The Oysters 



cross just above the rakes and so act like a pair of long-handled 

 pincers. Up he hauls his load and dumps it in a broad trough. 

 He hauls again and again, then stops to "cull" his trough. The 

 few oysters go into a basket; the rubbish, including dead shells, 

 etc., set with young spat, is thrown back. A bushel or two of 

 oysters from the public beds, product of a day's work, satisfies 

 the small fisherman. They will bring him two to three dollars, 

 carted about the town, and furnish him a stew for supper beside. 

 But there are many stormy days when he can't go out. The 

 public beds are becoming fished out. 



The dredges are scoop shovels that drag the bottom, and 

 when full are lifted, dumped in the vessel, and lowered again. 

 The culling waits until the vessel is in and the cargo discharged. 

 The shells and other materials suitable for "clutch" are thrown 

 into a pile. The oysters are sorted ; the spat is put aside to be 

 laid down again, and objectionable rubbish is discarded, along 

 with oyster enemies. Culling of each dredge-load on the boat 

 dumps back much objectionable debris. Careful harvesting 

 involves a thorough cleaning of a bed. 



The average depth of beds in Long Island Sound is five to 

 six fathoms. Great South Bay is deeper and the outer beds 

 cannot be fished in severe weather. Oysters from them are laid 

 down near shore in fall and taken up for winter use, by cutting 

 out a ten-foot strip of ice ; the tongers stand on planks laid across 

 the open water, and load their baskets into wagons standing on 

 the solid crust. 



Sorting. — Oysters sent to seaboard markets go in barrels 

 or bags in the shell. These are "sorted" in the sheds that line 

 the shores. I saw the process at Patchogue, Long Island, in 

 1906. Men sat on stools before bins filled with the oysters as 

 they came from the dredges. Bushel baskets were close at hand 

 on the floor for each sorter. In one he threw the small, regular 

 three-inch oysters, the choicest sort, due to bring $1.50 per 

 bushel, wholesale. These are served on the half-shell. The 

 next grade are large ones, used to fry. They bring I1.25. 

 Smaller ones, for general use, |i.oo. Into the fourth basket 

 irregular shells were thrown, to be opened by the retailer, who 

 gets them for eighty cents. Once out of the shells they are as 

 good as any "bulk oysters." Dead shells are saved for clutch. 

 Young oysters are planted again next day. 



433 



