518 OYSTERS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



But the basins at Grand Camp being too small to hold the 

 quantities of oysters reared every year by M. Febvre, a part 

 of them are sent to St. Vaast-de-la-Hougue, and the rest 

 are shut up in boxes two metres square, covered with wooden 

 laths, wide enough apart to allow water to enter, and im- 

 mersed in a pare constructed far enough out in the sea, and 

 yet near the establishment. 



When the oysters have reached the saleable size, they 

 are brought back in November to the shore pares, when 

 they are spread on the ground, or on the hurdles, in order 

 to fatten. 



The greening takes place as winter comes on. Then 

 the hurdles get lined with a sort of green moss, the appear- 

 ance of which is the signal for that colouring of the oyster 

 which takes place here, as well as at Marennes. The 

 oysters coming from the pares of MM. Febvre and Fra^ois 

 Andre may be reckoned for quality and shape with the best. 

 The shell, small, light, transparent, and well rounded, 

 reminds one of the Ostend oyster, which it may also rival 

 as to edible qualities. What above all distinguishes the 

 oysters of Grand Camp is the similarity of taste which they 

 have with the highly reputed and undoubtedly superior 

 oysters of the bank of Guinehaut, a natural bed situated at 

 the mouth of the Isigny river, which is unfortunately far 

 from productive. 



To give an idea of the importance of the Grand 

 Camp establishments, I may say that M. Febvre is in a 

 position to supply at this moment 3,000,000 of oysters for 

 consumption. 



