42 



companions. The percentage of these last is however 

 trifling when reasonable care be exercised in the stripping 

 process. 



When detroquage is completed, the tiles, denuded of 

 their coating of mortar, are washed and stacked in heaps 

 to await the approach of the ensuing spatting season 

 when they will be again limed and placed along the 

 margin of the channels to attract a fresh Generation of 

 oyster spat. The ruches next demand attention ; con- 

 siderable damage is unavoidable every season and this 

 must be made good and the cases thoroughly retarred 

 by a dip in a cauldron of coal-tar, before they may be 

 employed again. 



(e) Rearing to saleable size. 



As soon as possible after detroquage the brood-oysters 

 are conveyed back to the park and placed in shallow 

 protecting cases, called ambulances or caisses ostreophiles. 

 These " hospitals " as we may term them in English are 

 simply large shallow boxes each formed of a skeleton 

 wooden frame 2 metres long by 1 metre wide and divided 

 into two or more usually three compartments. The 

 bottom is closed in by a sheet of galvanized wire netting 

 and for cover a second frame also covered with wire 

 netting is employed. The depth of the case is not more 

 than 6 inches. To allow water to circulate freely through 

 the case as well as to secure it from displacement by the 

 waves, the sides are nailed at a height of 3 or 4 inches 

 from the ground to 4 posts driven well down into the 

 soil (PL IV, fig. 15). 



An oyster case of the usual dimensions will accommo- 

 date from 1 2,000 to 1 5,000 brood-oysters at the time they 

 are stripped from the tiles ; as growth proceeds the 

 numbers have to be thinned by transference of a quantity 

 to other cases or to the claires or to the open ground of 

 the park. 



The employment of these cases is of vital importance 

 to the culturist during the period immediately following 



