OYSTER-CULTURE AND DREDGING.

North Otago Times, 2 December 1911, Page 1 (Supplement)

OYSTER-CULTURE AND DREDGING.

. _ HOW THE BEDS ARK STOCKED,

Oysters were brought into, fashion by the ancient Romans, who know many, varieties of them, although most people nowadays generally, class them into "Natives" and "Bluepoints," As a matter of fact, our supply comes not only from Whltstable, Colchester, and America, says "Spare Momentß," (where they are 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 almost anywhere which contains more than three per cent, of salt matter, although somo places are found to be better than others for the planting of "beds" or "parks" for rearing purposes. Yet continuous lifo in water Ib not absolutely essential for the bivalves. We have all heard of tho "oysters that grow on trees." This is not in the least a joko. For instance, in the West Indies they are found by tho hundred clinging to the branches of the mangrovo treo,

"Frj," which is the spawn ol the oyster, falls in tiny particles on the stones, shells, and rubbish at the bottom of the water, and grows into small whlto objects known as "spat. 1 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;' thoy are proprietary articles kept in "preserves," "beds," or "parkß," by private individuals or companies. Beyond these preserves, which are marked ofl by buoys, the flshcrmen can go "broodhuhtlng" in the sea, and sell their catehes for rostocking purposes to the oyster-breeders who supply the fish-markets.

The "brood" are gathered by the. drag, dredge, or dredge-net, which rakes tho bottom at any likely spot. It brings up a fenrßomo medley of fish, rubbish, crabs, and the enemies' of the young oysters—tho' atarflsh, which consume them whole; the dogwhelk, which bores af hole in the shell, and enjoys the soft core; and the sea-urchin,, or "burr," which looks like a small, shelly hedgehog, which takes its toll. Tho enemies of the brood aro killed, and the edible fish and baby oysters Bold. Sometimes'tho brood exist singly, other times in clusters, or attached to objects, and, on occasions, in the grown-up state. Having been silted, they are.packed in bags, and brought to "collecting-boats," where they aro weighed, and paid for by tho '"wash" of five gallons, at tho 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 bo bad, tho fishermen go oystering nt the shore beds for four-and-Blxpenco a day. What they have to do 1b to pick up tho oysters that are mature enough for the market, and place back the others.

Tho brood oysters, before planting, are about the slzo of a sixpence upwards until thoy are a year old, After that they grow larger, chiefly by tho thickening of the shell up to and' beyond tho third year, or maturity. Oyßters 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 undlseased, whatever their source, for their bulk, there Is nothing existing quite so peculiarly nutritious.