OYSTER CULTURE IN ENGLAND. 461 



thus removing, to some extent at an} 7 rate, the weed, ross 

 (or matter accumulated by a tube-inhabiting annelid, the 

 sabella), and other matter injurious to the oyster. 



Dredging is also of importance, because by this means 

 the enemies of the oyster the principal of these are the 

 fivefinger (the common star-fish of the sea-shore), and the 

 dog, or rough, whelk are taken, and may be destroyed. 



Up to the date of my last inquiry, the Company had 

 regularly dredged over the ground in the spring or early 

 summer of each year. In 1872, they had 35 boats so em- 

 ployed ; in 1873, 24 boats; in 1874, 8 boats; in 1875, 9 

 boats. My conclusion that the Company had not properly 

 cultivated its grounds in 1874-5 was partly founded on the 

 fact that eight or nine boats were not sufficient for the 

 cultivation of an oyster fishery .which extended over eight 

 or nine square miles of sea bottom. 



At that time the mature oysters, taken in this dredging, 

 were carried to a fishery which the Company had acquired 

 at South Deep, in the river Swale, where they were fat- 

 tened for the market. The immature oysters, " brood " 

 and " half ware," to use the technical terms, were placed 

 on the Company's stock beds at Herne Bay. The Com- 

 pany, at the time of my last inquiry, had three such stock 

 beds in the western half of the Herne Bay ground. 



My inquiry concluded in February, 1876. During the 

 whole of 1876 the Company pursued the same system. It 

 had never less than one boat, and never more than five 

 boats employed. In the first half of the year it had, on an 

 average, 18 men, during the last half of the year 16 men, 

 in its service. It is reasonable to conclude, therefore, 

 that throughout the whole of that year it continued the 

 system the imperfect system of cultivation which it had 

 pursued up to the date of my second inquiry. 



