﻿212 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  oysters 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  raccoon 
  type. 
  Besides 
  Ijaruacles 
  and 
  

   mussels 
  eacli 
  buiicli 
  liad 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  brown 
  grass 
  attached. 
  The 
  grass 
  

   here 
  was 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  10 
  inches 
  long. 
  The 
  oysters 
  are 
  not 
  of 
  good 
  quality 
  

   or 
  of 
  good 
  llavor. 
  The 
  average 
  number 
  of 
  large 
  oysters 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  

   scfuare 
  yard 
  was 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  bushel; 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  crust 
  was 
  li 
  feet. 
  

  

  The 
  same 
  general 
  conditions 
  exist 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bed. 
  

   The 
  thick 
  growth 
  of 
  full-grown 
  oysters 
  extends 
  to 
  the 
  3-foot 
  curve, 
  

   when 
  the 
  growth 
  becomes 
  scattering 
  and 
  the 
  oysters 
  merge 
  into 
  the 
  

   raccoon 
  type. 
  

  

  The 
  grass 
  Avhich 
  has 
  been 
  spoken 
  of 
  as 
  growing 
  on 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  

   oysters 
  of 
  East 
  Hole 
  Bar 
  affects 
  their 
  market 
  value 
  considerably. 
  It 
  is 
  

   said 
  by 
  those 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  canning 
  business 
  that, 
  in 
  the 
  steaming 
  

   process, 
  alga' 
  become 
  mixed 
  with 
  the 
  juice 
  and 
  appear, 
  in 
  the 
  cooked 
  

   oyster, 
  as 
  small 
  particles 
  of 
  coarse 
  hair; 
  it 
  is 
  said, 
  also, 
  that 
  the 
  gills 
  

   become 
  discolored. 
  These 
  aj)pearances, 
  however, 
  must 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  

   preserving 
  process 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  oysters 
  are 
  subjected, 
  as 
  Mr. 
  Moore's 
  

   examination 
  of 
  specimens 
  from 
  this 
  bed, 
  given 
  in 
  his 
  report, 
  shows 
  that 
  

   the 
  algiP- 
  could 
  not 
  permeate 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  oyster. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  good 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  brought 
  into 
  market 
  are 
  for 
  canning 
  

   purposes, 
  it 
  follows 
  that 
  the 
  oysters 
  of 
  East 
  Hole 
  are 
  of 
  little 
  value 
  for 
  

   this 
  use, 
  and 
  the 
  locality 
  is 
  therefore 
  avoided 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent 
  by 
  

   oystermen, 
  especially 
  by 
  those 
  collecting 
  oysters 
  for 
  the 
  canning 
  facto- 
  

   ries. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  oysters 
  of 
  h^ast 
  Hole 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  algai 
  to 
  

   such 
  an 
  extent 
  is 
  probably 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  small 
  velocity 
  and 
  eddying 
  nature 
  

   of 
  the 
  curreuts 
  over 
  the 
  beds 
  ; 
  thus, 
  the 
  growth, 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  carried 
  

   away 
  by 
  the 
  current, 
  is 
  retained 
  on 
  the 
  bed 
  by 
  the 
  eddies. 
  No 
  grass 
  

   is 
  found 
  on 
  Cat 
  Point 
  Bar, 
  for 
  the 
  reason 
  that 
  the 
  currents 
  there 
  are 
  

   sufficiently 
  strong 
  to 
  sweep 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  all 
  such 
  matter. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  REMARKS 
  ON 
  THE 
  AREA 
  SURVEYED. 
  

  

  The 
  oysters 
  of 
  the 
  locality 
  surveyed 
  were 
  first 
  taken 
  for 
  the 
  local 
  

   market 
  in 
  1836, 
  but 
  were 
  not 
  taken 
  in 
  any 
  quantities 
  until 
  1850. 
  Dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  war 
  the 
  beds 
  were 
  left 
  undisturbed, 
  and 
  improved 
  so 
  much 
  that 
  

   at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  war 
  they 
  were 
  in 
  very 
  good 
  condition. 
  After 
  the 
  war 
  

   the 
  oyster 
  business 
  was 
  again 
  taken 
  up, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  1878 
  that 
  

   It 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  at 
  all 
  extensively. 
  During 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1893-94 
  the 
  

   beds 
  of 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Sound 
  and 
  Apalachicola 
  Bay 
  were 
  nearly 
  destroyed, 
  

   and 
  since 
  that 
  time 
  practically 
  no 
  oysters 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  from 
  those 
  

  

  NoTK. 
  — 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  G. 
  Eugo, 
  of 
  the 
  firm 
  of 
  Ruge 
  Brothers, 
  who 
  have 
  the 
  largest 
  canning 
  

   business 
  of 
  Apalachicola, 
  makes 
  the 
  following 
  statement 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  vegetable 
  

   gidwtli 
  on 
  the 
  oysters 
  of 
  East 
  Hole 
  vicinity: 
  

  

  "The 
  growth 
  consists 
  of 
  two 
  varieties, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  coarse 
  and 
  wiry 
  in 
  appear- 
  

   ance 
  and 
  red 
  or 
  black 
  in 
  color. 
  This 
  variety 
  does 
  not 
  injure 
  the 
  oyster 
  for 
  canning 
  

   ])urposes. 
  The 
  other 
  is 
  much 
  tiner, 
  and 
  is 
  a 
  soft, 
  black, 
  hairy 
  growth, 
  called 
  by 
  local 
  

   lishernien 
  "whiskers." 
  This 
  variety 
  affects 
  the 
  oysters 
  seriously 
  when 
  steamed, 
  as 
  

   the 
  meat 
  absorbs 
  numbers 
  of 
  particles 
  of 
  it, 
  and, 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  steamed 
  oyster 
  

   ma_y 
  be 
  washed 
  and 
  rewashed, 
  after 
  processing, 
  on 
  opening 
  the 
  cans, 
  myriads 
  of 
  fine 
  

   hair 
  parti<'les 
  may 
  be 
  readily 
  observed. 
  If 
  these 
  cans 
  are 
  left 
  open 
  for 
  several 
  days 
  

   and 
  the 
  oysters 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  air, 
  they 
  turn 
  a 
  dark 
  green 
  color." 
  

  

  