278 ON OYSTER-CL'LTUKE IN SCOTLAND. 



ON OYSTER-CULTURE IX SCOTLAND. 



By W. Anderson Smith, Ovsterculturist, Ledaig, Argyllshire. 

 \Pre,miuin — The Medium Gold Medal.] 



The culture of the oyster has come to be included under the 

 head of " Aoriculture " in the United States, where the vast 

 expansion of this industry has made it one of the utmost national 

 importance. In this paper we do not propose to deal to any 

 extent with the history, or natural history, of this prince of 

 shellfish, but to call special attention to the exceptional facili- 

 ties for this species of cultivation to be found in our well- 

 sheltered Highland lochs, and most extensive foreshores. At 

 the same time we will give our own experience as a guide to 

 others, both in its successes and failures. 



In the first place, it may be noted as a proof of the sintability 

 of our waters for the growth of the oyster) "that there are very 

 few parts of the coast of the Western Highlands destitute of 

 representatives, in a more or less scattered condition. As a rule 

 these are not in extensive beds, but to a large extent rock 

 oysters, affixed to rocks and stones, and in many instances 

 covered over with a profuse growth of sea-weed. This situation 

 renders them inaccessible to the ordinary oyster dredge, and they 

 are only attainable by the tedious and costly process of lifting 

 them one by one in calm weather, by means of an iron " graip " 

 in some districts; an instrument called a hand dredge, shaped 

 like a spoon as to the circumference, but with a net bottom, in 

 others; or, as in the further north, a pair of pincers worked with 

 a cord, and directed at the end of a long pole. 



This absence of extensive beds, and difficulty of gathering the 

 scattered oyster harvest, has not only prevented the extension of 

 the trade, but, to a considerable extent, hidden the fact of their 

 presence from the general public. The local demand, however, 

 of many parts of the West Highlands is partly supplied by the 

 " natives," of large size and particularly fine flavour, obtained 

 from the neighbouring waters. These are mostly the products 

 of low spring-tides, in which the peasants and cottars can reach 

 the oysters that have been either driven further inshore by 

 heavy weather, or have grown up on the rocks and stones acces- 

 sible at these particular seasons. All this points to the fact that 

 our seas are thoroughly congenial, and that only the physical 

 constitution of our commonly rocky and stony sea bottom pre- 

 vents themore frequent deposit of extensive dredgeablebeds along 

 our western coast. When the character of the bottom would 

 lead us to hope for a more successful harvest, it is found that 

 there, as elsewhere in the kingdom, the beds have been over- 



