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  with 
  from 
  eight 
  to 
  sixteen 
  teeth. 
  Generally 
  they 
  are 
  made 
  about 
  

   three 
  feet 
  wide, 
  with 
  twelve 
  or 
  fourteen 
  teetli, 
  but 
  vary 
  a 
  good 
  • 
  

   deal 
  in 
  weight. 
  My 
  informants 
  found 
  that 
  generally 
  speaking 
  

   it 
  was 
  more 
  profitable 
  to 
  fish 
  with 
  the 
  tongs 
  exclusively 
  for 
  

   the 
  large 
  oysters 
  used 
  for 
  barreling 
  by 
  the 
  dealers 
  and 
  to 
  

   dredge 
  for 
  packing 
  and 
  canning 
  establishments. 
  The 
  tongs 
  

   are 
  worked 
  at 
  small 
  expense 
  and 
  the 
  " 
  barrel 
  " 
  oysters 
  bring 
  a 
  

   much 
  larger 
  price, 
  though 
  they 
  are 
  necessarily 
  selected 
  oys- 
  

   ters 
  and 
  more 
  difiicult 
  to 
  obtain. 
  The 
  prices 
  paid 
  during 
  the 
  

   season 
  of 
  1877-78 
  were 
  about 
  one 
  dollar 
  per 
  barrel 
  for 
  " 
  bar- 
  

   rel" 
  oysters 
  and 
  from 
  five 
  to 
  forty 
  cents 
  for 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   oysters 
  from 
  the 
  beds 
  ; 
  the 
  " 
  snaps," 
  or 
  most 
  inferior 
  quality, 
  

   bringing 
  the 
  lowest 
  price 
  and 
  forty 
  cents 
  being 
  paid 
  only 
  for 
  

   "extra 
  culled" 
  oysters. 
  About 
  twenty 
  cents 
  per 
  bushel 
  would 
  

   allow 
  a 
  small 
  profit. 
  The 
  flavor 
  is 
  not 
  generally 
  taken 
  into 
  ac- 
  

   count, 
  and 
  the 
  degree 
  of 
  fatness 
  and 
  the 
  size 
  settles 
  the 
  price. 
  

   Salt 
  water 
  oysters 
  sometimes 
  command 
  better 
  prices 
  when 
  

   intended 
  for 
  a 
  special 
  market 
  or 
  to 
  supply 
  some 
  unusual 
  de- 
  

   mand. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  improved 
  appliances 
  in 
  use, 
  as 
  at 
  present, 
  the 
  

   general 
  opinion 
  was 
  that 
  about 
  twenty 
  or 
  twenty-five 
  years 
  

   ago 
  one-third 
  more 
  oysters 
  could 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  

   northern 
  part 
  of 
  Tangier 
  Sound 
  than 
  at 
  present, 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  

   five 
  times 
  as 
  many 
  about 
  Crisfield, 
  and 
  in 
  Pocomoke 
  Sound 
  

   nearly 
  seven 
  times 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  day 
  ; 
  that 
  with- 
  

   out 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  modern 
  contrivances 
  it 
  was 
  possible 
  for 
  either 
  

   tongers 
  or 
  dredgers 
  to 
  take 
  many 
  more 
  in 
  a 
  day 
  than 
  at- 
  pres- 
  

   ent. 
  The 
  general 
  opinion 
  of 
  all 
  persons 
  in 
  and 
  about 
  the 
  

   Sound, 
  with 
  very 
  few 
  exceptions, 
  was 
  that 
  the 
  beds 
  were 
  be- 
  

   ing 
  worked 
  much 
  beyond 
  their 
  capacity 
  and 
  the 
  majority 
  

   were 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  extending 
  the 
  " 
  close 
  time 
  " 
  as 
  a 
  remedy 
  for 
  

   the 
  deterioration. 
  Many 
  thought 
  that 
  a 
  resting 
  time 
  of 
  a 
  

   year 
  or 
  more 
  would 
  be 
  beneficial. 
  All 
  were 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  en- 
  

   forcing 
  tlie 
  law 
  prohibiting 
  the 
  dredging 
  and 
  working 
  of 
  the 
  

   beds 
  during 
  the 
  " 
  close 
  time," 
  and 
  all 
  testified 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  

   no 
  attempt 
  toward 
  the 
  enforcement 
  of 
  the 
  law 
  at 
  present, 
  

   either 
  hy 
  the 
  oyster 
  police 
  or 
  any 
  one 
  else. 
  

  

  