THE OYSTER. 1 33 



oysters contained therein, it is necessary that they 

 should not be older than from fifteen to eighteen months 

 or larger than about two inches in diameter. The 

 breeder culls them, cleans them, chooses the best shaped 

 ones, and then scatters them with a shovel over the 

 surface of the basin. Afterwards they are all arranged 

 by hand, so that nothing shall hinder their develop- 

 ment or interfere with the opening of their valves. In 

 this manner about 1 50,000 can be accommodated upon 

 about two acres of surface. The claire is then filled 

 with water, which is maintained at a uniform depth of 

 about a foot. This water, as has already been said, is 

 renewed only at the spring tides, and at this time the 

 water in the claires is necessarily very much raised in 

 level, and consequently the most active supervision is 

 necessary, for the heavy pressure upon the dikes may 

 produce breaks or fissures, which it is necessary to 

 repair immediately or widespread disaster may result. 

 During cold or hot weather, or sudden changes of 

 temperature^ the breeders maintain the water in the 

 claires at a higher level than the ordinary, in order 

 to obviate the destructive action of the frost in winter 

 or the rapid evaporation and heating of the water in 

 summer. Nevertheless, the construction of the claire 

 does not always permit of accident from these causes 

 being guarded against, and sometimes the result is an 

 enormous mortality and the ruin of the breeders. 

 Moreover, the water by remaining in the same basin 

 necessarily deposits there a certain amount of sedi- 

 ment which continually accumulates, being added to 

 at each high tide, and especially during the equinoctial 

 tides, thus placing the oysters in no slight danger. 



