[7] OYSTER-CULTURE UPON SHORES OF BRITISH CHANNEL. 679 



The two semicircular reservoirs situated in Fort Samson, and which 

 first receive the sea water, are devoted to the preservation of the spawn. 



A part of one of these two compartments serves at the same time for 

 some experiments undertaken by M. Febvre in regard to the artificial 

 fattening of the oyster according to methods employed by oyster-planters 

 in America. These experiments have given no useful result. 



The operations which precede the marketing of the oyster, viz, the 

 washing and disgorging, are conducted in a basin lined with asphalt, 

 in the principal establishment, which is reserved for this purpose. 



Finally, in the other pares the oysters are classed according to age 

 and size. All the spawn treated at Grand-Cami) is brought from Brit- 

 tany. The young oysters begin to arrive in the month of April, and 

 are at once placed upon metal trays 1 meter long and 50 centimeters 

 wide ; from 4,000 to 5,000 are placed on each. The use of these trays 

 greatly abridges the time required to clean the spawn. To free it from 

 the sea mud it is only necessary to take the tray by the two handles 

 with which it is provided, and to agitate it gently in the water. 



After a few months the growth of the oysters is such that it is neces- 

 sary to double the number of trays. But the basins of Grand-Camp 

 being too small to contain the number of oysters which M. Febvre raises 

 each year, a part of them are sent to Saint- Vaast-la-Hougue. The rest 

 are inclosed in boxes having an area of two square meters, which are 

 covered by wooden bars placed at intervals, so as to permit access of 

 water. 



These boxes are submerged in a pare situated near the shore, and in 

 the vicinity of tlie establishment. 



The oysters having attained a marketable size, they are, about the 

 mouth of November, returned to the shore pares {pares de terre) and are 

 either spread upon the bottom or upon the trays, in order to fatten them. 

 The greening takes place at the approach of winter, at which time the 

 basins are carpeted with a green moss, the appearance of which is the 

 signal of the greening of the oysters, which takes place here as at 

 Marennes. 



The oysters sent from the i)arcs of MM. Febvre and Andre rival in 

 in quality and in form the very finest produced anywhere. 



The shell, small, thin, translucent, and well rounded, recalls the oys- 

 ter of Osteude, which they also rival in table qualities. What espe- 

 cially distinguishes the oysters of Grand-Camp is their resemblance in 

 flavor to the oysters obtained from the natural bed of Guinehaut, 

 which are held in such high repute. This bed is situated at the mouth 

 of the river Isigny, and unfortunately produces very few. 



To give some idea of the extent of the establishments at Grand-Camp, 

 I would state that M. Febvre is prepared at the present time to send to 

 market three millions of oysters. 



Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue. — From time immemorial the fishermen of 

 Saint- Vaast-la-Hougue have coupled with their proper vocation that of 



