﻿OYSTER 
  REGIONS 
  OF 
  APAL^CHICOLA 
  I'.AY, 
  ETC. 
  215 
  

  

  An 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  couiparativo 
  productiveness 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  at 
  present 
  

   and 
  formerly 
  is 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  under 
  ordinary 
  circum- 
  

   stances 
  three 
  men 
  can 
  now 
  take 
  100 
  bnsliels 
  of 
  oysters 
  in 
  two 
  days 
  

   and 
  two 
  nights, 
  and 
  formerly 
  the 
  same 
  men 
  could 
  take 
  100 
  bushels 
  in 
  

   twelve 
  hours 
  daylight. 
  At 
  present 
  $1 
  to 
  $1.25 
  is 
  paid 
  for 
  a 
  barrel 
  of 
  

   oysters, 
  including 
  the 
  barrel. 
  Oysters 
  brouglit 
  to 
  market 
  and 
  not 
  used 
  

   for 
  canning 
  are 
  shii^ped 
  in 
  shell 
  to 
  Columbus, 
  Ga., 
  Jacksonville, 
  Fla., 
  

   Atlanta 
  and 
  Macon, 
  Ga., 
  and 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  raw-shucked 
  state 
  shipped 
  to 
  

   Chicago 
  and 
  Louisville. 
  Canned 
  oysters 
  are 
  shipped 
  to 
  the 
  Western 
  

   States 
  mostly. 
  The 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  Avhole 
  catch 
  to 
  that 
  part 
  con- 
  

   sumed 
  in 
  Apalachicola 
  is 
  very 
  small. 
  

  

  The 
  canning 
  of 
  oysters 
  was 
  first 
  tried 
  in 
  Apalachicola 
  in 
  1860^ 
  but 
  

   the 
  experiment 
  was 
  a 
  failure, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  

   degree 
  of 
  heat 
  necessary 
  to 
  preserve 
  the 
  oyster. 
  Canning 
  was 
  taken 
  

   up 
  again 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  1883 
  and 
  carried 
  on 
  until 
  1885, 
  with 
  inditferent 
  

   success, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  year 
  mentioned 
  sufiicient 
  experience 
  had 
  been, 
  

   gained 
  to 
  demonstrate 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  a 
  different 
  number 
  of 
  units 
  of 
  heat 
  

   ■were 
  necessary 
  to 
  preserve 
  the 
  oysters 
  than 
  liad 
  been 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  

   Chesapeake 
  oysters. 
  In 
  1886 
  the 
  canning 
  plant 
  fell 
  into 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  

   the 
  present 
  oj)erators, 
  Euge 
  Brothers, 
  and 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  with 
  varying 
  

   success; 
  in 
  1887 
  a 
  second 
  i^lant 
  was 
  started 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  firm. 
  Mr. 
  

   T. 
  W. 
  Bamberger, 
  in 
  1889, 
  started 
  a 
  small 
  plant, 
  which 
  was 
  operated 
  

   several 
  seasons. 
  In 
  1891 
  the 
  Green 
  Point 
  Canning 
  Company 
  built 
  a 
  

   large 
  plant, 
  and 
  operated 
  one 
  year 
  at 
  a 
  loss. 
  This 
  plant 
  was 
  bought 
  

   by 
  Euge 
  Brothers, 
  and 
  merged 
  into 
  their 
  first 
  company. 
  It 
  was 
  run 
  

   by 
  them 
  one 
  season 
  and 
  has 
  since 
  been 
  idle. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  canning 
  

   business 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  to 
  any 
  extent 
  for 
  any 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  is 
  

   due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  oysters 
  is 
  insufficient 
  to 
  satisfy 
  the 
  

   demand, 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  packers 
  have 
  used 
  every 
  

   means 
  they 
  could 
  to 
  preserve 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds 
  by 
  refusing 
  to 
  take 
  oysters 
  

   under 
  proper 
  size, 
  or 
  out 
  of 
  season, 
  or 
  not 
  properly 
  cuHcd, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  

   alternating 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  different 
  beds 
  each 
  season. 
  Tlie 
  oysters 
  and 
  spat 
  

   have 
  been 
  seriously 
  affected 
  by 
  gales, 
  freezes, 
  and 
  freshets. 
  

  

  The 
  canning 
  business 
  in 
  Apalachicola 
  has 
  been 
  injured 
  during 
  the 
  

   last 
  four 
  years 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  packing 
  of 
  oysters 
  at 
  Fernandina, 
  

   Brunswick, 
  Savannah, 
  and 
  Biloxi, 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  at 
  less 
  cost 
  and 
  with 
  

   lower 
  freight 
  rates 
  than 
  at 
  Apalachicola. 
  

  

  The 
  output 
  of 
  the 
  canning 
  factories 
  of 
  Apalachicola 
  has 
  been 
  as 
  fol- 
  

   lows: 
  In 
  1893-94 
  the 
  Euge 
  Brothers 
  Canning 
  Company, 
  <)3,000 
  bushels 
  

   or 
  400,000 
  one-pound 
  cans. 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  season 
  T. 
  W. 
  Bamberger 
  & 
  

   Company's 
  factory's 
  output 
  was 
  13,000 
  bushels 
  or 
  100,000 
  one-pound 
  

   cans. 
  In 
  1895 
  one 
  plant 
  only 
  was 
  running, 
  and 
  in 
  4i 
  months 
  canned 
  

   13,000 
  bushels, 
  or 
  100,000 
  cans. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  scarcity 
  of 
  oysters, 
  the 
  

   Euge 
  Brothers' 
  plant 
  will 
  not 
  at 
  present 
  operate, 
  as 
  it 
  will 
  take 
  from 
  

   three 
  to 
  four 
  years 
  for 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds 
  to 
  recuperate 
  sufficiently 
  to 
  supply 
  

   enough 
  oysters 
  to 
  run 
  the 
  canning 
  factories 
  to 
  full 
  capacity. 
  

  

  