1078 OYSTERS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



How far he was successful the reader has already been 

 informed, suffice it, here, to say that, although very 

 promising at first his original plan has only been partially 

 carried out. 



When, in 1876, at Bre"neguy-en-Locmariaquer, M. d' 

 Argy laid down (see Basin Culture, further on) six millions 

 of oysters within a vast basin containing 900,000 cubic 

 metres of water, his efforts seemed in the beginning at 

 least to have been crowned with complete success, for in 

 October, 1877, the quantity of spat attached to the collec- 

 tors in the basin was estimated at forty millions. 



When M. d'Argy's method was adopted at Hayling 

 Island the quantity of spat collected in the first summer 

 was estimated at 120,000,000. Whether M. d'Argy's 

 40,000,000 spat individuals produced a sufficient quantity 

 of marketable oysters, we know not, French Ostracultural 

 History is silent on that point. But we do know (and to 

 our shame and sorrow be it said) that in regard to the 

 brilliantly-promising speculation at Hayling Island, the 

 culture proved a failure, for the quantity of marketable 

 oysters reared from this immense quantity of spat was of 

 no consequence whatever. 



With respect to the cause of this failure the reader will 

 find full information in subsequent pages ; at present I am 

 only dealing with results relative to the climatic theory. 



Climate ? Dr. Hoek (;z) tells us " that Dutch oyster 

 culture probably differs in no essential regard from French 

 culture," and that (with the exception of the universal 

 crime of over-dredging) it is a success. 



Climate ? If there is any truth at all in the climatic 

 theory with respect to oyster culture it should at least 

 reveal itself at the German coast, where, Mobius believes 



() "Oyster Culture," p. 27. 



