Rowe. — Oysters, A Desirable Food 185 



In the paper which I presented to the International 

 Fisheries Congress in 1908, I called attention to the 

 vastly increasing production of oysters and to the impor- 

 tance of this economical, wholesome and palatable food. 

 Since that time the need of such a substitute for meat has 

 greatly increased and the proof of the wholesomeness of 

 oysters has become conclusive. The prejudice which ex- 

 isted for a time has been shown to have had a most trif- 

 ling foundation in fact and that so far as life and health 

 are concerned there is far more danger in riding on a 

 railroad train, or in a motor car, or even in walking the 

 street where motor cars abound, than there is in eating 

 oysters every day ; also, that oysters are far more whole- 

 some and safe than water or milk. We do not hesitate 

 to use water or milk; we only insist that they shall be 

 kept pure and in perfect condition. That is now all that 

 intelligent people require concerning oysters. 



For this reason I ask your aid in placing before the 

 public the facts; that the vast increase of the supply of 

 oysters by reason or their artificial propagation ; the im- 

 proved methods of refrigerating and shipping them, and 

 the wholesomeness, palatability and economy of oysters 

 as food, should commend them as a frequent substitute 

 for those foods which have so greatly increased in price 

 during the past ten or fifteen years. 



