s
MAIL TRIBUNE, Mcdfortf, Or.
A Thursday, March 24, 1960
mall
We Reserve
the Right
To Limit
Quantities
Worlds
s5r4Around
t
Us
By Lynn M. Welkins
When Thorny Oyitar'i
Support Goes So Does He
The common, or edible
r;
TTDTT!TT7Zre!S u n nV IV
Li
oyster has prosaic relatives
. that have neither commercial
importance or economic prom
inice. One of these is the "rock"
or "thorny oyster" whose ir
- regular, purplish colored
shells are common on some
beaches. They are never found
in the large colonies, so typ
ical of the common oyster,
but in small groups, and al
ways in warm water. Because
of the often highly colored
shells they are sought after
by collectors of sea shells.
Adhesive Secreted
Like all the family, these
bivalves have a period of free
swimming, when very young
during which time they move
about freely, and often travel
some distance. Soon, how
ever, they settle down and at
tach themselves to some solid
support and spend the rest
of their lives in a fixed posi
tion. To attach the shell to the
support, most of them, includ
ing the edible oyster, secrete
a body fluid, or adhesive, that
cements them firmly, and un
der most conditions, securely,
against the tearing actions of
e waves and tides. The majority
of the mollusks use this meth
od of attachment; others use
what is called "byssus
threads", which act like tiny
anchor ropes, and which hold
the animal in a given place.
Both the "threads" and the
adhesive method are effective.
The barnacles use the "glue,"
and remain attached to their
"home grounds" in spite of
pounding surf, or ripping
tides.
But the "thorny" oysters
has to be different. It seems
almost to knock itself out by
attaching itself the hard way.
It spends a great deal of time,
ail expends a vast amount
of energy building "limestone
fingers" to accomplish what
the rest of the oyster family
does with adhesive.
When the baby "thorny"
oyster arrives at that stage in
its development when it must
settle down, it selects a twig,
a root; even a piece of wire
if one is available, or even on
such an unstable thing as a
piece of sea weed, and there
its instinctive reaction
prompts it to hang on. The
point of contact is where some
"oyster sense" tells it to at
tach itself.
So it proceeds to accom
plish the seemingly impos
sible job of building a series
of limestone nobs, or "fingers"
that clasp the support. It be
comes a "death grip" on the
support, for no wave could
possibly break this stony grip.
Support Breaks Away
Unfortunately, however, the
poor dumb oyster cannot an
ticipate such a catastrophe as
tlfe breaking away of the ac
tual support on which its cas
tle was so laboriously built
He cannot foresee that time
and water action, as well as
the rotting away of the sup
port, will some day end in
disaster.
Then the same waves and
tidal action he worked again,
will cast the entire structure
adrift. Following waves will
roll, and pummel the poor
oyster and the broken sup
port, along the ocean's bot
tom.
The "fingers" hold, but the
root, or plant stem on which
the fingers clasped proves to
be "the weakest link in the
chain"; its breakage canceled
out both the strength and the
ingenuity of the carefully laid
plan. All of which proves
that, "when the bough breaks,
the cradle will fall; and
ashore will come cradle, oys
ter and all."
(Released by The Register
and Tribune Syndicate. 1960)
- mJ U IUI
jjVlFCDnBTrilJEJIE OSEedD FOOD STORES COBBIALLf
o!! Irari "Opening Of Theft
Evaporated Milk Oi Values DelNCh Zee
illfil J MMBARIME PAPER HAPKIHS-
K CarpTL Rugs $2 IbS. ffl j cl, 2 " 1 5"
3 I vfcfr
New
If Schillings YV
(Cheese Dip
ff Alber's V
u riapjacii i :
V pt 89 ) fcWs Golden Ripe Hands
Free Box Carnation Com f3p 'ZXS ' VtTfex' S. r r I"!
Sweet Pickles I Wl I ;T i "7) 5)C
J I I Tender Green Tasty Sprouts lUluC
W LOOK! -J vine Ripened bu,,s n (pv
IBISQUICK J MLMl
) EACH ' Large Thin Skinned California Fuerte. JF"
X aMffiMilfil each J)
x try
Sleepytime
Bed Pillows, large
Stock Up and Save! MIX or MATCH 'EM!
Reg.
Multiple
Yeu Save
Water Glasses
Decorated
I, 9-oz.
Each
1
Appletime
No. 303
Bayview
Whole No. 2i.
.16 71.00 .12
.29 41.00 .16
Ladies' Blouses
with fir without Sleeves
(o) (o)
Bagley Freestone
No. 2Vi I
Bagley
No. 2Vi.
.27 51.00 .35
31 41.00 .24
Audie Murphy,
Wife Separate
Hollywood - (LTD - Actor
Audie Murphy, 35, most dec
orated U. S. serviceman of
World War II, separated
Wednesday from his wife of
nine years.
A spokesman for Murphy
and his wife Pamela said the
couple did not plan at this
time to file for divorce. They
separated last year but recon
ciled within a few days.
They have two children,
Terry, 8, and James, who
celebrated his sixth birthday
Wednesday.
Murphy, previously mar
ried to actress Wanda Hen
drix, was credited with cap
turing, wounding or killing
240 German soldiers during
the Second World War. His
decorations included the
Medal of Honor.
Our Ashland store is celebrating it's third
anniversary sale with a cake full of sur
prises. M.J.B. coffee will be served all day
Friday.
I
I
Medium
MEDFORD ASHLAND
13th and Central . 1475 Siskiyou Blvd.
PRICES EFFECTIVE THROUGH SUNDAY
PITTED
4S1.00
Demonstration
Friday and Saturday
Applesauce
Apricots
Cherries .23 51.00 AS
Peaches ..!';"9.. .19 61.00 ,14
Peaches
Pears
Frl Cocktails .25 51.00 .25
Pin-Gra Drinbr: .33 41.00 .32
Pork & Beans rsr .16 71.00 .12
Green Beans: - AS 81.00 .20
Green Beans . .19 61.00 .14
Lima Beans .19 61.00 .14
Corn ykistw-k J6 81.00 .28
Corn sr 16 81.00.28
Peas zssr. .22 51.00.10
Peas- .12 101.00.20
Spinach est 15 81.00.20;
Tomatoes z: .23 51.00 .15
Tuna roN HUNK .29 41.00 .16
Dog Fool-sr- .10 131.00 .30
Tomato Juice- .29 41.00 .16
Figs - ,19 61.00 .U
Soup ifrwa mir .39 31.00 -10
Gpfl Sections .24 51.00 .20
i 3