The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-04-20
THE BIRMINGHAM AGE-HERALD, SUNDAY, APRIL 20 1919

ued by the Prince of Wales. and plans have been prepared for rebuilding in other streets and courts where the leases of existing houses fell in before the war, but operations on this larger scheme will have to go ahead more or sless leisurely until more building material;and labor are available.
 In Edward VII's time the, duchy hold ings in Remington were more than once referred to derisively as 'the King sIums," and this description was to considerable extent justified. The de- rision, however, was not, Nor the royal owner of the estate was helpless to inn prove matters. It was officially explained to me the other day that large number of the leases in the Remington district were granted by the crown "a century or more ago, and until these leases revert to the Duke of Cornwall, namely the Prince of Wales, as they are now gradually do-
 ing, the hands of the young royal land lord are tied. In some cases, l am told, there are as many as eight, intermediate tenants between the duchy ald the private owner
 VISIT TO CORNWALL
 While on leave from the Italian front, A year or more ago, the Prince paid his first visit, as head of the duchy, to his mining properties in Cornwall, and warm ly welcomed by the workers, made very thorough tour of inspection In the course of it he went down a wolfram mine at GUnnisake and in miners cveralls, tried his hand at picking and drilling. The mine managers daughter later presented him with a model of the Kit Hill stack in wolfram and tin, and alter lunch at the mine buildings, the prince received number of his tenants, one of whom, resident on one farm of 6a years, pre- serted him with a bag of apples
 This visit was a 'Semi-priyate one, which was rather a pity because, when the Duke of Cornwall visits his duchy in | state a series of exceedingly picturesque 1 old-world ceremonies are observed. Tn olden times. as everybody Sknows, sov- ereigns frequently granted estates to their henchmen on condition that the latter rendered some purely formaL act of hom- age, and several big estates in Cornwall arc held on these terms. When the head | of the duchy visits it in state, these l rents are paid. For example, when the Duke of Cornwall enters the duchy, one l landowner Lord Cliffden, presents hlm with a grey riding hood, and another 1 landowner follows the prince around car | rying this hood in the royal wake so 1 to speak. Another duchy tenant holds | land in return for presenting a grey ] hound to the Duke of Cornwall at the gates of ancient Launceston castle. The l Scilly Islands, whence come most or the early spring flowers seen in the London shops, are part of the duchy or Corn wall, and they were once held in ex- 1 change for an annual rent ot 2Oo pu,f1ns. I The puffin, be it explained is queer ] little shore bird, rather lile parrot, 1 with a parti-colored bill which 1t sheds | in exchange for quite new and entirely | different shaped one each year, Just De- | fore it migrates to more equable chimes. 1 It is curious to think of the heir to l Britains throne as an oyster' farmer, put
 I am told that the beds that the prince started three years ago in the Helford estuary in the duchy of Cornwall are be- | ing developed to such an extent that, py l the end of another decade or so, his royal | h:ghness will be one of the largest grow
 CTS of the succulent bivalve in England. | The prince as Duke of Cornwall, or1glnai- 1 ly went in for oyster farming, not to ad- vance his private interests, but to provide
 employment for the longshore fishermen | or his Cornish estate, who were badly mt by the war The oyster fisheries at the l mouth of Hel river, where the prince | beds are situated, were celebrated in the l reign of Edward I, but with the passing i of centuries the industry gradually lan- | guished through lack Of energy, cap l ital, technical knowledge and easily ac- | cessible markets I am told that the i private company whose htldings the 1 duchy of Cornwall took. over, raised nc more than s7500 worth of oysters in the
 course of a year The estuary of the He river, which is a huge one, is almost per Il feet for oyster culture, since not single T drain enters it. The duchy of Cornwall enterprise, however, is being conducted
 on combined scientific and commercial
 lines under the direction of Professor
 Gardiner, F. R. S., of Cambridge univer'
 sity, a recognized authority.
 At the outset, 6,00o,Oo0 embryo oysters
 were laid down. and this year abou'
 300 900 will be taken out. representing
 value of about s20,0OO. The oyster, it may
 be explained, takes five years to attair
 it's full growth (that is, to be ready fol
 eating), and one interesting fact abou
 the English oyster is that it is the only
 one in the world that is bi-sexual. Incl
 dentally the English oyster isrt't anything
 like as succulent a bivalve as it's Amer
 ican cousin. Ten years hence the duch1 of Cornwall beds are expected to pro
 duce over 10000, 900 oysters a year.
 ROYAL HORSEBREEDER
 The horse breeding industry which thu Prince of Wales also carries out on his
 duchy estate is unique in many of its