264 ■ PISH CULfUEE. 



The close^season, at any rate as regatds the better 

 kinds of oysters, is well kept. In some places, how- 

 ever, the coarser oysters, such as one sees about the 

 bridges of London retailed at a penny a lot, are 

 dredged for all the year round : of course the practice 

 is a ruinous one. Some valuable papers upon the 

 subject of oyster culture as practised in France were 

 lately published by my friend, Mr. James Lowe, in 

 the Field. Mr. Lowe enjoyed peculiar advantages* 

 having much assistance rendered him by the French 

 Government in collecting his facts. From these we 

 gather that oyster culture, more particularly in respect, 

 to their propagation, is a much more recondite and 

 difficult point to arrive at a thorough knowledge of 

 than is generally imagined ; for spat will often fail 

 Titterly for many years in succession, without our 

 being able to determine the cause, or arrive at any 

 satisfactoiy means of prevention. Indeed those who 

 are best acquainted with the subject pronounce it still 

 a mystery, but to those who know very little about it, 

 it is of course no mystery at all. 



There is a species of oyster in America, which is 

 said to be unusually delicious. There could not be 

 any great difficulty in accliiiiatizing this shellfish 

 in England, if it were thought desirable and found to 

 be suitable. There is also another bivalve held in 



