NATIONAL FISHERY CONGRESS. 
301 
ness of the labor, the exceedingly limited character of their business in every respect, 
the utter want of scientific or practical knowledge of oyster- culture possessed by 
them, the acquisition of such sums in so short a time is marvelous. And yet when we 
consider their manner of life and their immense profits, hereafter shown, it is easily 
com prehended. They “ squat ” on any lands, public or private, for which they pay no 
rent. Hitherto they have paid no rent or taxes of any kind. They pay nothing for 
their oysters if they tong them themselves. They subsist on fish, which are plentiful 
and easily caught at all seasons, supplemented with poultry, which they raise, and 
game of all kinds, which abounds at proper seasons. In some cases they reclaim a 
portion of the marsh land in the neighborhood of their cabins by filling it in and culti- 
vating vegetables thereon. During the “ close” season, when only a small quantity 
of oysters are illegally or surreptitiously marketed, they engage in other profitable pur 
suits. Their expenses are almost nil, outside of a small account for store provisions 
and rough clothing, and their proceeds are almost clear profit. 
In addition to the sale and shipment of fresh oysters, large profits have been 
realized by the camieries, which have been established from time to time; but as 
the oyster supply in their neighborhood has been diminished by indiscriminate and 
unseasonable fishing, and as the prices have increased, some of these establishments 
have removed to more favorable and lower-priced localities where their materials could 
be purchased almost on their own terms. The canned oysters shipped from Louisiana 
until recently have always been of the poorest and cheapest quality, subjected to the 
“bloating” process by continued “floating” in fresh water, and then canned by some 
imperfect process which imparts to them an unpleasant and “woody” taste. All 
these practices have combined to give Louisiana oysters an unfavorable reputation in 
markets outside of the State, though when properly prepared connoisseurs have pro- 
nounced them equal, if not superior, to the best of Chesapeake Bay or those of any 
of the other eastern fisheries. 
If we turn from this primitive, loose, and careless method in which the oyster 
industry of Louisiana is at present carried on, and compare it with the skill, industry, 
and science with which the industry is conducted in the Eastern States and in 
Europe, and then consider the vast area that the Louisiana oyster-grounds present, 
the warm waters of the Gulf, the richness of the food, and the numerous other 
superior advantages which their situs affords, there dawns before us a field for 
investment, with such rich returns therefrom, as is scarcely presented anywhere else 
in the wide world in this or any other employment of men and money. 
Let us for a moment illustrate the enormous profit accruing to these primitive 
planters and luggermeu. A bank barrel of coon oysters will, when transplanted for 
six or eight months, increase to 1 .1 barrels by reason of growth. The coon oysters 
can be obtained free from the natural beds at no cost except the price of labor. If 
purchased, they cost 30 cents per barrel. This 14 barrels is sold to the luggermen at 
from $1 to $2 per barrel at the plant beds. When the luggerman sells at the city 
market he obtains from $3 to $4 per market barrel, 2 bank barrels making 3 market 
barrels. Thus the bank barrel of fish which the luggerman has bought at $2 brings 
him 1J- barrels (market), or from $4.50 to $6 per bank barrel. If the planter himself 
ships he would obtain $6.60 for what he has paid 30 cents, or obtained for nothing 
if he fished for them. The same would be relatively true, only with a smaller amount 
of profit, where natural oysters are transplanted and so kept a few weeks simply to 
improve their condition by fattening before shipping. 
