Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-05

boughs have collected crop Of youthful
adhei ent bivalves the "fascines' are pulled
up and broken into twigs without disturb
ing the oysters. The twigs are then woven
into ropes, which are again suspended in
the water as before. Thus from the light
Scaffolding already described Will depend
many long strings of twigs covered with
oysters and extending from near the surf
ace almost to the bottom. 1t is easily seen
that this method utilizes the available
space and floating food with the utmost
possible economy.
The "fascines'' are prepared during the
winter In spring they are put out to col
have become thickly covered with young
oysters, they are taken ashore. The work
men now proceed to cut them to pieces;
chopping each boush with its, attached
mollusks into twigs about eight inches
long. These oyster-bearing twigs are next
placed in baskets and are carried to other
operators. who splice them together in
geniously between strands OF rope, SO that
they are kept firmly in place. Thus ar
witH oysters. Finally, the ropes made in
this way are conveyed in boats to the
scaffoldings and put in place.
The growing conditions of the oysters
are now as favorable as possible. The
in the currents, allowing each bivalve to
escape accommodating sediment and to Sc
cure an equal share or the volume of the
floating food: Their growth is wonder
fully rapid: An oyster three-fourths of an
inch in diameter in March. when sus-
pended in the water until October has at
tanned by that time four times it's origi-
nal size and has thus become marketab1
Two years and a half. however are gener-
ally allowed to produce an oyster Of the
| first grade in the market of Tarente
Another adyantage which the cuiturists
claim for this system is the ease with
which the entire product OF an inclosure
can be overhauled. cleared of attached
musSels, bryozoanS and ascidians and in
general-the oysters being in plain sight
guarded from dangerous enemies, Tine
economy of space is great. A single rone
fourteen feet long Will serve TO rear tG1
marketable bivalves. Some of the oysters
become detached from the ropes and fan
TO the bottom; These are collected and
placed IN wire baskets suspended from the
scaffoio1ng Tor further growth as are also
such grown oysters as IL is found convent
ent 10 remove from the ropes during the
process OF oYerhauling.
AS has been said, an importaot branch
OF the industry consists in the cxportItjon
OF seed oysters as well as of oysters ~
nearly marketable size which are intendei
Tor fatteninS in other localities Zee
inch in diameter, sell for so cents per go
oysters two years old fetch 50 cents Der
loO The average number of full-gra,yn
oysters produced from each ''fascirIe'' is
about 800 The annual yield of the entire
bay is -, 900 oysters.
The most interesting Of the >ovstar-r,ro-
duclng iakes is the Lucrine Lake. Its sea
wall forms the highway to Naples. The
present establishment rivals in the quality
of its product il not in size that which ex-
nous in imperial Rome. The place Is rich
In historical associations. II is even today
in the possession of the family OF Polio,
which has held the property for MANY CEN
turtles, perhaps representing the Roman
Polio, whose villa, with its wonderful col
,ections of ceramics and slave-fed lam
preys. was undoubtedly in the immediate
neighborhood.