OYSTER-CULTURE IN FRANCE. 
375 
The case is not a costly affair ; it is merely a large flattened box, whose top and 
bottom are of stout wire gauze; it is about C inches in thickness, 6 feet long, and 4 
feet wide. This shallow wire- gauze box or tray is held a few inches above the bottom 
by four corner posts; its lid when in use is held in place by four nails at the corners. 
Where rough usage is expected, as at Cancale (Plate lxxii, Fig. 2), the supporting 
stakes are increased in number, the wooden frames of the lid and bottom are made 
wider, rendering the gauze window-like, and the lid is hinged, held in place by weights 
or a lever. In the Trinity River, M. Benjamin Leroux outlines the gauze of the top 
and bottom with iron, instead of wood, thus allowing both to be readily lifted from 
the frame convenient for storage and tarring. This device, however, is generally 
regarded as a matter of needless expense. At Arcachon a modification occurs as 
adopted by M. Daste. The tray, formerly single, is now formed of three smaller 
ones side by side. By this change the separated trays become convenient for partial 
transportation. A single lid, as before, covers this compound case. All cases are 
furnished with gauze of galvanized wire, with a mesh varying from one to three to 
the inch. If tarred regularly once a year the cases last from ten to twenty years. 
The cases are arranged near the line of low water with a view of keeping them 
submerged as long as possible. They are placed side by side in lines, with alleyways 
between passing shoreward. The corner pickets may thus be made to serve on either 
side. This double service is most successfully attained by means of the cast-iron 
pickets of M. Martin. These are T -shaped, with ledges on either side at convenient 
heights to support the case frames ; they are readily put in place and are obviously 
permanent. The first task of the eleveur consists, as we have noted, in placing the 
seed in the cases. These are strewn thickly, sometimes for economy of space even 
packed edgewise, enabling each case to contain at first as many as 25,000 seed. Dur- 
ing the first few months rapid growth renders it necessary to pick out each fortnight 
and transfer to other cases the largest oysters. This task is carried on at low tide by 
a squad of women, who at the same time sort out the dead shells and pick from the 
ground stray oysters. Along muddy river banks their bare feet are shod with great 
square mud shoes. 
As a practical question the culturist is often seriously puzzled to obtain space to 
plant his cases. He must often make use of the softest river banks, which Americans 
would look upon as absolutely worthless. He has found that if the surface mud is 
macadamized with sand and gravel a crust may be formed that will serve admirably 
for his cultural purposes. The crust is hard to the foot, but jars curiously as one 
walks heavily upon it. By this costly means miles of bay and river banks are con- 
stantly being brought into cultivation. (Plate lxxi, Fig. 1.) 
How long the oysters must be allowed to remain before marketing is a question 
that depends largely upon locality and the length of time they have remained in sub 
merged cases. Deep parks (Plate lxxiv, Fig. 2) are looked upon with great favor, 
though they are at times, especially in cold weather, very difficult to properly care for. 
The lake of Ossegor, seen in the figure, is remarkable for giving its oysters a maximum 
rapidity of growth, cf. p. 377. Case culture should in general prepare the oyster 
for market during the second season. Winter is the time of the great mortality, and, 
though ice rarely occurs to any thickness, the oysters are usually kept well below the 
surface. This end is attained by inclosing the area and retaining, by flood-gates, the 
