268 THE SECRET OF SUCCESS. 



brought the natives that is, the bred oyster to perfec- 

 tion. They constantly dredge and re-dredge their lay- 

 ings, separating and classifying the oysters upon each 

 occasion, changing them to different parts of the ground, 

 and throwing aside all kinds of enemies and dead shells. 

 Most of the beds are laid bare by the ebbing tide, and 

 then the overseers and keepers, who live in floating 

 houses or miniature arks, turn out to work upon the 

 farm until the tide comes in again. To each man engaged 

 are allotted his particular duties ; one superintends the 

 spat collectors, another gathers in the infant oysters, a 

 third distributes them over the different " parks." Then 

 some have it in charge to maintain a constant warfare 

 against the mud, which is the deadliest enemy of the 

 young mollusc ; others to collect and remove the sea- 

 weed; others to assort the stock, and divide it into 

 batches for market or for the greening and fattening 

 " claire." 



We need only add that oysters are found "all round 

 the world ; " and some parts of the American continent, as 

 the Racoon Banks off Florida and Georgia, and the New 

 York district, are specially famous for their production. 

 Virginia possesses an area of about 1,680,000 acres of 

 oyster-beds, containing about 784,000,000 bushels. There 

 is no fear that the American stock of this highly-appre- 

 ciated mollusc will be speedily exhausted. 



