1258 OVSTKRS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



ARTIFICIAL OYSTER CULTURE. 



As an item of interest in connection with the above 

 titular subject, I think the two following Letters from 

 Land and Water (dated respectively November 8th and 

 i5th, 1890), deserve a wider circulation than that already 

 allotted them, and have much pleasure in their insertion : 



Sir, In the course of conversation, a few days ago, 

 with a well known oyster cult'urist, he told me that the 

 great obstacle to the successful breeding of oysters arti- 

 ficially was the impossibility of retaining the spat in run- 

 ning water, which it seems is necessary to their well-being. 

 At the early period of their lives the baby bivalves are so 

 minute in size that they will pass through the finest sponge 

 or muslin, and invariably escape. In still water they live 

 for a certain time, but just when they ought to attach 

 themselves to the culch they fog off and die. I suggested 

 to my friend that it might be worth trying a small engine 

 to wprk an air pump, and thus keep a perpetual current of 

 air instead of water through the tank. I have reason to 

 believe he will try the experiment, and shall be glad to 

 learn the result. Should any one else, interested in oyster 

 culture, experiment also in the same direction, I have no 

 doubt the details will be most welcome to many. 



" SENEX." 



Sir, I was greatly interested by the notes on " Oyster 

 Culture " in your last issue, but there are one or two points 

 raised in it which deserve to be thoroughly investigated 

 before any practical work can be undertaken. I beg to 

 thank your correspondents for the courteous nature of their 

 remarks as to myself, but I am only a private individual, 

 so cannot do all that I could wish single-handed. Still 

 what I can do I will. Reference has been made to Govern- 



