﻿and 
  prosperity 
  to 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  which 
  were 
  fast 
  

   becoming 
  impoverished. 
  

  

  The 
  facility 
  for 
  working 
  the 
  oyster 
  parks 
  at 
  low 
  tide 
  

   in 
  localities 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  great 
  rise 
  and 
  fall 
  of 
  

   tide, 
  is 
  more 
  than 
  neutralized 
  by 
  the 
  costly 
  arrangements 
  

   which 
  must 
  be 
  devised 
  for 
  keeping 
  them 
  sufficiently 
  

   covered 
  to 
  prevent 
  their 
  exposure 
  to 
  destruction, 
  which 
  

   would 
  be 
  the 
  result 
  were 
  they 
  laid 
  bare 
  at 
  critical 
  peri- 
  

   ods 
  ; 
  yet, 
  although 
  oyster 
  culture 
  has 
  hardly 
  existed 
  a 
  

   decade, 
  the 
  promises 
  of 
  success 
  have 
  been 
  more 
  than 
  

   realized, 
  and 
  results 
  have 
  been 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  employ- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  methods 
  so 
  simple, 
  that 
  the 
  prox)rietor 
  of 
  any 
  

   oyster 
  establishment 
  will 
  readily 
  undertake 
  to 
  supply 
  

   millions 
  of 
  oysters 
  to 
  any 
  one 
  wishing 
  to 
  enter 
  upon 
  their 
  

   cultivation. 
  

  

  AYhen 
  we 
  have 
  ascertained 
  with 
  precision 
  the 
  period 
  

   of 
  attachment, 
  v»"hen 
  the 
  S]3at 
  forsakes 
  its 
  roving 
  exis- 
  

   tence 
  for 
  a 
  settled 
  life, 
  and 
  have 
  demonstrated 
  that 
  the 
  

   oyster 
  can 
  be 
  produced 
  in 
  unlimited 
  numbers 
  and 
  suc- 
  

   cessfully 
  2:)rotected 
  until 
  this 
  attachment 
  is 
  made, 
  we 
  will 
  

   have 
  gone 
  far 
  beyond 
  those 
  methods 
  which 
  have 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  such 
  good 
  results 
  in 
  European 
  countries, 
  and 
  it 
  

   will 
  be 
  then 
  necessary 
  to 
  take 
  advantage 
  of 
  their 
  experi- 
  

   ences 
  for 
  the 
  determination 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  form 
  of 
  collectors 
  

   and 
  the 
  subsequent 
  treatment 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  I'ntil 
  it 
  is 
  

   sent 
  in 
  a 
  perfect 
  state 
  to 
  market. 
  

  

  It 
  maj^, 
  therefore, 
  be 
  more 
  appropriate 
  to 
  reserve 
  for 
  

   a 
  future 
  report 
  the 
  details 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  collectors, 
  

   information 
  which 
  I 
  obtained 
  during 
  a 
  recent 
  exam- 
  

   ination 
  of 
  the 
  typical 
  oyster 
  cultural 
  farms 
  of 
  France. 
  

   The 
  determination 
  of 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  collector 
  best 
  suited 
  

   for 
  the 
  several 
  localities 
  of 
  the 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  must 
  be 
  

   determined 
  by 
  actual 
  experiment 
  with 
  the 
  cltaplet^ 
  (col- 
  

   lector 
  formed 
  of 
  shells 
  strung 
  on 
  galvanized 
  wire,) 
  the 
  

   fa-vorite 
  in 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Arcachon 
  ; 
  the 
  bouquet, 
  (collector 
  

   formed 
  of 
  twelve 
  tiles 
  secured 
  around 
  a 
  stake 
  which 
  hold 
  

   them 
  in 
  position,) 
  a 
  form 
  much 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  

  

  