FOOD FROM THE MOLLTJSCA AND RADIATA. 421 



be procured after that first day. In a week or two later 

 a bushel of oysters could not be bought for less than 

 four dollars. 



The Quinnipiac River, New Haven Harbour, and the 

 waters adjacent have for some years been all assigned to 

 private parties. The first use made of such grounds was 

 to lay down oysters brought from other waters, especially 

 Southern bays. A very large trade grew up in Virginia 

 and Maryland oysters brought to Fair Haven, to be 

 opened and sold in the New England and other 

 Northern States. In some late years as many as one 

 million bushels have been brought annually to this place 

 from the South. Such oysters are greatly improved by 

 even a few weeks' feeding in the waters of the bays and 

 river mouths. 



A large business is done with opened oysters as well 

 as with those in the shell. Some Providence firms 

 employ forty openers at a time. These are paid for 

 their work at the rate of twelve cents a gallon of solid 

 meats. They can earn good wages at it, one man being 

 known to open nineteen gallons in four hours. The 

 city, though containing over one hundred thousand 

 people, does not use one hundredth part of the oysters 

 raised and handled there. They are sent out through 

 all the New England States and as far West as Toledo, 0. 



The first arrivals made large returns. The eager 

 retailers would pay almost any price to secure the 

 earliest supplies. From the first oysters have been sold 

 by Staten Island dealers "by the count;" that is, so 

 much a hundred or thousand. The enorinous tide of 

 travel through New York city creates a constant demand 

 for this food whatever may be the price. Some will 

 have oysters if they have to pay, like the American in 

 Copenhagen, one shilling a piece for them. Hotels 

 and first-class saloons always expect to have them on 

 hand however costly they may be. 



The opened bivalves were at first put up in small 

 \700den kegs, holding from one to two gallons each. 

 The most common receptacle now is a strongly made ' 



