258 NOTES ON OYSTER CULTURE. 



and careful industry of the people^ the public spirit of the Govern- 

 ment_, and the fact that throughout the enterprise several members 

 of a body of naturalists^ the Nederlandsche Dierkundige Vereeniging, 

 have constantly inaugurated fresh experiments and investigated 

 causes of failure. 



With all these advantages, it is hardly surprising that the in- 

 dustry has attained enormous proportions in a few years. In 1870, 

 at the commencement of the enterprise, the rental of the (hitherto 

 valueless) low-water flats, 7720 acres in area, leased by the Govern- 

 ment to oyster farmers, was £1720; in 1885, when the leases were 

 renewed, the rental amounted to £28,765. In 1888 (a bad year) 

 there were despatched from five stations on the Flushing line more 

 than 2580 tons of oysters, besides what was conveyed by water ; 

 954 tons being destined for England by the Flushing route, and 

 many more by way of Rotterdam. As to the amount of hands em- 

 ployed in the industry, it is not easy to give exact figures, since at 

 some times of the year the whole population of the district, men 

 women, and children alike, take a part j but ^about 480 boats, 

 averaging three hands each, are regularly licensed for the oyster 

 fisheries. A small fact, but one which indicates the importance of 

 the interests concerned, is that it is intended in the course of this 

 year to supply the police-boats, entrusted with the duty of watching 

 the ground and preventing depredations, with electric search-lights 

 for night service. 



The statistics given above refer, be it noted, only to the artificial 

 oyster culture ; the natural beds (public beds) have, as in England, 

 practically ceased to exist, owing to the rapacity of the dredgermen. 

 Nominally dredging on these beds is permitted by the Dutch Govern- 

 ment from March to September inclusive ; but they are nearly 

 valueless. It is only by sowing annually large numbers of clean 

 oyster shells for cultch, and by absolutely prohibiting the free taking 

 of oysters for years, that an overdredged bed can be restored to an 

 effective condition. As during these years the bed would have to be 

 policed, and occasionally dredged to clean away weeds and mud, it is 

 probably only by action on the part of the Government that dredged- 

 out banks in England could be again made valuable ; action which, 

 in despite of the bulky Reports of Commissioners, England has 

 shown no inclination to take. In Holland, on the other hand, the 

 Government, with a view to restoring the once celebrated but almost 

 ruined Texel beds, some few years ago prohibited free dredging on a 

 part of the beds and leased it out in parcels. A considerable amount 

 is already paid for the lots, oysters have been imported from Fi'ance 

 and Zeeland, and the beds are already flourishing without any further 

 interference from Government than the supply of police. To achieve 



