692 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [20] 



results. He carefully records the observations of each day, and I en- 

 tertain the hope that such painstaking endeavor will not be lost, either 

 to the couscieutious experimenter or to oyster-culture. 



B^LON, NEAR Quijviper. — The establishment created by M. de Mau- 

 duit and M. de Solminihac in the river Belon is one of the most inter- 

 esting I have visited during the progress of my mission. The grant 

 embraces about 5 hectares. It extends along the right bank, and bor- 

 rows from the other shore an extensive estuary, shaped like a horse- 

 shoe, 



I have rarely seen oysters artificially grown, or even taken from the 

 natural beds, of so beautiful a shape or of so exquisite a flavor. The 

 shell is fine grained, thin, translucent, hard, and the interior surface is 

 pearly, whilst the exterior exhibits sharply defined but delicate denta- 

 tions, which are the characteristic indications of the vigorous growth and 

 perfect health of the animal inclosed. 



Many things concur to assure to the establishment a high price for 

 its products. These are the exceptional situation of the establishment, 

 the favorable nature of the ground, the influence of the currents, the 

 composition of the water, and the continual intelligent care bestowed 

 upon the oysters under treatment. 



Situated at 4 kilometers from the common mouth of the rivers Pont- 

 Aven and Belon, the pares of M. de Mauduit and M. de Solminihac 

 are constantly bathed by the living waters of the ocean, which are 

 aerated by dashing against the cliffs which guard the shores of this 

 wild and jiicturesque coast. Their situation offers the same advanta- 

 geous conditions as the bottom of the open sea, where are the natural 

 beds of oysters, and they are moreover sheltered from the violence of 

 the tempests. 



The bed of the river is composed almost entirely of shell sand, very 

 rich in lime. The ebb and flow of the ocean keeps the water in inces- 

 sant motion and establishes perpetual currents. The grant is divided 

 into : 



1st. — Pares furnished with frames containing the fry, and which are 

 only uncovered at the spring tides. These are for the most part situ- 

 ated in the deeper parts of the river. 



2d. Pares in which are placed the merchantable oysters either to 

 grow more, or to fill out and to fatten. The bottom of these is every 

 year covered with a layer of shell sand, containing about 80 per cent, 

 of calcareous material. 



3d. Submersible basins receiving water at every tide. These are de- 

 signed to shelter the frames during the winter, and also serve as cUpSts 

 for the oysters being prepared for shipment. These basins communi- 

 cate with each other and can be readily emptied and cleaned at low 

 water. 



4th. A large reservoir constructed in a bend of the river and not sub- 

 ject to overflow, in which are contained other frames or pits walled with 



