180 



A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF AN ATTEMPT AT OYSTER 



CULTIVATION, MADE AT FALMOUTH DURING 



THE YEARS 1895-96. 



Bt RUPERT VALLBNTIN. 



I am publishing this little record of my experiments in 

 oyster-culture in the hope that others interested in the pursuit 

 may here find some encouragement to go further and prosper 

 more. As yet, our attempts in England have not met with the 

 success which has rewarded the efforts of the French and Dutch. 



I may preface these remarks by stating that the necessary 

 funds for this and other experiments, and also for the establish- 

 ment of a Fishery Museum, were collected by the Eoyal Cornwall 

 Polytechnic Society, — the Technical Educational Committee of 

 the County Council of Cornwall granting a small annual sum for 

 the maintenance of these several undertakings. 



Early in the spring of 1 895 one thousand tiles were ordered 

 to be made at Bridgwater after the most approved French 

 pattern, and about six weeks later they were delivered at 

 Falmouth. These tiles were treated in the following manner : — 

 They were first dipped in a saturated aqueous solution of sea- 

 water and quicklime, and when thoroughly dry they were 

 quickly passed through a mixture of quicklime and fine sand 

 mixed as follows : — one part of lime to three parts of sand, 

 mixed with sea-water to the consistency of thick cream, and 

 kept constantly stirred while the tiles were being dipped. After 

 an interval of about twenty-four hours, the tiles so treated were 

 found coated with a uniform layer of cement, about one millimeter 

 in thickness. 



With the view to give this experiment every chance of 

 success, I divided these tiles into three lots, and distributed 

 them in the following places :— one lot near Tolvern ferry, a 

 second lot in St. Just creek, and a similar quantity in a small 

 bay about a quarter of a mile due north of Carclase point, 



