OYSTER-CULTURE AND DREDGING.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2951, 5 January 1912, Page 7

OYSTER-CULTURE AND DREDGING.

HOW THE BEDS ARE STOCKED

I Oysters were brought into fashion by the ancient Romans, who knew many varieties of them, although most people no.vartays generally,class them into "Natives" and "Bluepoints." As a matter of fact, our : supply comes not only from Whitj stable, Colchester, and America, says | "Spare Moments," (where they are i picked up on the beach like cockles), ■ but from Scotland, Holland, Australia, and many other places. ! Professor Huxley discovered that they can live and breed in water alj most anywhere which contains more . than three per cent, of salt matter, although Rome places are found to be better than others for the planting !of "beds" or "parks" for rearing purposes. Yet continuous life in j water is not absolutely essential for I the bivalves. We have all heard of the "oysters that grow on trees." This is not in the least a joke. For instance, in the West Indies they are found by the hundred clinging to the branches of the mangrove tree. "Fry," which is the spawn of the oyster, falls in tiny particles on the stones, shells, and rubbish at the bottom of the water, and grows into small white objects known a* "spat.' This develops into baby-oysters or "brood," and it is this that the fishermen spend much of their time in collecting. Oysters are dear for much the same reason as game ; they are proprietary articles kept in "preserves," "beds," or "parks." by private individuals or companies. Beyond these preserves, which are marked off by buoys, the fishermen can go "broodhunting" in the sea, and sell their catches for restocking purposes to the oyster-breeders who supply the fish-markets. '

The "hrood" are gathered by the drag, dredge, or dredge-net, which rakes the bottom at any likely spot. It brings up a fearsome medley of fish, rubbish, crabs, and the enemies of the young oysters—the atarosh, which consume them whole ; the dogwhelk, which bores a hole in the shell, and enjoys the soft core ; and the sea-urchin, or "burr," which looks like a small, 6belly hedgehog, which takes its toll. The enemies of the brood are killed, and the edible fish and baby oysters sold.

Sometimes the brood exist singly, other times in clusters, or attached to objects, and, on occasions, in the grown-up state. Having been sifted, they are packed in bags, and brought to "collecting-boats," where they are weighed, and paid for by the ""wash" of five gallons, at the rate of four shillings per wash. This brood is then planted, or dropped into the water at the oyster parks by the handful, pretty much like the sowing of seed on land. Should the weather be bad, the fishermen go oystering at the shore beds for four-and-sixpence a day. What they have to do is to pick up the oysters that are mature enough for the market, and place back the others.

The brood oysters, before planting, are about the size of a sixpence upwards until they are a y e * r old. After that they grow larger, chiefly by the thickening of the shell up to and beyond the third year, or maturity. Oysters differ in colour, according to where they come from. Those from Spain are red ; other places produce brown green, and rainbow-speckled varieties. But if undiseased, whatever their source, for their bulk, there is nothing existing quite so peculiarly nutritious.