Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-27
OYSTER CULTURE.
Consul TOurgee Tells How 1t is Ac-
mplished in France.

Consul Albion W. Tourgee. in a recent re-
port to the State Department, speaks as
follows in regard to oyster culture in
France:
Oysters are luxury in Europe. The
natural beds have been exhausted, as the
American beds are rapidly becoming, and
artificial culture has long been depended
upon for supply of this luscious bivalve.
The chief breeding ground in France is the
Basin d'Arcachon, a triangular tidal bay
about nine miles on each side, entirely land
locked and opening out of the Collie de Gas
coigne tBay of BiScay) into the department
of Gironde by narrow channel about three
miles in length. The coast is sandy and
deserted A solid forest of maritime pines
Pinus pinaster), hand planted during the
present century, has checked the inland
march of the sand dunes and protects the
basin from the southwest winds which
blow fifty out of the fifty-two weeks of
each year. The shallow bay is networked
with navigabie channels. between which at
low tide rise the half clay, half sand fats
utilized for breeding the succulent mol
lusk. During the low spring tides the fats
are covered with quantities of cheap va
riety of ordinary roofing tile, which has
been previously coated with sort of coarse
whitewash. The spawn brought in by high
water catches on these tiles. and the lime
of the whitewash helps the little mollusk
to form his first shell. Toward winter
these tiles are taken up and carefully
Scraped. The oysters as large now as one S
thumb nail, are spread in fiat covered trays
or baskets of closely woven osier to protect
them from the starfish, crabs and other
enemies, and moved nearer the salt marshes
on the east side of the basin to grow.
When they have become little accustomed
to an independent existence they are placed
in trenches little below water level which
are provided with sluice gates, by which
they can be flooded at will.
They are thus prevented from being
chilled in winter or dried up in summer,
and are easily protected from enemies, the
gates being covered with wire netting OF
fine mesh; but the primary aim OF the gates
is to accustom them to being deprived OF
water-that is, to teach them to keep their
valves tightly closed when out of it. In
about eighteen months their education IN
that respect Is complete, and they are
raked up, barreled. and sent on a journey
of several days to the copper rocks at
Marennes, France, and to Whitstable. Eng
land, to fatten and assume the bilious
green tint and brassy flavor demanded by
European epicures. About 25o,Oo0,o0o are
shipped annually The work on the beds
Is done by bare-footed men and women,
both clad in bright crimson 1knee breeches
undistinguishabe. The regular trenches
and bikes, kept in place with spiles inter-
laced with watties, look like a Dutch gar
den.
To one accustomed to fhe5plump, clean,
white and gray American bivalve, the fab
by, yellow greenish European specimen
is not inviting. The shells, are fat. thin,
irregular and as shiny and corrugated as
an old barnacle, while the inmates are
about the size and thickness Of a 50-cent
piece for a five-inch shelf. on the spot. they
sell from to 10 cents adozen. Elsewhere,
they command more, and the greener the
higher prices. Oysters are. never eaten
here except on the half she'll. A sugges-
ton to put them into soup lor patties to
scailop or stew them, shoeks,a French chef
as. a proposition to broiI "a watermelon
would a Carolina cook, snink pan
roast" would be regarded here as little
less than sacrilege. Even when by much
persistence you have achieved some form
of cooked oyster, the chances are infinite
that the most noticeable result will be
fit Of homesickness caused by regretful men,
cries Of the delicious Blue Points" or
succuient Lynn Haven Says It is to be
hoped that our oyster men will learn and
practice the art of propagating and nour-
ishing the oyster so as to preserve both its
superior size and flavor