IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND FRANCE. J 7 



proved successful at any considerable distance from natural 

 banks, or where such formerly existed, it would seem that their 

 existence forms an important desideratum in successful culture. 

 Instances will be mentioned hereafter where under supposed 

 favourable conditions cultivation has proved abortive, and where 

 no apparent reason could be given beyond the fact that no oysters 

 existed in the adjoining sea, or had ever been known to exist. 

 It is reasonable to suppose that w T here oysters are absent natu- 

 rally, and have always been so, some important conditions ne- 

 cessary for their development must be wanting in the w r ater, soil, 

 or temperature, &c., and this would probably also militate against 

 artificial culture. 



Considering the numerous oyster banks which have existed and 

 still exist, the vast amount of spat annually voided, and the great 

 distances to which it is carried by tides and currents, it is difficult 

 to suppose that there is a square yard of our coasts that has not 

 been visited by spawn, and it would therefore appear that in those 

 places where oysters are not found nature protests as it were 

 against them." 



One instance of oyster breeding in France on the enclosure or 

 tank system is that of Madame Felix, at Regneville, which will 

 be hereafter more particularly alluded to, nearly all the other 

 breeding operations being on the foreshores. 



In some places oysters are subject to exposure of more or less 

 duration. In most parts of Ireland this would be attended with 

 considerable risk from frost in winter, unless provision were 

 made for having them submerged, as is the general practice in 

 England. 



Although the cultivation is much less remunerative than it was 

 formerly in France, still even in its present depressed condition it 

 pays better than any other industry pursued by the same class for 

 the labour and capital expended upon it, and possesses the advan- 

 tage of interfering but little with other occupations, as the atten- 

 tion required to be bestowed on oysters, could be given at times 

 when those following agriculture would be at leisure. 



The most encouraging instances of successful cultivation in 

 France are to be found at L'Orient and Auray. At the former, 

 M. Charles, the principal cultivator, shows by his returns that 

 during the past six years his operations have, making every 

 allowance for indifferent years, been remunerative. 



At Auray cultivation is carried on on the rivers La Trinite, 

 Bono, and La Crach. {See Plate 2, Appendix.) Each of 

 these possesses oysters naturally, besides which others were 

 placed near the collectors, which consist of stones and tiles — 

 the result has been most successful on the eighty-eight pares — 

 as many as 300 oysters having been found on one tile ; and 

 the instance of M. Le Rouse is a good illustration of the success 

 which has attended the cultivation of these rivers. His pare 

 on La Trinite, at Carnac, contains 900 square metres. The 

 first year of his operations, 1866-1867, he sold 300,000 oysters; 

 the succeeding year was not so good, but he was able to pay off 

 all his outlay out of profits, lie is extending his operations, and 



B 



