Il82 OYSTERS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



culch is less affected by the variations of temperature than 

 inanimate matter. 



When laid again in the bed of the river at Brightlingsea, 

 the oysters are distributed on the mud, between low neap 

 and low spring water-marks. They are deposited by hand, 

 being shot out of flat trug baskets without sides, and it 

 requires no little dexterity to strew them evenly in this 

 manner. Dredging and harrowing are then carried on 

 during April, May, and June, and in some places proprietors 

 continue this work right through the summer. It is as yet 

 an undecided question amongst oyster farmers on the east 

 coast whether the increased cleanliness imparted to the culch 

 by continued dredging through the spatting season com- 

 pensates for the loss of tranquillity to the breeding oysters. 

 It probably depends upon the amount of mud in suspen- 

 sion in the water at any particular locality. There is a 

 doctrine prevalent amongst a number of oyster growers 

 that dredging is good for the oyster during the time it is 

 spatting, as they say that it requiies oxygenating at that 

 time, which effect dredging produces. We very much 

 doubt, however, whether any of the higher animals would 

 care to be dredged upon during a similar interesting state. 



Oyster breeding on the Roach river promised to be 

 very successful at one time, but the laying down collectors 

 had to be abandoned owing to the damage done to them 

 by passing barges grounding on the sides of the river. 

 All that is now done is to strew clean culch along the sides 

 of the river, both above and below low- water mark, oyster- 

 shells and cockle shells from the Nore being most in 

 repute. 



During the process of dredging the contents of each 

 haul is carefully picked over and sorted : the bundles are 

 separated, the dead and diseased oysters removed, or 



