AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THE BREEDING OF OYSTERS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bernard Bert, of No. 1, Place Richelieu, in
the City of Bordeaux, and Empire of France, Merchant, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THE BREEDING OF
OYSTERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bernard Bert at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th May 1870.
I, BERNARD BERT, of No. 1, Place Richelieu, in the City of Bordeaux,
5 and Empire of France, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THE BREEDING OF OYSTERS,"
to be as follows:-
The walls of the enclosure A, Figure 1, can be built with masonry or
beton, their foundations must be below the lowest tides, and their heights

page_text: above that of the highest, to prevent the loss of the eggs. On the inner
surface and at the height of about 3 feet from the ground is a sheathing
of rough beton B forming a sort of rock, each irregularity of which is a
collector of oysters. The inside walls C are of the same make, and are
entirely covered with the rough sheathing before mentioned, and are of a
the same height, viz. about 3 feet, so that all their surfaces collect the
spawn. The walls are all of the same length, but are built in contrary
directions to each other, so as not to interrupt the current of the water
in the basin at ebb and flow. The bottom of the basin D is betoned, it
has a declivity towards the centre where the trench E is formed, so as to 1
drain the water from the basin; these declivities from left and right
towards the centre and from the centre to the mouth are particularly
established with a view to suppress the deposits of mud which are
liable to be formed, and to facilitate their speedy removal by means of
hand waterings, this is done from each side, and the diluted mud 1
gathering in the trenches can be driven by means of a broom towards
the passage of the flood gate and from thence to the outside. These
muds are acknowledged to be a most destructive element to oysters. To
complete the description of the bottom of the basin it will be observed
that in consequence of the declivity of the soil, and to form the first 2
platform F, 2%, feet in length measuring from the side walls, a torus G
about 2 inches high is built. These torusses being perforated at
different places allows the diluted mud deposits to pass, and at the same
time prevents the oysters from following also. The length of these
basins may be extended to 600 feet, the breadth may be indefinite. .
2
Figure 2 gives a front sectional view of the whole system, the walls A
with the heights of the rough inner surfaces B, the inner walls C, the
trenches E, the torusses G, and the first layers of oysters F. Tho
platforms placed at I, but marked O, are 4%, feet long by 27 inches broad,
they are supported by brick or stone supports J, and are placed one above 3
the other at a distance of 7 inches apart; they are composed of baked earth
ar beton, the upper surface is concave for the purpose of keeping the
oysters in their position at the time of the watering, before mentioned,
and a groove is made at each end to allow any sand or mud that may
have deposited itself there to pass off without obstruction. They are 3
capable of holding from 2500 to 3000 oysters, each without crowding.
The under surface is level covered with lime or mortar; these under

page_text: surfaces also form collectors and are really the first obstacles, the
embryoes meet on detaching themselves from tho parent oysters. Thesɔ
platforms are the oyster beds, the fish having there every facility to
increase and multiply. The pillars L support cross pieces of timber M,
which in their turn support a sort of moveable ceiling K, composed of
tiles covered with lime or mortar mixed with old shells; this ceiling is
fixed in such a manner that when the embryo oysters are being carried
about from place to place by the waters it arrests their progress and
detains them, this is especially the case when the waters are gradually
falling off from the basin, the embryoes attach themselves to this.ceiling,
which can afterwards be taken out and the young oysters secured and
placed on the platform beds below. As these ceilings secure by far the
greatest number of embryoes as compared with. the other collecting
surfaces, they are therefore by no means unimportant parts of the
arrangements. The screw gate N plays the most important part of the
whole, it is not only that there the water has egress and ingress but it
is by its means that the depositing of the embryoes on the collecting
surfaces is materially assisted' by the gradual egress of the water as the
tide recedes, it is also at this gate that the natural enomies of the young
oysters, fish, crabs, etc. are stopped by a sort of wire cloth, but which does
not prevent the entrance of the oysters. Inside the gate a sort of
barricade is formed of collectors which serves to arrest any oysters that
may have escaped the other collecting surfaces. It will thus be seen
that by means of these precautions every oyster entering the enclosure is
secured and remains undisturbed to develop itself.
The ceilings before mentioned are applied at the time of spawning,
that is in May, and remain until the 1st Sept*.
A surface view of the platform beds is shown in Figure 3, H being a
furnished and O an unfurnished one.
Figure 4 shows the arrangement of the moveable ceilings, O being
the platform underneath.
Figure 5 gives a side sectional view of the interior of the basim with the
arrangement of the platforms, the beds F, the platform beds.O,.the supports
J, the ceilings K, and the rough inner sides B of the outer walls A...
The enclosing walls may be built either perpendicular or inclined,
according to the nature of the ground on which they are built. On a
muddy shore it would be preferable to have them declining, outwards, so

page_text: as to offer greater resistance to the sea spray. The walls C and the
rough sheathing B could be dispensed with, but it would be detrimental
to the production unless other collectors took their places.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
•
Patent, and of an Order of the Lord Chanceller, by the said Bernard
Bert in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th November 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BERNARD
BERT, of No. 1, Place Richelieu, in the City of Bordeaux, Empire of
France, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Bernard Bert, Her special licence that I, the
said Bernard Bert, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Bernard Bert, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THE BREEDING
OF OYSTERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Bernard Bert, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Bernard Bert, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The walls of the enclosure A, Figure 1, can be built either with
masonry or beton; their foundations must be below the lowest tides

page_text: and their heights above that of the highest to prevent the loss of the eggs.
On the inner surface and to the height of about three feet from the
ground is a sheathing of rough beton B, forming a sort of rock, cach
irregularity of which is a collector of oysters. The inside walls C are
of the same make, and are entirely covered with the rough sheathing
before mentioned, and are of the same height, viz., about three feet, so
that all their surfaces collect the spawn. These walls are all of the same
length, but are built in contrary directions to each other, so as not to
interrupt the current of the water in the basin at ebb and flow. The
bottom of the basin D is betoned; it has a declivity towards the centro
where the trench E is formed, so as to drain the water from the basin.
These declivities, from left and right towards the centre, and from the
centre to the mouth, are particularly established with the view to
suppress the deposits of mud which are liable to be formed and to
facilitate their speedy removal by means of hand watering; this is done
from each side and the diluted mud gathering in the trenches can be
driven by means of a broom towards the passage of the flood gate and
from thence to the outside. These muds are acknowledged to be a most
destructive clement to oysters. To complete the description of the
bottom of the basin it will be observed that in consequence of the
declivity of the soil, and to form the first platform F 2 feet in length,
measuring from the side walls a torus G about 2 inches high is built.
These torusses being perforated at different places allow the diluted mud
deposits to pass, but at the same time prevents the oysters from following
also. The length of these basins may be extended to 600 feet; tho
breadth may be indefinite.
Figure 2 shows a sectional view of the whole system. The walls A
with the heights of the rough inner surfaces B, the inner walls O, the
trenches E, the torusses G, and the first layers of oysters F. The
platforms placed at I but marked O are 4% feet long by 27 inches
broad; they are supported by brick or stone supports J, and are placed.
one above the other, at a distance of 7 inches apart; they are com-
posed of baked earth or beton; the upper surface is concave, for the
purpose of keeping the oysters in their position at the time of the
watering before mentioned, and a groove is made at each end to allow
any sand or mud that may have deposited itself there to pass off without
obstruction'; they are capable of holding 2500 to 3000 oysters cach

page_text: •
without crowding. The under surface is level, covered with lime or
mortar; these under surfaces also form collectors and are really the first
obstacles the embryoes meet on detaching themselves from the parent
oyster. These platforms are the oyster beds, the fish having there
every facility to increase and multiply. The pillars L support cross
pieces of timber M which in their turn support a sort of moveable
ceiling K composed of tiles covered with lime or mortar mixed with old
shells. This ceiling is fixed in such a manner that when the embryo
oysters are being carried about from place to place by the waters it
arrests their progress and detains them. This is especially the case
when the waters are gradually falling off from the basin, the embryoes
attach themselves to this ceiling which can afterwards be taken out and
the young oysters secured and and placed in the platform beds below.
As these ceilings secure by far the greatest number of embryoes as com-
pared with the other collecting surfaces they are therefore by no means:
an unimportant part of the arrangements. The screw gate N plays the
most important part of the whole; it is not only that there the water has
egress and ingress, but it is by its means that the depositing of the
embryoes on the collecting surfaces is materially assisted by the gradual
egress of the water as the tide recedes. It is also at this gate that the
natural enemies of the young oyster, fish, crabs, &c., are stopped by a
sort of wire cloth. Inside the gate a sort of barricade is formed of
collectors which serves to arrest any oysters that may have escaped the
other collecting surfaces. It will thus be seen that by means of these
precautions every oyster inside the enclosure is secured and remains
undisturbed to develope itself. The ceilings K. before mentioned are
applied at the time of spawning, that is, in May, and remain until
September.
A surface view of the platform beds is shown in Figure 3, H being
a furnished one, and O an unfurnished one.
3
Figure 4 shows the arrangement of the moveable ceilings, O being the
platform underneath.
Figure 5 gives a side sectional view of the interior of the basin with
the arrangement of the platforms, the beds F, the platform beds O, the
supports J, the ceilings K, and the rough inner sides B of the outer 3
walls A. The enclosing walls may be built either perpendicular or
inclined, according to the nature of the ground on which they are

page_text: built. On a muddy shore it would be preferable to have them declining
outwards so as to offer greater resistance to the sea spray. The walls O
and the rough sheathing B could be dispensed with, but it would be
detrimental to the production unless other collectors took their places.
In witness whereof, I, the said Bernard Bert, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of November, in the year of
our Lord 1870.