918 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [6] 



sential points as in England ; aiso long, curved tiles like the rrencli.40 

 centimeters long, 15 centimeters broad, and 8 centimeters thick. A 

 third collector, of a new construction, consisted of two iron frames, 2 me- 

 ters long and 80 centimeters broad, placed against each other so as to 

 form a roof. Each frame is filled with iron wires running parallel with 

 each other, and on these wires there are strung brick beads 3 centimeters 

 long and 1.5 centimeters in diameter. The principal advantage of these 

 collectors consists in the fact that these beads, after the young oysters 

 adhere to them, can easily be taken off" the wires. As the oysters re- 

 main on the beads during the entire period of their development, much 

 tedious work is avoided which is otherwise connected with the removal 

 of the young oysters from the bricks or tiles. I am of opinion, however, 

 that this collector is both too expensive and on the whole not very 

 practical. As it is comparatively new, it has not yet been very gener- 

 ally introduced in Holland, and will scarcely meet with general favor, 

 as the oysters developed on these beads will have a very singular 

 shapr-i. 



All the "raising-boxes" were of the same system ; generally 1.8 me- 

 ters long, 0,9 meter broad, and 0.1 meter high; either entirely of steel 

 wire (tarred or galvanized) or with a wooden frame and wire bottom 

 and lid. These boxes are, strictly speaking, a Erench invention. In 

 Holland they are used for the young oysters until they have reached a 

 certain size, often till they are eighteen months old. 



The bottom-scrapers exhibited by England and Holland were of the 

 old, well-known form. As they show nothing new, and are not likely 

 to come into use here, I shall pass them by. I must mention, however, 

 an iron rake with long prongs, which will be very serviceable for tak- 

 ing up loose oysters in places where the bottom is so uneven that the 

 scraper cannot be used. This rake is 50 centimeters broad, the prongs 

 are 30 centimeters long' and 1 centimeter thick, and the distance be- 

 tween the prongs is 4.5 centimeters. To the head of this rake there is 

 attached a bag (size of the meshes 3 centimeters), intended to receive 

 the oysters, which are taken off the bottom and fall into the bag be- 

 tween the prongs. 



The scrapers which are used for cleaning the bricks after the young 

 oysters have been removed look like a curved, flat pick-ax, the stem 

 being 15 centimeters long and the blade 25 centimeters long and C or 7 

 centimeters broad. The Dutch knives and tongs resemble in all essen- 

 tial points the well-known English and French knives. 



In connection with my visit to the exhibition I also paid a visit to 

 the Dutch oyster establishments, which are now all located on the east- 

 ern branch of the Schelde. I was received with the greatest kindness 

 by the public and private oiUcials with whom I came in contact, espe- 

 cially Mr. A. A. W. Hubrecht, professor of zoology at the University 

 of Utrecht, and T was thus enabled to study oyster-culture even in its 

 most minute details. 



