 



$480, 342 



269,916,124 



$947, 128 



$1, 050. 830 



The shipments of oysters from Bivalve in the years 1889-1893 are 

 shown by months in tlie following table. For these valuable and accu- 

 rate data the Commission is indebted to Mr. W. E. Minor, auditor of 

 freight trafiic of the Central Railroad Company of New Jersey. The 

 same gentleman has also furnished the accompanying statement of 

 oyster shipments from Greenwich Pier, in Cumberland County, which 

 come largely from grounds in Delaware Bay belonging to the State of 

 Delaware. 



