OYSTER CULTURE IN HOLLAND. 699 



In 1885 the whole of the Yerseke oyster-bed, would come 

 back to Government, and new agreements would then be 

 decided upon. As this period is now rapidly approaching 

 it was wisely decided upon by Government not to wait till 

 1885 before re-letting the bed, but to do so at least three 

 years before the expiration of the present leases. So last 

 year this new leasing took place, and the same 7720 acres 

 which form together the Yerseke oyster-bed and which have 

 been leased from 1870 to 1885 for a yearly rent of about 

 ij2o, will in 1885 bring into the Exchequer a yearly 

 amount of ,28,765. These figures speak for themselves, 

 and go far towards demonstrating that oyster-culture in the 

 regions we are speaking of is a success. The new lease 

 runs for thirty years, with the right on the part of the 

 lessees to give up their allotments every five years. 



The extraordinary increase in value just alluded to of 

 the different portions of the oyster-bed, has not similarly 

 affected all portions of that area. I will give you figures to 

 demonstrate this ; but I must first call to your mind, that in 

 the practice of oyster- culture, certain areas are principally 

 devoted to " growing" the oysters, others to collecting the 

 spat, and that the value of a certain area is principally 

 determined by the intrinsic qualities which it is supposed 

 to possess for the one or for the other of these operations. 

 The collection of the spat essentially consists in the process 

 of bringing out into the sea- water tiles, like these I have 

 here on the table, covered by a layer of chalk, which is 

 afterwards easily removed, together with the young oysters 

 adhering to it. 



These tiles are brought out in millions at the time when 

 the oyster spat is expected to be most plentiful. If brought 

 out too early, they get covered with a layer of earthy 

 deposit, or lose the roughness of their surface, and the spat 



