ARTIFICIAL OYSTER CULTURE. Io8l 



off the ground, but would not allow the small oysters to be 

 taken. With regard to close times he quite agreed with 

 Professor Hubrecht that no kind of restrictions would do 

 any good. A little fact was worth a good deal of theory. 

 They had a large bed in Scotland where no oysters were 

 dredged for five or six years, and a boat could go there 

 and catch 2000 in a day, which any one would agree was a 

 fair sprinkling of oysters, but there was no vestige of spat 

 to be seen in the place of any sort. That was entirely 

 contrary to the over-dredging theory. On the beds of 

 Whitstable, which were about two miles square, there were 

 from 25 to 30 millions of old oysters, but there had practi- 

 cally been no spat there since 1858 or 1859. There was a 

 little, of course, every year, but nothing to speak of. If 

 the over-dredging theory were right, why was there no spat 

 there ? Two years ago there was a large fall of spat, but, 

 probably owing to the cold August, it disappeared and 

 died off after getting to about the size of peas. In Ireland 

 the Fishery Commissioners closed their beds absolutely for 

 three years, but at the end of three years the fishermen 

 could not catch as many oysters as they were catching 

 when the beds were closed. The only fact that the over- 

 dredging theory had to go upon was that the oysters were 

 not there, and of course it might be said that if those which 

 had been dredged had not been taken they would have 

 remained. In his opinion there never would be cheaper 

 oysters until there was a natural reproduction, and that 

 would only come when the weather was favourable. With 

 regard to breeding, he should like to have a little further 

 information. With regard to artificial breeding in Holland, 

 he was inclined to think that it was a loss to those who 

 undertook it. At Arcachon he had asked several of the 

 great breeders, and they all told him that breeding oysters 



