1070 OYSTKRS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



in the Gulf of Tarentum. Each of these rock- works is 

 surrounded by a girdle of piles, driven close to each other, 

 and raised a little above the surface of the water. Other 

 piles are distributed in long lines, and bound to each other 

 by a cord, from which are suspended fagots of young wood. 

 In the spawning season the oysters which have been depo- 

 sited on the artificial rocks discharge the myriads of young 

 fry which have been nurtured in the folds of their mantles. 

 The fagots suspended from the piles arrest the fry before 

 they are driven away by the waves. By these precautions 

 the proprietors of Fusaro have provided for the preserva- 

 tion of the young fry, besides removing many of the natural 

 enemies of the young oyster. In other places the piles are 

 distributed in long lines and bound together by strong 

 cords, from which fagots of brushwood are suspended, on 

 which the young spawn lay hold. By means of these 

 arrangements the pregnant oyster deposits its very numerous 

 progeny in quiet repose ; the young fry are intercepted by 

 the fagots and bundles suspended between the piles, where 

 the young oysters develop themselves under the favourable 

 conditions, of repose, temperature and light. When the 

 fishing season arrives, the piles and fagots which surround 

 the beds are removed, and the oysters are gathered suitable 

 for market. The oysters thus selected for sale are packed 

 loosely in osier baskets, and sunk, while waiting for pur- 

 chasers, into a reserve or pare. This pare is established 

 on the shores of the lake. It is constructed of piles, which 

 support a gangway, provided with hooks, from which the 

 baskets, filled with living oysters, are suspended, ready for 

 sale. Writing on the above subject, a French scientist 

 says : -The industry at Lake Fusaro, which has prospered 

 for centuries, employs, as can be readily seen, only methods 

 of great simplicity. . . . and it teaches for our benefit, 



