OYSTER CULTURE IN FRANCE. 563 



submitted to the process of liming ; the plaster could not 

 resist the wind and intense cold, which are so severe on 

 this coast. 



The spat from Brittany, which is raised in the island, 

 generally succeeds better than that from Arcachon. The 

 rearers say that the oysters imported from the north have 

 a tendency to develop more quickly in the south. Without 

 denying the effects of the influence of climate, it may be 

 objected that this is not an absolute rule ; the oysters of 

 Portugal, although natives of a warmer country than ours, 

 far from running any risk in our waters, attain an enormous 

 size in them. 



The younger the oysters are which arrive at Oleron, 

 the quicker is their development. There are some parc- 

 . owners, however, who assert that the dredged oysters grow 

 more rapidly there than the tile oysters ; the reason they 

 give is, that this oyster, accustomed to live in deep water, 

 is more sensitive to the action of light and heat, which 

 promote a more rapid growth. 



Mussels are the worst plague of the pares at Oleron. 

 They multiply there in such number, that if the conces- 

 sions are not visited each time that the tide allows of it, 

 they soon cover the ground to a thickness of from 20 to 40 

 centimetres. 



I will note, in passing, the efforts of M. Gaboriaud, 

 who has successfully transformed salt-marshes into claires 

 for rearing ; but his experiences are too recent, and require 

 confirmation. 



Finally, to give some idea of the unexpected extension 

 of the ostricultural industry at the island of Oleron, I will 

 remark that the pares, in the month of September of this 

 year, contained more than 70,000,000 edible oysters. As 



