124 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



hist survey was made. It was, therefore, necessary to place new sig- 

 nal stations before <'otnnieiicing' upon the regular observations, but by 

 July 1 the hydrography iu Tangier Sound had been nearly completed, 

 and the dredging was soon to be taken up. The former consisted 

 chieHy of cross Hues of soundings with ai)propriate instruments, wliich 

 were run at close intervals and witli sullicient care and accuracy to 

 permit of the construction of a chart sliowing the precise outlines of all 

 the oyster-beds, of the bottom ()('('U])i('d by scattered oysters, and of the 

 barren ground. 



Tangier Sound is about 36 miles long, from Watts Ishiml to the head 

 of Fishing Bay. Along both sides of the channel the oystei-gr<mnd is 

 ])ractically continuous, except in the vicinity of Jane Island light-house. 

 Covering more or less of this bottom are large natural oyster-beds, 

 generally elongate in shape, many of them bordering' close u])on the 

 chaniu'l. It was found that the persistent dredging which has been 

 kept up in* this region for so many years has tended to extend the area 

 of oysters and oyster shells, and to consolidate the beds by tilling np 

 the interiuediate areas. Without having comi)lete returns from the 

 investigation, however, it is only pos'sible to say that the total area 

 covered by oysters seems to be considerably greater now than it was in 

 1S78, but the comparative richness of the bottom can not be determined 

 until the infornuition obtained by dredging has been compiled. Com- 

 paratively little variation was found in the density of the water, which, 

 during May and June, averaged 1.011 in the northern part of the 

 sound, 1.012 in the central part, and 1.0124 in the southern part. 



PROPOSKD STUDY OF EUKOPKAN OYSTER-CULTUKE. 



In some parts of Europe, where the market supply of oysters is largely 

 maintained by resorting to artificial methods of propagation, oyster- 

 culture has been carried to a high state of perfection, cpiite in advance 

 of any system that has been practiced in this country. Where the 

 natural beds of oysters along our own coasts are still sufficiently pro- 

 ductive, or where the seed for forming new beds can be obtained abun- 

 dantly under natural coiulitions, no further efforts are demanded for 

 the conduct of tlie oyster industry than to follow the simple methods 

 nowiu use. Unfortunately, in many of the older and more extensive 

 oyster districts, it is complained that the natural supply of seed is not 

 ecpnil to tlie reiiuirements, and much concern is felt lest the beds be- 

 come impoverished on that account. Genuine oyster-culture is un- 

 known in the TTnited States, and none of the experiments hitherto tried 

 in that line have served to develop a thoroughly juactical American 

 system. The Fish Commission report for 1880 contains tr.auslations of 

 tlic l>iinci])al FnMich and (lernmn ])ubli('ations on this subject which 

 had apiK'iired i)revious to that date, but many changes ha\ e taken 

 place sinc(^ then, and in I'raiu^e especially the industry has made great 



