T^' 



LOW TIDE OX A JAPANESE OYSTER FARM 



"Owing to a rise and fall of the tide of from lo to 15 feet, an immense area of bottom 

 suitable for oyster growing is exposed twice daily, and the cultural operations are thus con- 

 ducted under conditions that do not exist in America or various other countries" (see p. 281). 



for immediate consumption or for trans- 

 planting. 



The oyster grounds of Germany are 

 restricted to a small section of the coast 

 of the North Sea near the Danish fron- 

 tier. The banks have for three centuries 

 been the property of the Crown, and are 

 leased for terms of years. The govern- 

 ment exercises strict supervision, to pre- 

 vent the de])letion of the natural beds 

 and at the same time to induce the maxi- 

 mum production therefrom. 



The oyster industry of Belgium cen- 

 ters at Ostend, where claires or reser- 

 voirs for fattening oysters have been in 

 constant use for more than a century. 

 The Belgium oysters are highly esteemed 

 for their flavor, and Ostend is one of the 

 great oyster depots of Europe. The 

 physical conditions on the Belgitim coast 

 are not favorable for general oyster cul- 

 ture, and the industry consists for the 

 most part in fattening and conditioning 



oysters from other countries. Foreign 

 oysters transplanted in the Ostend reser- 

 voirs for a short time acquire a new 

 flavor, and are then sold at home and 

 abroad as "Ostends." 



Denmark has an interesting oyster in- 

 dustry, restricted to the Lim fjord, an 

 irregular arm of the sea that extends en- 

 tirely across Jutland. The oysters are 

 the property of the Crown, and the priv- 

 ilege of taking them is now sold to the 

 highest bidder, who enjoys a monopoly, 

 with restrictions imposed by the govern- 

 ment fixing the annual output and the 

 maximum price that may be charged. 

 The Limf jord oysters are nearly circular 

 in outline and have large, plump meat of 

 excellent flavor. Xo form of cultivation 

 has ever been applied, and the supply is 

 maintained by liiuiting the production. 

 The ovsters are gathered by means of 

 steam vessels, using dredges, six of which 

 are hauled simultaneously. 



275 



