134 The Food Fisheries of France. 
us the astonishing intelligence that huttres de la Manche 
were the most esteemed in Paris, that the green oysters of 
Marennes were not now in demand, except for exportation, 
and that the Ostend pitted oysters had taken their place. 
It is certain that Ostend furnishes to Paris about three 
million oysters per annum, there are official figures to that 
effect. There has been also published a cluster of reliable 
figures about the oyster grounds of Arcachon, in which it 
is stated that the oyster grounds of the basin, including the 
royal parks on either side of the bank of La Hillion, eccupy 
space to the extent of 1,200 acres. A stock of over two 
millions of breeding oysters was gradually laid down in the 
royal grounds, and there yielded an enormous amount 
of spat. A portion of the two millions—viz., 500,000, laid 
down in 1863, is said to have yielded young to the extent 
of seven millions! If thisstatement be correct as to a fortieth 
part of the mother stock, what would the total yield be? 
It would in fact, be too enormous for figures to express it. 
Everybody has heard about the immmense fecundity of 
the oyster, and to yield such supplies as are indicated by 
the above figures the animal would require to be very pro- 
lific. ‘The writer has seen a little branch taken from an 
artificial bed, which contained a few thousands, and he has 
seen many common tiles with hundreds of oysters on each. 
The Whitstable of France is on the Ile de Ré, where may 
be seen a few thousand oyster arcs and also a few hundred 
claires, or fattening ponds, and hundreds of thousands of 
oysters in all stages of growth, from the size of a pin’s head 
to a crown piece. One of the many difficulties which the 
French oyster growers have had to solve is the construction 
of a proper medium for the reception of the spat. Every 
kind of material has been tried, branches of trees, logs of 
wood, fragments of rock, and now tiles made of clay, are 
being extensively used, ard with the greatest possible 
success. At Arcachon a hive of an ingenious kind, that is, 
a suite of small boxes filled with gravel, and contained ina 
larger box, was tried, and was found to suit very well; the 
best of all bottoms could be constructed in the farcs by 
the filling into them of the numerous shell middens that 
are to be found in some of the fishing places. The forma- 
tion of new parcs and claires still goes on the French sea- 
board, new concessions of ground for that purpose being 
frequently made, and a tour to most of the fishing places 
of interest gives the idea of the future wealth to be obtained 
from this source, more especially when the natural and 
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