88 2 OYSTER.S, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



of these beds there has already been a very significant 

 increase of oysters through this action ; for in 1872-' '73 

 7,300,000 oysters were taken, in i 873^74 9,056,000, and in 

 i874-*75 9,342,000. To preserve oyster-beds, a stock of 

 full-grown oysters, for the purposes of propagation, must 

 be left lying upon the banks. The number thus left must 

 depend upon the fruitfulness of the oysters of each section, 

 or, still better, of each single bed. (c) 



GERMAN STATISTICS. 



. The number of descendants from any one 

 oyster which . . . arrive at maturity is so small even 

 upon the best beds, where for more than a hundred years 

 the finest and most productive Holstein oysters have been 

 caught, that I am persuaded no one would give credit to 

 my words if I was not able to substantiate them by means 

 of figures. 



In 1587, Frederick II., King of Denmark and Duke 

 Holstein-Gottorp, appropriated the oyster-beds of Schles- 

 wig-Holstein as royal prerogatives, (d) They were then 



(c) " The Oyster and Oyster Culture," pp. 19, 37, and 38. 



(d) The public order by which the Ducal-King, Frederick II., 

 took possession of the oyster-beds of the sea-flats along the coast of 

 Schleswig-Holstein and Jutland, is printed by H. Kroyer, in his work, 

 " De danske Ostersbanker," Kjobenhavn, 1837, page no. Translated 

 into English, through the German, it reads as follows : "We, Frede- 

 rick, &c., make known to all by these presents, that since it has been 

 brought to our knowledge that in the waters of the West Sea, in the 

 fief of Ribe, a kind of fish called an oyster can be found and caught, 

 therefore we have commanded our liege Albert Frus, superintendent 

 and guardian at our castle at Ribe, that he permit this kind of fish to 

 be caught in our name and sent to us ; and in order that a future lack 

 of them may not occur, we forbid one and all, whoever he may be, 

 from taking oysters, or allowing them to be taken in that place. We 



