﻿OYSTER 
  BOTTOMS 
  OF 
  LAVACA 
  BAY, 
  TEX, 
  7 
  

  

  particulars. 
  Wlienever, 
  in 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  the 
  officer 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  

   sounding 
  boat, 
  such 
  information 
  was 
  required, 
  a 
  numbered 
  buoy 
  was 
  

   dropped, 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  number 
  being 
  entered 
  in 
  the 
  sounding 
  book. 
  

   Another 
  launch, 
  following 
  the 
  sounding 
  boat, 
  anchored 
  alongside 
  the 
  

   buoy, 
  and 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  and 
  shells 
  were 
  tonged 
  up, 
  

   separated 
  by 
  sizes, 
  and 
  counted. 
  

  

  This 
  boat 
  at 
  each 
  station 
  made 
  a 
  known 
  number 
  of 
  "grabs" 
  with 
  

   the 
  oyster 
  tongs, 
  exercising 
  care 
  to 
  clean 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  oysters 
  as 
  

   thoroughly 
  as 
  possible 
  at 
  each 
  grab. 
  In 
  a 
  given 
  depth 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  

   using 
  the 
  same 
  boat 
  and 
  tongs, 
  an 
  oysterman 
  will 
  cover 
  practically 
  

   the 
  same 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  at 
  each 
  grab, 
  but, 
  other 
  factors 
  remaining 
  

   the 
  same, 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  grab 
  will 
  decrease 
  with 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  

   depth. 
  

  

  Careful 
  measurements 
  were 
  made 
  and 
  tabulated 
  showing 
  the 
  area 
  

   per 
  grab 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  tonger 
  employed 
  on 
  the 
  work 
  at 
  each 
  foot 
  

   of 
  depth 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  for 
  each 
  pair 
  of 
  tongs 
  and 
  boat 
  used. 
  With 
  

   these 
  data, 
  and 
  knowing 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  "grabs," 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   oysters 
  of 
  each 
  size 
  per 
  square 
  yard 
  of 
  bottom 
  was 
  readily 
  obtainable 
  

   by 
  simple 
  calculation. 
  The 
  following 
  example 
  will 
  illustrate 
  the 
  

   data 
  obtained 
  and 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  record: 
  

  

  This 
  furnishes 
  an 
  exact 
  statement 
  of 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  bed 
  at 
  

   the 
  spot, 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  platted 
  on 
  the 
  chart 
  with 
  error 
  in 
  position 
  

   of 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  few 
  yards. 
  From 
  the 
  data 
  obtained 
  a 
  close 
  esti- 
  

  

  