﻿302 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIOIS^ER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  about 
  li 
  feet 
  of 
  water. 
  Fort}^ 
  bushels 
  of 
  shells 
  were 
  planted 
  in 
  five 
  

   rows 
  across 
  the 
  current. 
  During- 
  the 
  first 
  summer 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  spat 
  became 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  shells, 
  but 
  soon 
  died, 
  owing 
  

   probabl}^ 
  to 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  sand 
  grains 
  inside 
  their 
  shells. 
  In 
  rough 
  

   weather 
  the 
  sand 
  shifted 
  readil}^, 
  and 
  b}^ 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  summer 
  

   the 
  planted 
  shells 
  were 
  all 
  covered. 
  

  

  Area 
  JSfo. 
  3. 
  — 
  The 
  third 
  planting 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  North 
  River 
  on 
  April 
  

   27, 
  1900, 
  on 
  the 
  southeast 
  corner 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Fiver's 
  oj^ster 
  "g-arden," 
  

   which, 
  at 
  this 
  end, 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  hard 
  white 
  sand. 
  The 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  

   water 
  is 
  about 
  4 
  feet 
  at 
  low 
  tide. 
  Seventy 
  bushels 
  of 
  shells 
  were 
  

   planted 
  in 
  four 
  rows 
  across 
  the 
  current 
  on 
  an 
  area 
  covering 
  750 
  square 
  

   feet. 
  This 
  bed 
  has 
  a 
  history 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  No. 
  2, 
  considerable 
  

   quantities 
  of 
  spat 
  being 
  caught 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  season, 
  but 
  killed 
  by 
  

   the 
  sand, 
  which 
  entirely 
  covered 
  the 
  planted 
  shells 
  before 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   August, 
  1901. 
  

  

  AreaJS^o. 
  ^. 
  — 
  The 
  ground 
  selected 
  for 
  this 
  planting, 
  which 
  was 
  made 
  

   May 
  5, 
  1900, 
  was 
  in 
  Newport 
  River 
  on 
  deep, 
  sticky 
  mud, 
  covering 
  an 
  

   area 
  of 
  500 
  square 
  feet. 
  Sixt}' 
  -three 
  bushels 
  of 
  shells 
  were 
  scattered 
  

   over 
  it 
  as 
  evenl}^ 
  as 
  possible, 
  making 
  a 
  laj^er 
  2i 
  shells 
  in 
  thickness. 
  

   To 
  this 
  were 
  added 
  on 
  May 
  16, 
  1900, 
  18 
  bushels 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  oysters 
  

   that 
  could 
  be 
  gathered 
  at 
  low 
  tide 
  from 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  reefs 
  in 
  Core 
  

   Creek. 
  This 
  stock 
  was 
  composed 
  of 
  oysters 
  of 
  fairly 
  good 
  shape, 
  but 
  

   varying 
  from 
  2^ 
  to 
  4 
  inches 
  in 
  length. 
  They 
  were 
  planted 
  on 
  the 
  

   same 
  da}^ 
  they 
  were 
  gathered, 
  in 
  an 
  even 
  layer 
  over 
  the 
  shells, 
  the 
  aver- 
  

   age 
  number 
  to 
  each 
  square 
  foot 
  being 
  about 
  18. 
  These 
  oysters 
  have 
  

   had 
  the 
  best 
  history 
  of 
  any 
  that 
  were 
  planted 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  number 
  

   that 
  lived 
  is 
  concerned, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  by 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  table 
  on 
  

   page 
  306. 
  They 
  made 
  little 
  growth, 
  howev^er, 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  their 
  shells 
  

   becoming 
  thick 
  and 
  blunt. 
  

  

  Area 
  No. 
  6. 
  — 
  Planting 
  was 
  begun 
  on 
  this 
  area 
  Ma^^ 
  8, 
  1900, 
  b}^ 
  broad- 
  

   casting 
  it 
  with 
  70 
  bushels 
  of 
  shells, 
  and 
  was 
  continued 
  May 
  11, 
  1900, 
  

   b}" 
  adding 
  18 
  bushels 
  of 
  seed 
  03'sters. 
  The 
  location 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  southwest 
  

   corner 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  River 
  bed 
  and 
  contains 
  100 
  square 
  feet 
  of 
  soft 
  mud, 
  

   into 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  thrust 
  an 
  oar 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  3 
  feet. 
  The 
  

   depth 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  varies 
  from 
  3i 
  to 
  6 
  feet. 
  The 
  shells 
  were 
  scattered 
  

   over 
  the 
  bottom, 
  giving 
  it 
  a 
  hard 
  surface 
  3i 
  shells 
  in 
  thickness. 
  The 
  

   seed 
  oysters 
  were 
  "coons" 
  picked 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  reefs 
  at 
  Rowlands 
  

   Point, 
  and 
  man}^ 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  in 
  small 
  clusters. 
  They 
  lived 
  well 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  first 
  season, 
  but 
  many 
  died 
  during 
  the 
  following 
  winter 
  and 
  

   spring, 
  20 
  per 
  cent 
  only 
  being 
  left 
  on 
  Ma}^ 
  30, 
  1901. 
  On 
  September 
  

   9, 
  1902, 
  none 
  were 
  found, 
  although 
  a 
  considerable 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  spat 
  

   grown 
  on 
  the 
  bed 
  were 
  doing 
  well. 
  Little 
  or 
  no 
  improvement 
  in 
  the 
  

   shape 
  of 
  the 
  seed 
  oysters 
  was 
  noted. 
  The 
  transplanted 
  oysters 
  were 
  

   taken 
  from 
  a 
  locality' 
  where 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  usually 
  ver}' 
  salt 
  to 
  one 
  in 
  

   which 
  the 
  density 
  is 
  much 
  lower. 
  

  

  