"'That's just another point where we show our superiority to Nature.
_Our_ products _don't_ decay; on the contrary, they improve by keeping.
Here is a tomato seven years old,' he continued, taking down another
case. 'Try it.'

"We did. The other was not to be compared with it. The older tomato had
matured and mellowed, the skin having a finer colour and lovelier gloss,
the flesh possessing a firmer body and more delicate flavour; it was far
in advance of any tomato we had ever conceived.

"'Wonderful!' we exclaimed.

"'A very simple matter,' said the director. 'All that is required is a
thorough mastery of chemistry. In all our goods we employ a special
patent preservative of our own, which is naturally a secret. We
calculate it to be worth one hundred and fifty quadrillions of dollars.

"'But let us show you how we make oysters! See, these are the tanks
which contain the mixture--the compound which forms the body of the
bivalve. This tank contains the beard-mixture; and this one the
gristle.'

"'And what are the principal ingredients?'

"'Glue, made from horses' heels. This is a very important factor in our
products. This glue, after undergoing a peculiar treatment which
prevents its hardening and losing its elasticity in the course of years,
is flavoured and coloured in various ways. This great tank contains the
composition for the internal parts of the oyster--nearly black, you
perceive; that tank over there contains the compound for the flesh that
covers the internal parts; that tank farther along holds the beard
mixture; and the one beyond that the gristle which attaches the oyster
to the shell. First, the flesh of the oyster is run into moulds, each
oyster being in two parts; then the inside of the animal is run into
another mould, and the two halves of the body are automatically placed
around it and cemented together.

"'Meanwhile the beards have been rolled, stamped, frilled, and coloured
along the edge by special automatic machinery. The body of the oyster
then passes to the fixing-up room, where the beard is cemented to it by
hand, and finishing touches of colour added; and then it passes along
and has the gristle attached: and the oyster itself is complete.'

[Illustration: The Oyster Factory Affixing the Beards.]

"'But it wants a shell!'

"'Just so. As far as the supply will go, we buy up old shells from
dustyards and use them; but most of them are damaged by previous
opening, so we make the