444 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OP THE FISHERIES. 



a uniform price, thus placing every firm on exactly the same level. At the same time the union 

 may sell directly to the trade. 



The result of this combination has been to partially break up fraudulent packing, although 

 it is still carried on to some extent. Outside of the union there are three or four influential firms 

 whose oysters sell on the reputation of their brands, and it would obviously be impolitic for them 

 to engage in packing light weights. The raw-oyster business has always been more profitable and 

 less subject to the vicissitudes of trade, although there are many losses from spoilt oysters when 

 the weather happens to turn suddenly warm. Saw oysters after being opened are packed in 

 small air-tight cans holding about a quart, and these are arranged in rows in a long wooden box 

 with a block of ice between each row, or they are emptied into a keg, half-barrel, or barrel made 

 for this purpose. When the latter plan is pursued, the keg or barrel is filled to about five-sixths 

 of its capacity, and then a big piece of ice is thrown in, after which the top is fastened on as closely 

 as possible and it is at once shipped to the West, usually by special oyster trains or by express. 

 Packed in this way, with moderately cold weather, the oysters will keep very well for a week or 

 ten days. During the most active part of the raw season there are daily oyster trains of from 

 thirty to forty cars from Baltimore to the West, where nearly all the Baltimore oysters are con- 

 sumed. From the shores of the Chesapeake Bay as far as Detroit there is scarcely a city or town, 

 connected with any of the great trunk lines, which is not supplied with Maryland raw oysters. 

 Farther west, and to a considerable extent in European countries, the demand is supplied by 

 steamed oysters. The oysters used in the raw trade are of a finer quality, and consequently com- 

 mand better prices than steamed. In fact, nothing in the shape of an oyster is too small to be 

 available for the steamed trade. And from this arises one of the great sources of injury to the 

 oyster beds. So long as dredgers are able to sell their entire catch, regardless of the size of the 

 oysters, it will be useless to expect any improvement in the beds. Young oysters of a very small 

 growth can be disposed of almost as promptly as larger ones, and while this is the case it need not 

 be expected that dredgers are going to have foresight enough to see the wisdom of throwing all 

 small oysters back on the bars. During the past season the supply of oysters was often insuffi- 

 cient to meet the demand, and the steamed trade was compelled to suspend work for a considerable 

 length of time on account of a scarcity of oysters, all that were received being quickly taken by 

 the raw men at prices which would be unprofitable for steaming. 



Baltimore, the great oyster market of the United States, annually packs more oysters than 

 any other city in the world. It is the great center of the packing trade, surpassing in that par- 

 ticular all other cities, and yearly handling more oysters than all the other packing points of 

 Maryland and Virginia combined. During the season extending from September 1, 1879, to May 

 15, 1880, the number of vessels loaded with oysters arriving at Baltimore was 9,543 (or a daily 

 average of 37 for the 257 days), bringing 7,252,972 bushels, which would make the average cargo 

 7GO bushels. In addition to the amount brought by sail vessels, there were 25,000 bushels received 

 by steamers and consigned directly to hotels and restaurants, making a total of 7,277,972 bushels, 

 of which there were packed raw, 3,769,353 bushels ; hermetically sealed, 2,689,939 bushels ; and 

 used for city consumption, 818,680 bushels. 



Engaged in oyster-packing in Baltimore there are forty-five firms, with a capital of $2,338,300; 

 their business houses and grounds having an estimated value of $1,360,966. During the summer 

 these firms are generally engaged in fruit packing, and their capital and buildings are thus in active 

 use during the entire year. 



These firms employ 4,167 males and 2,460 females total, 6,627; and during the season of 

 1879-'80 paid to them in wages $602,427. The total number of bushels of oysters packed was 



