the; oyster i^leET at cancaee, erance 



Cancale is situated in Brittany, not far from St. Malo. During the summer months it 

 is frequented for sea bathing; but the wealth of the little town depends upon its oysters, 

 for which it is famous. 



ural enemies or from suffocation by 

 mud, sand, or silt. For two to three 

 years the oysters are thus protected, re- 

 quiring frequent overhauHng, thinning 

 out, and transfer to other pares or bas- 

 kets as their size increases, this part of 

 the work also being done by women, 

 clad in short skirts and having heavy, 

 square shoes on their bare feet. An- 

 other phase of cultivation is the placing 

 of the oysters, now of marketable size, 

 in special enclosures or claires where 

 there is an abundance of food, so that 

 they may become fat and plump before 

 sale and also acquire the condition of 

 greenness that the trade requires. 



Green oysters in America are often 

 regarded as diseased or unwholesome, 

 and our oyster-growers strive to prevent 

 their occurrence; but green oysters in 

 France are in greatest demand. Ma- 

 rennes has long been celebrated for its 

 oysters of a green or bluish-green color, 

 and special efforts are there put forth to 

 "make the ovsters take on the maximum 



intensity of color in the shortest time. 

 The claires at Marennes swarm with the 

 minute plants, whose color is imparted to 

 the gills and mantle when the oysters 

 consume them in excessive quantities. 

 Marennes oysters command the highest 

 price in the market because of their ex- 

 quisite and inimitable flavor, which con- 

 noisseurs say is dependent on their green 

 color. 



French oyster-growers in 1907 pro- 

 duced upwards of 1,450,000,000 oysters, 

 having a market value of ^/i million 

 dollars. In addition, there was a small 

 product taken from bottoms laid bare 

 at low tide, which were not under culti- 

 vation, and from deep-water public 

 grounds. Over 22,000 men, women, and 

 children were engaged in gathering such 

 oysters, and their aggregate take was 

 about 175 million oysters, for which they 

 received less than one-tenth of a cent 

 apiece, whereas the cultivated oysters 

 brought nearly three times as much. 



272 



