OYSTERS AND OYSTER-CULTURE. 
457 
from the French coasts, unless means be adopted to preserve 
and reproduce this important shell-fish/'’ Again, in 1849, 
Professor De Quatrefages * addressed the Academy in almost 
similar terms, upon the very same subject. Their object was 
soon attained. The Government appointed M. Coste to inves- 
tigate the matter, and report the results of his inquiries. 
M. Costers “report” was sent in in 1855, and a second 
edition of it was published in 1861 ; from this we learn what the 
French are doing to increase the oyster supply, and with what 
success their efforts have been attended. The great aim was 
to obtain the young oysters in as large quantities as possible 
in order to preserve them from the various destructive 
agencies we have already mentioned. How was this to be 
effected ? It was known that the young attach themselves to 
solid bodies, after enjoying their freedom of isolation for a day 
or so. It seemed probable therefore, that, if different materials 
were artificially submerged in the vicinity of the oyster 
beds, the embryos would become adherent to them. This 
anticipation proved correct. After several experiments had 
been made, two methods were adopted for collecting the 
young : one was employed when the oyster beds were far out 
at sea, the other when they were adjacent to the shore. In 
the first process, fascines were used ; in the second, tiles. The 
fascines consisted of bundles of branches of trees with the 
bark on, fastened together with galvanised wire, and sunk in 
those localities where the oyster-beds presented themselves 
(see Plate XVIII., fig. 10). These fascines were allowed to 
remain submerged during the spawning season, and were then 
removed, when it was found that each branch was covered 
with young oysters as exhibited in the sketch (Plate XVIII., 
fig. 9). When the oyster-beds existed close to the coasts, 
tiles were then employed. The tiles used were those with 
which they cover the ridges of house-roofs, and were either 
completely covered with a sort of Roman cement, then called 
fixed cement, or were coated with the material in such a 
manner, that the latter could be removed at pleasure, in 
which case the term moveable cement was applied to it. 
When the tiles thus prepared were removed from the sea 
where they had lain during the spawning season, they, like 
the fascines, were found to have been coated with young 
oysters. In both the cases of tiles and fascines, it was neces- 
sary to remove the shell-fish from their temporary abode. 
This was done in the latter instance by breaking the branches, 
and in the second by two methods — by removing them with 
a gouge from the fixed cement, and by breaking up the 
* Comptes Rcnclus for February, 1849. 
