﻿REPORT 
  OP 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OP 
  FISHERIES. 
  

   Oyster 
  Product 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  

  

  41 
  

  

  The 
  oyster 
  industry 
  of 
  various 
  sections 
  has 
  been 
  presented 
  in 
  

   detail 
  in 
  previous 
  reports. 
  The 
  only 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  that 
  

   remain 
  to 
  be 
  considered 
  are 
  Maryland, 
  Virginia, 
  and 
  the 
  Pacific 
  

   Coast 
  States. 
  

  

  Maryland 
  ranks 
  first 
  among 
  the 
  States 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  the 
  oyster 
  industry, 
  which, 
  in 
  1912, 
  was 
  24,287, 
  who 
  

   received 
  $2,724,641 
  in 
  wages. 
  The 
  yield 
  of 
  oysters 
  was 
  5,510,421 
  

   bushels, 
  valued 
  at 
  $2,127,759, 
  of 
  which 
  only 
  about 
  5 
  per 
  cent, 
  or 
  

   280,010 
  bushels, 
  valued 
  at 
  $149,069, 
  were 
  from 
  planted 
  grounds. 
  

   The 
  output 
  would 
  probably 
  have 
  been 
  much 
  larger 
  had 
  it 
  not 
  been 
  

   for 
  a 
  severe 
  freeze 
  lasting 
  for 
  about 
  six 
  weeks, 
  during 
  which 
  time 
  

   the 
  taking 
  of 
  oysters 
  was 
  practically 
  discontinued. 
  In 
  some 
  localities, 
  

   especially 
  in 
  Kent 
  and 
  Queen 
  Anne 
  Counties, 
  the 
  oysters 
  were 
  more 
  

   plentiful 
  and 
  in 
  better 
  condition 
  than 
  for 
  many 
  years. 
  The 
  product 
  

   was 
  taken 
  chiefly 
  with 
  dredges 
  and 
  tongs. 
  Patent 
  tongs 
  are 
  used 
  

   in 
  a 
  few 
  localities, 
  mamiy 
  at 
  Solomons 
  in 
  Calvert 
  County 
  and 
  at 
  Rock 
  

   Hall 
  in 
  Kent 
  County; 
  they 
  are 
  employed 
  mostly 
  where 
  the 
  water 
  

   is 
  too 
  deep 
  for 
  common 
  tongs 
  and 
  dredging 
  is 
  not 
  allowed. 
  The 
  prin- 
  

   cipal 
  oyster 
  centers 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  are 
  Baltimore, 
  Crisfield, 
  Cambridge, 
  

   St. 
  Michaels, 
  Oxford, 
  Chester, 
  Annapolis, 
  Tilghman, 
  and 
  White- 
  

   haven. 
  Out 
  of 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  3,769,766 
  gallons 
  of 
  oysters 
  shucked 
  in 
  the 
  

   State, 
  1,447,527 
  gallons 
  were 
  opened 
  at 
  Baltimore, 
  686,800 
  gallons 
  

   at 
  Crisfield, 
  612,717 
  gallons 
  at 
  Cambridge, 
  and 
  the 
  remamder 
  at 
  

   other 
  localities. 
  Baltimore 
  has 
  also 
  an 
  important 
  oyster-canning 
  

   industry, 
  which 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  canning 
  of 
  fruit 
  

   and 
  vegetables. 
  The 
  canned-oyster 
  product 
  amounted 
  to 
  10,- 
  

   170,608 
  cans, 
  valued 
  at 
  $775,907. 
  

  

  Virgmia 
  ranks 
  next 
  to 
  Maryland 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  engaged 
  

   in 
  the 
  oyster 
  industry, 
  which 
  was 
  16,487 
  m 
  1912, 
  and 
  the 
  wages 
  paid 
  

   amounted 
  to 
  $2,112,170. 
  The 
  oyster 
  output 
  was 
  6,206,098 
  bushels, 
  

   valued 
  at 
  $2,286,340, 
  of 
  which 
  36.38 
  per 
  cent, 
  or 
  2,257,873 
  bushels, 
  

   valued 
  at 
  $1,128,830, 
  were 
  from 
  planted 
  grounds. 
  

  

  Statistics 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  industry 
  of 
  Maryland 
  and 
  Virginia 
  in 
  1912 
  

   are 
  given 
  in 
  detail 
  in 
  the 
  foUowmg 
  table. 
  

  

  