15 



it was always above 1.008, even during the freshets of April aud 

 May of this year. The number of diatoms in the water was 

 always large, aud the extent of the muddy bottom assures a 

 dependable supply. 



In the lower part of Little Bayou du Large, between the two 

 passes into King Lake, there are oysters growing, both in the 

 deeper parts of the bayou and also along the banks nearly up 

 to high water mark. On the deeper reefs, in from seven to 

 fifteen feet of water, the oysters are of good quality and fairly 

 abundant. Farther up in the bayou, between the pass to King 

 Lake and that to Lake Washa, the bottom is quite firm for some 

 distance and there are several reefs now almost entirely depleted 

 of oysters. There are wide mud flats at some points in this 

 bayou and near the small branch going to Lake Washa the 

 water is very shallow and the bottom composed of very soft, 

 <ieep mud. At the times when an examination was made, the 

 salinity of the water in this part of the bayou v\'as rather low — 

 1.0068 — but the food supply was abundant and the oysters ex- 

 amined were in good condition. 



Bayou Jack Stout is a short bayou opening to the Gulf about 

 three-quarters of a mile to the east from the entrance to Tay- 

 lor's Bayou. At its upper end it opens into the southwest corner 

 of Bay Jack Stout. There is from twelve to twenty feet of 

 v/ater in the channel, and the bottom is quite firm in the deeper 

 portions. There are now no natural reefs in this bayou. 



In Bay Jack Stout the water is very shallow except in the 

 ■channel along the western side of the bay, so that, at low tides 

 in winter, the greater part of the oyster reefs are exposed. The 

 bottom, in the areas between the reefs, is composed of very 

 soft, deep mud, in most- places incapable of supporting oysters 

 without the previous application of some hardening material. 

 Tho oysters on all of the natural reefs examined were densely 

 crowded, and. with few exceptions, were small and of poor 

 quality. In the deeper, western part of the bay there are some 

 good oysters on the natural reefs; but the most of the hard 

 bottom in this part of the bay has been taken up for bedding 

 -grounds. 



