364 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
shallow lake like Fusaro would, in a warm climate, tend to become excessive, but it 
may readily be tempered by admission of water from tlie sea gate. Warmth in general 
is not looked upon as a serious stumbling-block to culture;* freshened together with 
slightly warmer water is said, in these regions, to give the oyster its best conditions 
for rapid growth. 
The industry at Fusaro is represented in the branches of seed collecting, oyster- 
growing, and fattening. The processes are practically those of Tarente. The water 
surface is broken with projecting stakes, especially numerous in the deeper part of 
the basin in the neighborhood of the pavilion (PI. lxxv, Fig. 2). These are connected 
with a web of ropes supporting the fascines and baskets. About a thousand newly 
made fascines are annually brought into use and suspended in favorable spots for col- 
lecting, while those of the preceding year are removed and put in place in neighboring 
parts of the lake. The shallowness of the water renders unnecessary the weaving of 
the oyster-bearing ropes of Tarente. At points along the bottom may still be seen 
the little pyramids of stone recorded and figured by Coste. These do not appear to 
be regarded at the present day as valuable collectors. The management of Fusaro 
as a closed lake at the time of ' the spawning of the oyster has been only partly suc- 
cessful. The “mother oysters” are introduced in the early spring in the deeper 
water, but it has not apparently been possible to retain the spat-laden water in the 
sense that it had been retained at Breneguy.t Higher temperature has doubtless its 
effect in rendering it necessary to renew the water frequently,! and during the latter 
part of May and the commencement of June, 1892, the water supply was renewed 
twice daily, allowing a large portion of the fry to escape. There can be little 
doubt that the problem in Fusaro is to study how long the water may be retained 
without endangering its oysters, the length of time appearing to be in direct propor- 
tion to the amount of collected spat. The surface area of Fusaro is not a small one, 
its depth is not great, and in favorable weather it would not be unreasonable to expect 
that natural aeration would allow the retention of the water for as long a time perhaps 
as several weeks. Further expriments in this direction appear to be needed. 
The effects of seasons are extremely varying, and there can be little doubt that 
the time of fixation of the spat may, under the best conditions, prove as brief as sev- 
eral hours, although the idea given by Coste that the young tend to settle immediately 
in the neighborhood of the parent (e. g., attaching to circumarranged stakes) was long 
since shown to be untenable. Spat-collection is extremely irregular in Fusaro and the 
Lucrine Lake, and if one is to be guided by the suspicions of rival proprietors, a large 
part of their industry consists simply in elevage , the seed being brought from Tarente. 
The rearing of the oyster is conducted economically. The oyster is allowed to 
remain upon the fascine until it is almost of marketable size, the base of the shell 
often becondng not a little roughened by its long contact with the wood of the fascine. 
In PI. lxxviii, Fig. 1, will be seen a rearranged fascine showing oysters of a second 
year’s growth. Oysters that become attached are usually collected and put for final 
growth in suspended baskets similar to those of Tarente. The French caisse of wire 
gauze, which would seem of great advantage here, does not appear to be employed. 
The Lucrine Lake, although smaller than Fusaro, is of great interest from a cul- 
tural standpoint. Its establishment is carefully organized and maintained; its sea 
wall forms the highway to Naples; its heavy floodgate renews the water through a 
* Bonclion-Brandely, loc. c it., p. 52, wlio records a temperature of 24° C. 
t U. S. F. C. Bull., 1890, p. 372. f Especially (luring the time of the dreaded hot winds. 
