THE OYSTER I5I 



Fifty-nine beds were examined in this way, and the 

 results are given in the accompanying table, which 

 shows that forty-four of these beds are below Wins- 

 low's average, and fifteen above it. Upon one of these 

 beds, in Hooper's Strait, we found 8.2 oysters to the 

 square yard, and we here obtained 4000 oysters in six 

 hauls. These oysters were all very small, averaging 

 four hundred to the bushel, and we probably struck 

 an area where there had been a good catch of spat a 

 year or two before, but where there were no large 

 oysters. At any rate,^his condition is exceptional, 

 and I have therefore omitted the dredgings in Hooper's 

 Strait in the average for the bay. Leaving this out, 

 the average for the other fifty-eight beds gives .235 

 oysters to the square yard, or one oyster to each 

 4AV0 ya-rds, while three years before there was one 

 oyster to each 2^-^^^ square yards. 



Startling as this result is, it is by no means the 

 whole truth. We must remember that in 1879 Tan- 

 gier Sound itself was more exhausted than the bay, 

 so there were undoubtedly more than .419 oysters to 

 the square yard at this date. Then, too, we have ex- 

 amined many beds where dredging is not permitted, 

 and other beds where the oysters are unmarketable, 

 and the high results which we obtained from these 

 beds are included in the average. If these were 

 omitted our total would show nearly 50 per cent of 

 exhaustion to the most valuable beds of the State. 

 The accompanying table, which is compiled entirely 

 from the facts which we observed by personal exami- 

 nation of all the beds, must speak for itself. It is the 

 most trustworthy evidence which we have been able 



