OYSTER RESOURCES OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 367 
used in San Francisco annually. These, at the Willapa Bay price of 
$1.75 per sack (of 2 bushels), are worth $30,625. Very nearly as many 
go to Portland as to San Francisco. The remainder goes to the smaller 
towns of Washington and Oregon. 
Bay Center.—Three or four times as much oystering is carried on 
here as at any other place in the bay, and during the past two years 
the business has greatly increased. The total population is about 200, 
one-third being Indians. The latter class is largely employed in the 
labor of culling. A few Chinamen are also employed as cullers and 
render excellent service. There are fifteen proprietors in the business 
here, employing a fleet of 15 plungers, 35 bateaux, and 18 floats. “The 
Native Oyster Company” of Bay Center ships chiefly to the Portland 
market. 
Oysterville—There are over 1,000 acres of transplanted beds here. 
The village is of about the same size as Bay Center, and like it is 
supported chiefly by the oyster industry. Oysterville was formerly the 
chief seat of the fishery, but the beds have become so thickly covered 
with grass that much of the business has been transferred to Bay Cen- 
ter. There are at present but ten proprietors engaged in the oyster 
business. 
Bruceport and North Cove.-—At Bruceport, which occupies the third 
place in oyster production in Willapa Bay, similar methods and con- 
ditions prevail. The oyster business at North Cove is chiefly carried 
on by the crew of the life-saving station located there, who restrict it 
to the cultivation of “ plants” purchased from other parts of the bay. 
The area of transplanted beds in the latter place amounts to about 25 
acres, yielding nearly 500 sacks per annum. 
Temperature.—I\t is not unlikely that the summer temperature of the 
extreme southern part of Willapa Bay may be close to that of San 
Francisco, and that eastern oysters would propagate there. From the 
Shelly nature of the bottom they might be expected to do well, pro- 
vided the conditions of temperature were similar. It is certain that! 
the native oysters of this bay breed freely at San Francisco. Weknow \ 
nothing as yet about the summer temperature of the water in this bay, | 
except as it is indicated by observations made by the Coast Survey 
steamer Gedney in the northern part. The temperature even there may 
be higher than the following table indicates, as the observations were 
all made at 4 a. m., when the temperature is usually lowest, day tem- 
peratures being as a rule higher. Ranging, as it does, usually no 
lower than 60° at 4 a.m., for August and for that part of July covered 
by the record, it is probable that the temperature would not be lower 
than 65° for afternoon observations. Assuming a summer temperature 
of 60° to 65° for that part of the bay nearest the sea, we may reason- 
ably expect to find the water decidedly warmer in ‘those parts of the 
bay 15 or 20 miles back from the sea. <A careful study of the tempera- 
ture of this locality would no doubt yield important information. 
