974. REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [32] 
cal conclusions, we will oppose that of M. Solminihae and M. Mauduy, 
who have a very important breeding park at the Spanish fort, in the 
river Auray, which supplies their famous establishment at Bélon. 
Speaking of the first attempts, when the oysters were left to grow 
upon the collectors, these gentlemen express themselves thus: 
‘In the months of March and April, the oysters being then two years 
old, we thought them strong enough to be transplanted, and we removed 
them. This method gave us results which, if not satisfactory, were at 
least assuring. Considerable expense and some inconvenience were 
encountered. The great number of tiles required for the proper growth 
of the oysters demanded a great deal of space. Our possession, which 
we had been obliged to crowd, suffered great mortality, and also a large 
number of young oysters, having been completely deprived of light, 
scarcely grew at all. 
‘We tried removing them earlier, that is, in May and June, and then 
placing them in our parks or floating basins, where the water was re- 
newed every day. The oysters placed in the parks disappeared com- 
pletely; those in the basins succeeded better, but their development 
was so insignificant that we thought it best to put them into the parks 
in the month of August. We preserved about one-third of them. We 
tried at the same time some boxes of thin wood, which gave but poor 
results. At this time, M. Coste induced us to try wire cages, such as 
were used at Arcachon. Of these we had three hundred made, after the 
model sent us. In these cages, arranged in different parts of the river, 
and in close proximity to the current, we placed four million young 
oysters, taken from our stock of 1873, at the Spanish fort. 
“These cages, set at different periods of the spring and summer, gave 
us magnificent results, in spite of the great number of oysters placed in 
eachone. ‘The mortality was very insignificant. Weobtained from them 
more than half a million oysters, measuring from two to two and a half 
inches; the remainder measured from an inch and a quarter to an inch 
and three-quarters. These oysters were put into the market in very 
good condition. 
‘For us, at the present time, the problem of the collection and raising 
of young oysters has been solved, and, profiting by the experience re- 
sulting from prolonged and arduous efforts, we are convinced that the 
crop of 1874, at which we are going to work next spring, will give us 
results superior even to those of last year. Satisfied of the importance 
of this method of operation, we are having five hundred new boxes 
made with wire gauze.” 
_ As indicated by these statements, the conclusions arrived at are quite 
opposed to one another, and this difference occurs everywhere in neigh- 
boring parks; M. de Wolbock abandons the method of leaving the shell 
attached to the tile, while M. Gressy retains it. If we wished to solve 
the difficulty, we would have to take into consideration the location of 
each park; for it should be remembered that in the industry now being 
