FISHERIES OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 
155 
obtained from the East. “ Seed ” are 1-year old oysters ; they are left 
on the beds 3 years, after which they are taken up as required and 
the largest are sent to market, while the smaller ones are returned to 
the beds again. “ Plants ” are two years old and are left upon the beds 
2 years before being culled for market. Thus the marketable age of 
the oysters in San Francisco Bay is about 4 years. It is generally 
agreed that oysters grow rapidly in these waters. 
“ Seed” and “plant” oysters are brought from the Atlantic coast in 
spring and fall, when the conditions are most favorable. They are 
transported by the carload on freight trains, and are usually about 
three weeks on the road. With favorable weather they survive the 
journey with only small loss. The smallest oysters or “seed” stand 
transportation best and comparatively few of them die. From 85 to 
95 barrels of these oysters are shipped in each car. No ice is used on 
them. A barrel will hold from 1,500 to 2,000 “ plauts,” and from4,u00 
to 8,000 “ seed.” The cost per barrel in New York is $3.50. A lim- 
ited supply of full-grown oysters is brought from the East, but the 
quantity in 1888 was not nearly so large as formerly. 
Freight charges fluctuate, but generally speaking the amount paid for 
transporting a carload of oysters from the Atlantic coast to San Fran- 
cisco ranges from $400 to $450, or about $5 per barrel. 
After it was demonstrated that young oysters would thrive in San 
Francisco Bay their importation increased rapidly. The largest amount 
received in one year during the past decade (1878 to 1888) is reported 
to have been 120 carloads. The average has been about 100 carloads 
annually. Lately, however, the receipts from Atlantic coast beds have 
decreased and in 1888 only 48 carloads of “seed” and 20 carloads of 
large oysters were imported from the East. This may perhaps be ac- 
counted for by the fact that recently quite large quantities of native 
oysters have been brought from the bays of the State of Washington 
(where they obtain greater excellence than farther south) and planted 
in San Francisco Bay. 
These “ natives ” never grow to more than half the size of the Atlan- 
tic oyster, and they are often much smaller even than that. They have 
the strong coppery flavor previously alluded to, which they retain even 
after being transported. Many of the older citizens, having acquired a 
taste for the native oysters before any others were obtainable on the 
west coast, prefer them to those brought from the Atlantic. This pref- 
erence has created considerable trade in the native variety. According 
to the best authorities, the oysters brought from Shoalwater Bay, Wash- 
ington, do not thrive so well as those from the East after being planted 
in San Francisco Bay ; consequently only enough are planted to supply 
the daily demand. No large quantity can be profitably put on the beds 
at one time, as they die if they remain long in the bay. 
Size and location of oyster beds , etc . — The beds that supply the San Fran- 
cisco market with oysters are located in San Francisco Bay, and mostly 
