148 THE OYSTER. 



survey of Tangier Sound, and a similar survey of all 

 the oyster area of our State would have required four 

 or five years more, and as we had no means at our 

 disposal for exact surveying, even if there had been 

 time to undertake it, we adopted a more rapid method 

 of gaining a crude idea of the condition of the beds. 



It is obvious that abed where there are many oysters 

 to the yard is in a more fertile condition than one 

 where the oysters are few. It is also clear that a bed 

 in which the living oysters are few as compared with 

 the dead empty shells, is less vigorous than one where 

 the dead shells are less numerous. 



It is clear, too, that a bed upon which many young 

 oysters are growing up to replace the old ones is 

 more prolific than one where the young oysters are 

 few. During the first year of its life the oyster is 

 much more exposed to accidents and enemies than 

 it is after it reaches maturity, and it is therefore plain 

 that if the average life of the oyster upon our worked 

 beds is three years, any bed upon which the oysters 

 one year old are not much more than one-third of the 

 whole number must soon be destroyed. 



We therefore attempted to ascertain these three 

 points for all the larger beds in our waters : first, the 

 number of oysters to the square yard; second, the 

 ratio of living oysters to empty shells, and, third, the 

 ratio of mature to immature oysters. To ascertain the 

 number of oysters to the square yard, a dredge with a 

 mouth a yard wide was dragged over the bottom, for 

 a measured distance, at a definite rate of speed, and its 

 contents were then brought aboard and counted. 

 This method does not give perfect accuracy, for the 



