﻿264 
  

  

  EEPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  of 
  sediment 
  both 
  above 
  and 
  below, 
  and 
  year 
  by 
  year 
  these 
  areas 
  

   become 
  higher 
  and 
  higher, 
  until 
  they 
  finally 
  reach 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  

   reef. 
  Grass 
  then 
  spreads 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  and 
  an 
  island 
  is 
  formed 
  

   with 
  a 
  width 
  greater 
  than 
  the 
  original 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  reef 
  from 
  which 
  

   it 
  started 
  (fig. 
  8). 
  

  

  The 
  conditions 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  typical 
  living 
  reefs 
  of 
  Newport 
  River 
  

   are 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  table 
  below. 
  The 
  figures 
  represent 
  what 
  was 
  found 
  

   on 
  a 
  square 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  on 
  the 
  highest 
  part 
  of 
  each 
  reef. 
  A 
  

   photograph 
  also 
  is 
  reproduced, 
  which 
  gives 
  a 
  better 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  appear- 
  

   ance 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  and 
  their 
  distribution 
  on 
  the 
  reef. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  above, 
  worms 
  are 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  mud 
  about 
  the 
  

   roots 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  clusters, 
  and 
  an 
  occasional 
  clam 
  is 
  also 
  found. 
  

   Barnacles 
  cover 
  the 
  shells 
  of 
  oysters 
  wherever 
  found. 
  On 
  the 
  reefs 
  

   near 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  the 
  rivers, 
  sea 
  anemones 
  and 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  shrimp 
  

   are 
  abundant. 
  

  

  Tomjing 
  grounds. 
  — 
  The 
  natural 
  oj^ster 
  beds 
  from 
  which 
  salable 
  

   oysters 
  are 
  annually 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  tongers 
  lie 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  halves 
  

   of 
  the 
  rivers 
  and 
  in 
  certain 
  similar 
  localities 
  in 
  their 
  principal 
  head- 
  

   water 
  tributaries. 
  Those 
  tributaries 
  which 
  join 
  the 
  lower 
  halves 
  of 
  

   the 
  rivers 
  have 
  no 
  tonging 
  grounds 
  of 
  importance, 
  but 
  contain 
  onh' 
  such 
  

   reefs 
  as 
  those 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  into 
  which 
  they 
  fiow. 
  

  

  Every 
  tonging 
  ground 
  is 
  associated 
  with 
  a 
  reef. 
  The}^ 
  are 
  found 
  

   in 
  some 
  instances 
  apparently 
  independent 
  (Lawtons 
  Rock 
  in 
  Newport 
  

   and 
  Sunken 
  Rock 
  in 
  North 
  River), 
  but 
  in 
  these 
  cases 
  the 
  reefs 
  have 
  

   been 
  cut 
  down 
  and 
  hauled 
  away 
  for 
  use 
  as 
  fertilizer 
  on 
  farm 
  land 
  or 
  

   in 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  lime. 
  Each 
  tonging 
  ground 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  strip 
  

   of 
  hard 
  or 
  sticky 
  bottom 
  of 
  varying 
  width, 
  and 
  extends 
  along 
  either 
  

   one 
  or 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  a 
  reef 
  below 
  low-v/ater 
  mark. 
  The 
  hardness 
  of 
  

   the 
  bottom 
  on 
  these 
  strips 
  is 
  in 
  nearly 
  every 
  case 
  due 
  to 
  tlie 
  shells 
  

   that 
  have 
  fallen 
  from 
  the 
  adjoining 
  reef. 
  Such 
  portions 
  as 
  have 
  been 
  

   sufficiently 
  hardened 
  to 
  support 
  single 
  oysters 
  at 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  very 
  

   3^oung 
  reefs 
  or 
  along 
  those 
  surrounded 
  by 
  very 
  soft 
  deep 
  mud 
  are 
  too 
  

   narrow 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  commercial 
  value, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   old 
  reefs 
  the 
  tonging 
  grounds 
  are 
  acres 
  in 
  extent, 
  that 
  around 
  Sunken 
  

   Rocks 
  in 
  North 
  River, 
  for 
  example, 
  containing 
  40 
  acres. 
  Natural 
  

   agencies 
  only 
  (winds, 
  waves, 
  rain, 
  and 
  ice) 
  are 
  at 
  work 
  in 
  scattering 
  

   shells 
  and 
  oysters 
  over 
  the 
  bottoms 
  adjacent 
  to 
  young 
  reefs, 
  and 
  they 
  

   work 
  very 
  slowly, 
  but 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  hardened 
  areas 
  become 
  sufiiciently 
  

   large 
  to 
  produce 
  single 
  oysters 
  in 
  considerable 
  abundance 
  the 
  oyster- 
  

   men 
  are 
  attracted 
  to 
  them 
  and 
  their 
  growth 
  becomes 
  more 
  rapid, 
  for 
  

  

  