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  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  DESCRIPTION 
  OF 
  NATURAL 
  BED. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Brooks 
  tlius 
  describes 
  a 
  natural 
  oyster 
  bank 
  : 
  

  

  An 
  examination 
  of 
  a 
  Coast 
  Survey 
  chart 
  of 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  or 
  ofi 
  

   any 
  of 
  its 
  tril>utaries 
  will 
  show 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  usually 
  a 
  midchaunel 
  or 
  line 
  of 
  deep 
  

   water 
  where 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  generally 
  soft 
  and 
  where 
  no 
  oysters 
  are 
  met 
  with, 
  and 
  on 
  

   each 
  side 
  of 
  this 
  an 
  area 
  where 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  hard, 
  running 
  from 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  

   channel 
  to 
  the 
  shore. 
  This 
  hard 
  strip 
  is 
  the 
  oyster 
  area. 
  It 
  varies 
  in 
  width 
  from 
  a 
  

   few 
  yards 
  to 
  several 
  miles, 
  and 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  water 
  varies 
  upon 
  it 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  to 
  

   5 
  or 
  6 
  fathoms 
  or 
  even 
  more. 
  But 
  there 
  is 
  usually 
  a 
  sudden 
  fall 
  at 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  

   channel 
  where 
  the 
  oysters 
  stop, 
  and 
  we 
  pass 
  onto 
  hard 
  bottom; 
  and 
  a 
  cross-section 
  

   of 
  the 
  channel 
  would 
  show 
  a 
  hard, 
  flat 
  plane 
  with 
  oysters 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  deep, 
  

   muddy 
  channel. 
  The 
  oyster 
  bottom 
  is 
  pretty 
  continuous, 
  escejit 
  opposite 
  the 
  mouth 
  

   of 
  a 
  tributary, 
  Avhere 
  it 
  is 
  cut 
  across 
  by 
  a 
  deep, 
  muddy 
  channel. 
  The 
  solid 
  oyster 
  

   rocks 
  are 
  usually 
  situated 
  along 
  the 
  outer 
  edge 
  of 
  this 
  plateau, 
  although 
  in 
  many 
  

   cases 
  they 
  are 
  found 
  over 
  its 
  whole 
  width 
  nearly 
  up 
  to 
  low-tide 
  mark 
  or 
  beyond. 
  

   As 
  we 
  pass 
  south 
  along 
  the 
  bays 
  and 
  sounds 
  of 
  Virginia 
  and 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  we 
  nnd 
  

   that 
  the 
  hard 
  borders 
  of 
  the 
  channel 
  come 
  nearer 
  and 
  nearer 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  imtil 
  in 
  

   the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  North 
  Carolina 
  there 
  is 
  on 
  each 
  side-of 
  the 
  channel 
  a 
  wide 
  strip 
  of 
  

   hard 
  bottom, 
  which 
  is 
  bare 
  at 
  low 
  tide 
  and 
  covered 
  with 
  oysters 
  up 
  to 
  high- 
  water 
  

   mark, 
  although 
  the 
  oysters 
  are 
  most 
  abundant 
  and 
  largest 
  at 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  deep 
  

   water, 
  Avhere 
  they 
  form 
  a 
  well-defined 
  reef. 
  In 
  our 
  own 
  waters 
  there 
  is 
  usually 
  a 
  

   strip 
  along 
  the 
  shore 
  where 
  no 
  oysters 
  are 
  found, 
  as 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  water 
  is 
  not 
  great 
  

   enough 
  to 
  protect 
  them 
  in 
  winter. 
  The 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  hard 
  belt 
  is 
  not 
  uniformly 
  

   covered 
  with 
  oysters, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  divided 
  up 
  into 
  separate 
  oyster 
  rocks, 
  between 
  which 
  

   comparatively 
  few 
  can 
  be 
  found. 
  

  

  The 
  boundaries 
  of 
  a 
  natural 
  rock 
  which 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  changed 
  by 
  dredging 
  are 
  

   usually 
  well 
  defined, 
  and 
  few 
  oysters 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  beyond 
  its 
  limits. 
  The 
  oysters 
  

   are 
  crowded 
  together 
  so 
  closely 
  that 
  they 
  can 
  not 
  lie 
  flat, 
  but 
  grow 
  vertically 
  upward, 
  

   side 
  by 
  side. 
  They 
  are 
  long 
  and 
  narrow, 
  are 
  fastened 
  together 
  in 
  clusters, 
  and 
  are 
  

   known 
  as 
  "coon 
  oysters." 
  

  

  When 
  such 
  a 
  bed 
  is 
  carefully 
  examined 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  that 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  rock 
  is 
  

   made 
  up 
  of 
  empty 
  shells, 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  examination 
  will 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  crowding 
  is 
  so 
  

   great 
  that 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  one 
  oyster 
  prevents 
  adjacent 
  ones 
  from 
  opt^niug 
  their 
  shells, 
  

   and 
  thus 
  crowds 
  them 
  out 
  and 
  extermiuates 
  them. 
  Examination 
  shows, 
  too, 
  that 
  

   nearly 
  every 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  oysters 
  is 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  open 
  or 
  free 
  end 
  of 
  a 
  dead 
  

   shell 
  which 
  has 
  thus 
  been 
  crowded 
  to 
  death, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  unusual 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  

   pile 
  of 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  shells 
  thus 
  united, 
  showing 
  that 
  number 
  two 
  has 
  fastened, 
  when 
  

   small, 
  to 
  the 
  open 
  end 
  of 
  number 
  one, 
  thus 
  raising 
  itself 
  a 
  little 
  above 
  the 
  crowd. 
  

   After 
  number 
  one 
  was 
  killed, 
  number 
  two 
  continued 
  to 
  grow, 
  and 
  number 
  three 
  fast- 
  

   ened 
  itself 
  to 
  its 
  shell, 
  and 
  so 
  on. 
  Usually 
  the 
  oysters 
  upon 
  such 
  a 
  bed 
  aretsmall, 
  but 
  

   in 
  some 
  places 
  shells 
  12 
  or 
  14 
  inches 
  longjaromet 
  with. 
  The 
  most 
  significant 
  charac- 
  

   teristic 
  of 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  is 
  the 
  sharpness 
  of 
  its 
  boundaries. 
  In 
  regions 
  where 
  

   the 
  oysters 
  are 
  never 
  disturbed 
  by 
  man 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  unusual 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  hard 
  bottom 
  

   extending 
  along 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  shore 
  for 
  miles 
  and 
  divided 
  up 
  into 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   oyster 
  rocks, 
  where 
  the 
  oysters 
  are 
  so 
  thick 
  that 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  crowded 
  out 
  and 
  

   die 
  long 
  before 
  they 
  are 
  full 
  grown, 
  and 
  between 
  these 
  beds 
  are 
  areas 
  where 
  not 
  a 
  

   single 
  oyster 
  can 
  be 
  found. 
  The 
  intervening 
  area 
  is 
  perfectly 
  adapted 
  for 
  the 
  oyster, 
  

   and 
  when 
  a 
  few 
  bushels 
  of 
  shells 
  are 
  scattered 
  upon 
  it 
  they 
  are 
  soon 
  covered 
  with 
  

   young, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  year 
  or 
  two 
  a 
  new 
  oyster 
  rock 
  is 
  established 
  upon 
  them, 
  but 
  when 
  

   they 
  are 
  left 
  to 
  themselves 
  the 
  rocks 
  remain 
  sharply 
  defined. 
  

  

  What 
  is 
  the 
  reason 
  for 
  this 
  sharp 
  limitation 
  of 
  a 
  naturjil 
  bed? 
  Those 
  who 
  know 
  

   the 
  oyster 
  only 
  in 
  its 
  adult 
  condition 
  may 
  believe 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  

   powers 
  of 
  locomotion 
  and 
  may 
  hold 
  that 
  the 
  young 
  oysters 
  grew 
  up 
  among 
  the 
  old 
  

   ones, 
  just 
  as 
  young 
  oak 
  trees 
  grow 
  up 
  where 
  the 
  acorns 
  fall 
  from 
  the 
  branches. 
  This 
  

   can 
  not 
  be 
  the 
  true 
  explanation, 
  for 
  the 
  young 
  oysters 
  are 
  swimming 
  animals, 
  and 
  

  

  