THE OYSTER INDUSTRY OF MARYLAND. 
265 
THE BALTIMORE MARKETS. 
Annual receipts . — Baltimore is the principal oyster market of the world. Each 
year there is handled in that city a quantity about equal to the annual oyster product 
of all the countries of Europe and one-fifth as many as are handled in all the rest of 
the world combined. The following table exhibits for a period of years the quantity 
received during each season : 
Table showing oyster receipts at Baltimore. 
Season. 
No. of 
bushels. 
Authority. 
Season. 
of 
bushels. 
Authority. 
1849-50 
1, 350, 000 
2, 610, 000 
3. 860, 000 
5, 000, 000 
6, 459, 292 
6, 273, 118 
6, 909, 963 
C. S, Maltbv. 
Hunter Davidson. 
R. H. Edmonds. 
General measurers. 
Do. 
1886-87 
6, 115, 275 
5, 695, 304 
5, 589, 360 
5, 925. 400 
4, 393, 600 
5, 354, 320 
4, 765, 270 
General measurers. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
1856-57 
1887-88 
1865-66 
1869-70 
1879-80 
1889- 90 
1890- 91 
1884- 85 
1885- 86 
1891-92 
1892-93 
In comparing the receipts as noted in the foregoing statement it is proper, because 
of the effects of the cull law, to add about 8 per cent to the receipts for 1890-91 and 11 
per cent to those for 1891-92 and 1892-93. 
In addition to the foregoing there have been landed in Baltimore during each 
season by the bay steamers about 50,000 barrels of oysters consigned direct to the 
retail dealers and consumers. Neither do the above figures include several thousand 
bushels of high-grade oysters purchased annually from Northern planters. 
Of the oysters landed at Baltimore in 1890-91 about one-fifth were received from 
Virginia waters and from Virginia vessels oysteringin the Potomac River. The quan- 
tity from this source during that season was exceptionally large; generally it is not 
more than one-seventh or one-eighth of the total receipts. During the last three or 
four seasons about 25,000 bushels have annually come from North Carolina. Those 
are about the cheapest oysters transported to Baltimore, selling for 30 to 35 cents per 
bushel. In addition to the seasonal variations, the quantity of oysters landed in Balti- 
more varies much from month to month and even from week to week according to the 
weather, the most favorable being clear and sufficiently cold to prevent catching oys- 
ters in more northerly States, but not so cold as to prevent working in the Chesapeake. 
The following table shows for each week during the last three seasons the receipts 
of oysters in Baltimore, except the small quantity of barrel stock landed by steamers : 
Table showing weehly receipts of oysters at Baltimore during certain seasons. 
Month. 
Week of season. 
1890-91. 1891-92. 
1892-93. 
Month. 
Week of season. 
1890-91. 
1891-92. 
1892-93. 
September 
October... 
November 
December 
First 
Second 
Third 
Fourth 
Fifth 
Sixth 
Seventh 
Eighth 
Ninth 
Tenth 
Eleventh 
Twelfth 
Thirteenth . . . 
Fourteenth . . . 
Fifteenth 
Sixteenth 
Seventeenth .. 
35, 740 
34, 750 
51, 280 
76, 760 
70, 130 
123, 140 
151.170 
132. 170 
227, 820 
145, 490 
192, 710 
147, 100 
204, 030 
226, 390 
174, 200 
174, 210 
182, 050 
18, 150 
27^ 080 
32, 320 
43, 720 
80, 830 
129, 980 
202, 050 
240, 270 
279, 010 
324, 020 
309, 090 
241, 650 
283, 190 
271, 350 
295, 610 
209, 200 
12, 620 
26, 470 
45, 010 
54, 910 
114, 970 
171, 500 
230, 870 
326, 290 
300, 050 
190, 210 
269, 020 
202, 560 
190, 290 
286, 580 
230, 350 
242, 780 
127, 690 
January.. 
February . 
March.... 
April 
May 
Eighteenth 
Nineteenth 
Twentieth 
Twenty -first 
Twenty-second. . 
Twenty -third . . . 
Twenty-fourth . . 
Twenty-fifth 
Twenty -sixth... 
T wenty-seventh . 
Twenty -eighth.. 
Twenty -ninth... 
Thirtieth 
Thirty-first 
Thirty-second .. 
Thirty-third 
Thirty-fourth . . . 
Thirty-fifth 
Total 
137, 940 
122, 450 
185, 820 
106, 410 
174, 090 
156, 250 
137, 980 
124, 220 
118, 430 
70, 470 
72, 450 
108, 260 
100, 280 
149, 620 
93, 060 
99, 960 
77, 150 
9,620 
212, 080 
198, 940 
120, 110 
140, 370 
120. 090 
125, 610 
204, 050 
165, 910 
127, 190 
111, 110 
154, 480 
107, 350 
108, 130 
171.090 
154, 530 
77, 580 
39, 200 
3,300 
146, 500 
96, 220 
40, 620 
20,110 
36,790 
39, 540 
100, 230 
100, 600 
125, 220 
205, 160 
186, 810 
187, 500 
176, 290 
149, 530 
71, 480 
56, 150 
4, 350 
4,393,600 5,354,320 
4, 765, 270 
