Report of the Board of Shell Fish Commissioners 155 



toms, but patches or "lumps" of oysters of various size occur 

 here and there separated by areas entirely barren. The lumps 

 are so numerous, however, and so close together that it is not 

 practical to open the barren areas for lease. A very consider- 

 able part of the bottom of the large bar, Plney Island Swash, 

 situated below Law's Thoroughfare, is composed of hard sand. 

 A continuous belt of hard bottom occurs on the north side of 

 Marshy Island bar and also along the south side of Drum Point 

 bar. 



The inner boundary of Drum Point and Marshy Island bars 

 is formed by the middle of the main channel of the river, in 

 which the depth of water gradually decreases from about twen- 

 ty-eight feet, at the lower parts of the bar, to twelve feet at their 

 upper ends. The outer boundary of Drum Point bar is situated 

 in water from nine to five feet in depth, while that of Marshy 

 Island bar follows closely the six-foot curve. The average 

 depth of water over Carmen and Georges bars is about nine feet. 

 The outer limits of these bars are covered with water from five 

 to seven feet in depth, while their common inner boundary, the 

 middle of the channel, is situated in water about twelve feet 

 deep. Sandy Point bar occupies the area in and on both sides 

 of the main river channel over which the water was found to 

 vary in depth from twelve to five feet. 



The following table shows the maximum and minimum densi- 

 ties of 7 the water observed from July 23 to August 28, 1907 : 



Maximum Tempera- Minimum Tempera- 

 Oyster Bar. Density. ture. Density. ture. 



Drum Point : 1.0098 81 (F) 1.0088 83 



Marshy Island 1.0098 81 1.0086 84 



Carmen 1.009 78 1.007 81 



Georges 1.0088 78 1.007 82 



Sandy Point 1.007 81 1.0062 81 



Piney Island Swash 1.010 77 1.0082 81 



By reference to the text and tables on pages 27-29 of Win- 

 slow's Report, it will be noted that the water over the Manokin 

 River oyster grounds contained considerably more salt during 

 August and September in 1878 than during July and August, 

 1907, the maximum density recorded from the "Lower Beds" in 



