Morning journal and courier., 1882-07-20
Price Four Cents.

ders the term 'soyster farm" specially appli- cable to this locality.
 zarc is regularly laid out like market garden, into squares of say two hundred feet, a path goes all around and through them, post is fixed on the corner with the number of the lot painted on it, and a cord is kept by the superintendent of what size quantity and quality of oysters are planted on each, and his books and stock are inspected at stated intervals. Common curved tiles of baked clay, costing less than sou apiece, have-after experiments with various contrivancss-proved to be the most practical method of catching the drifting ''spat." These tiles, or ta1les as they are called, were used at first just as they came from the kiln but it was found that so large proportion of the ''spat" followed with it's young shell the inequalities of the surface, grew so firmly to it, and were destroyed in separating them from the tile that another ingenious plan was adopted. The tiles are dipped into kind of cement containing sand and hydraulic lime, which, drying in few minutes, coats them with evenly rough surface in every way attractive to the ''spat." When it is desirable to remove the oysters, chisel, fashioned to follow the curve of the tile, is easily introduced between 1t and the oyster, which drops off uninjured.
 About the middle of May these tiles are arranged in piles, ten feet long, five feet high and five feet wide. which structures are called ructes or les 7uches tuiEees. These tiles are piled in various ways; usually they are placed with the concave roof uppermost, each layer running transversely across the layers beneath it. The sides of the tiles do not touch, but are separated by about three inches of space, and often, though not al- ways, adult oysters are laid along in these spaces. When the 7'uche is otherwise com pleted, heavy stones are placed upon the top to make the mass more solid and safe to re- sist the action of the stormy waves. Oys- ters strewn ali around these 7uches which are regularly separated from each other by a space of fifte~n feet. Between the 7esches bundles of faggots, or f1Scifes, bound to- gether in the middle with galvanized wire, are suspended about one foot from the bot tom, by a cross piece made fast on two low posts. When the drifting "spat" is ready to adhere to a suitable object very large pro- portion of it is caught by, or seeks refuge in one or the other of these friendly asylums, and safely grows to the usual merchsntable size.
 One of Professor Costes early experiments was with a box a yard square, perforated with holes, containing two shelves with bot toms of coarse wire-cloth. Sixty adult oys- ters were placed on these shelves and on the mud on the bottom. The sides and top of this box-made in pieces to take spart-were roughed up with an adze to attract and se- cure the ''spat," but this plan was aban- doned for two reasons; first the unavoida- ble expense, and, secondly, it was found that
 
 to adhere to anything, however suitable, but must swim about for few days and so the enormous quantity of little ones, given out by tho mother oysters in the box, escaped through the holes and located themselves elsewhere. The tiles and the faggots are now in universal use. By the middle of August the oysters have finished their reproductive labors and begin to fatten again, having be- come very poor during the summer, but the | tiles and faggots are not taken up until & 1.A.- D. I.e nr1 has located itself and the rue}tes are carefully
 taken apart, each tile being laid down in the I same position as in the ruche side by side in ! long turrows or ditches prepared for them There they are allowed to remain until the | following summer, when the oysters on the ! upper side of the tiles are removed and | planted in beds, hollowed out about three inches deep, running the length of the pare 1 while the tile is then turned over with the roof side downwards, and the oysters on the other side are left to grow as they at first fixed themselves, unless, being too much l crowded, they grow upon each other and in ! irregular shapes in this ease they are l thinned out. The writer saw many thou ! sands of tiles in rows, with oysters three years old, and of handsome size, still grow | ing where they first were 'set !" but usually l they are all removed to the beds the second year and the tiles, after being redipped in the cement, are again piled as before.
 1 The faggots are taken to some enclosures,
 which are called cIaires, which are made of
 solid mason-work, water-tight, where 1 water can be admitted and excluded at pleas I ure, and whore the waves can have no power and are there unbound and left to themselves | to grow until large enough to be separated
 from the branches, which is usually six to
 eight months, when they are treated like
 those grown upon tiles.
 At the end of the third year the oysters ! have attained the most desirable size and are I readv for tho market Those crown in the imperial p0rcs ars not sold. but are consumed by the Emperor, presented by him to crowned
 heads and friends, either for use or to stock
 their private p0res or abandoned to the poor fishermen, who on a certain day are allowed
 to gather them.
 l The Princess Bachiochi, near relative of
 the Emperor, has @ large farm in the Bay of
 Quiberon, and sells oysters to supply the Par
 is restaurants and others in large quantities l and, though her farm was only in it's third
 year, it was as the superintendent remarked
 with pride and pleasure, more than paying
 expenses but nert gear "nadis anne pro-
 chdiree nous terons des betLes a6aires, auez!"
 The sale of the yearhng seed is made 6 ) special business by some oystermen, and they l bring from four to six francs the thousand They are put up in round baskets with a small hole in the top, and are kept at the season ! of sale, suspended from scaffoldings erected
 over the water for the purpose, so that the ] baskets are never above the surface.
 !
 ticular that the oysters taken up for market shall lie for five or six days in the elairss be | fore forwarding them to the consumers; thii is done in order that all mud and impurities } shall be washed out in the pure sea-water, and the oyster is certainly winter and hand
 somer for this clean bath. . The Aa7ennes, or green oyster, is colored by being placed in ctaires when the tidal water is let out at certain intervals a confervoid growth is induced which gives the highly prized color and flavor, and doubles the value
 of the oyster.
 7 The Ostende oysters are placed in wooder vats and arc frequently tossed and tumblee 8 about by women with rakes, thus breaking ; off the thin edge of the new growth of shell 8 and forcing it to grow more round and deep @ Labor, in this country, Is much too high tt
 make a remunerative cultivation of the oyster = in this manner practicable. .s.,..t 8 Oyster growers recognize their own tusLe by sort of trade mark, which, by Frencl l law, it is forgery to initiate. After the ts1S r. is moulded, and while still soft, a hole i r punched in the top, either round, square triangular, or of any desired shape; this pri a vate mark is recorded in due form, ant @ wherever & tile bearing it is found, it is thu . unquestioned property of the one who has, s' l. to speak, put his sign manual upon it. Ou a own laws protecting the oyster grower nees b considerable alteration and improvement, es 6 pecially in the State of Connecticut, wher r the oyster interest is very large one bu r cur legislators, when the subject is properi.
 put before them, will no doubt see the jus 3 tice of giving the same protection to the ma Q rine to the cereal farmer, when each in o vest their money, and conduct their bushes y equally in accordance with the law. g SCROEllIA-