484 OYSTERS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



young oysters that an estimate of 20,000 for each fascine 

 was not thought an exaggeration. 



But a year before the date of the St. Brieuc experi- 

 ments, the artificial culture of the oyster had been success- 

 fully commenced on another part of the French coast, 

 namely, at the He de Re", near La Rochelle, in the Bay of 

 Biscay, which was, in 1868, and is still so, I believe, the 

 capital of French oysterdom, having more pares and claires 

 than Marennes, Arcachon, Concarneau, Cancale, or all the 

 rest of the coast put together, and which, before it became 

 celebrated for its oyster growing, was only known in com- 

 mon with many other places in France for its successful 

 culture of the vine. It is curious to note the rapid growth 

 of this industry on the He de Re; it was begun in 1858, 

 and in 1865 there were four thousand pares and claires upon 

 its shores. 



It was inaugurated by a stonemason, having the curious 

 name of Boeuf. This shrewd fellow had been thinking of 

 oyster culture simultaneously with Professor Coste, and won- 

 dering if it could be carried on on those portions of the 

 public foreshore that were left dry by the ebb of the waters. 

 He determined to try the experiment on a small scale, so 

 as to obtain a practical solution of his " idea," and with 

 this view he enclosed a small portion of the foreshore, by 

 building a rough dyke about eighteen inches in height, and 

 in this pare he laid down a few bushels of oysters, placing 

 amongst them a quantity of large stones which he gathered 

 out of the surrounding mud. His initiatory experiment was 

 so successful that, in the course of a year, he was able to 

 sell 6 worth of oysters from his pare. This result was of 

 course very encouraging to the enterprising mason, especi- 

 ally as the oysters went on growing while he was at work at 

 his own proper business. Elated by the profit of his ex- 



