﻿OYSTER 
  REGIONS 
  OF 
  APALACHICOLA 
  BAY, 
  ETC. 
  195 
  

  

  oystering 
  there, 
  while 
  the 
  fleet 
  of 
  oystermen 
  had 
  changed 
  the 
  location 
  

   of 
  their 
  work 
  to 
  the 
  eastward. 
  

  

  The 
  Bulkhead 
  forms 
  a 
  natural 
  division 
  between 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds 
  of 
  

   good 
  quality 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  raccoon 
  type. 
  

  

  Oyster 
  beds 
  of 
  Indian 
  Lagoon. 
  — 
  Indian 
  Lagoon, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  surveyed, 
  

   contains 
  five-eighths 
  of 
  a 
  square 
  mile. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  shoal, 
  liaving 
  only 
  

   about 
  2 
  feet 
  of 
  water 
  at 
  low 
  water, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  for 
  even 
  a 
  small 
  

   boat 
  to 
  navigate 
  it, 
  although 
  4 
  feet 
  can 
  be 
  carried 
  in 
  by 
  the 
  channel 
  

   at 
  the 
  entrance. 
  The 
  lagoon, 
  being 
  nearly 
  an 
  inclosed 
  body 
  of 
  water 
  

   and 
  having 
  its 
  entrance 
  so 
  near 
  the 
  pass 
  and 
  the 
  ocean, 
  is 
  naturally 
  ill- 
  

   fitted 
  to 
  support 
  oyster 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  type, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  were 
  of 
  the 
  raccoon 
  type. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  about 
  10 
  acres 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  scattered 
  growth 
  of 
  oysters 
  

   along 
  the 
  south 
  shore, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  area 
  between 
  the 
  reefs 
  on 
  the 
  

   northern 
  side 
  and 
  at 
  its 
  entrance 
  contains 
  about 
  20 
  acres. 
  These 
  reefs 
  

   extend 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  shore 
  for 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  mile, 
  and 
  are 
  composed 
  

   of 
  dead 
  -shells, 
  which 
  are 
  exposed, 
  except 
  at 
  very 
  high 
  tide. 
  These 
  

   are, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  about 
  2 
  yards 
  in 
  width. 
  The 
  whole 
  northern 
  shore 
  of 
  

   the 
  lagoon 
  is 
  a 
  marsby 
  flat 
  extending 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  woods, 
  fringed 
  at 
  

   intervals 
  by 
  the 
  reefs, 
  as 
  described. 
  The 
  oysters 
  are 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  

   edges 
  of 
  reefs, 
  and 
  the 
  intervening 
  spaces 
  between 
  the 
  reefs 
  are 
  com- 
  

   posed 
  of 
  very 
  soft 
  mud. 
  The 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  lagoon, 
  with 
  the 
  

   exception 
  of 
  one 
  small 
  bank 
  of 
  dead 
  shells 
  near 
  its 
  center 
  and 
  a 
  narrow 
  

   strij) 
  along 
  its 
  southern 
  bank, 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  very 
  soft 
  mud. 
  There 
  is 
  

   no 
  area 
  suitable 
  for 
  planting 
  oysters, 
  and 
  the 
  lagoon 
  as 
  a 
  source 
  for 
  

   obtaining 
  oysters 
  for 
  market 
  is 
  of 
  little 
  importance. 
  

  

  Oyster 
  beds 
  of 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Sound, 
  heticeen 
  Indian 
  Pass 
  and 
  the 
  Bulk- 
  

   head. 
  — 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Sound, 
  between 
  Indian 
  Pass 
  and 
  the 
  Bulkhead, 
  

   contains 
  2 
  square 
  miles, 
  and 
  is 
  mostly 
  shoal, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  

   narrow 
  channel 
  extending 
  its 
  whole 
  length. 
  This 
  channel 
  is 
  20 
  feet 
  

   deep 
  at 
  the 
  pass, 
  and 
  7 
  feet 
  at 
  low 
  water 
  can 
  be 
  carried 
  to 
  the 
  Bulk- 
  

   head, 
  where, 
  as 
  before 
  mentioned, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  deep 
  basin 
  of 
  32 
  feet. 
  

  

  Along 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  sound 
  are 
  long, 
  narrow 
  reefs 
  of 
  

   dead 
  shells, 
  dry, 
  excej^t 
  at 
  extreme 
  high 
  water. 
  In 
  some 
  cases 
  these 
  

   reefs 
  extend 
  out 
  a 
  mile 
  into 
  the 
  sound. 
  They 
  are 
  quite 
  narrow, 
  being 
  

   from 
  2 
  yards 
  to 
  10 
  yards 
  or 
  more 
  in 
  width. 
  Tlie 
  reefs 
  forming 
  the 
  

   Bulkhead 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  have 
  altered 
  in 
  shape 
  considerably 
  since 
  the 
  

   original 
  survey. 
  Besides 
  the 
  long 
  reefs 
  there 
  are 
  various 
  small 
  reefs 
  

   and 
  patches 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  deep 
  channel. 
  

  

  The 
  oysters 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  raccoon 
  type 
  and 
  are 
  found 
  along 
  the 
  edges 
  

   of 
  the 
  reefs, 
  close 
  inshore. 
  On 
  the 
  north 
  .shore, 
  near 
  the 
  entrance 
  to 
  

   the 
  lagoon, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  network 
  of 
  reefs 
  of 
  dead 
  shells, 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  

   on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  lagoon. 
  All 
  the 
  oysters 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   sound 
  may 
  be 
  classed 
  as 
  scattering, 
  and 
  they 
  cover 
  about 
  10 
  acres. 
  

   Near 
  the 
  center, 
  on 
  the 
  southern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  channel, 
  is 
  a 
  bank 
  of 
  dead 
  

   shells 
  of 
  70 
  acres, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  of 
  this 
  bank 
  and 
  adjoining 
  it 
  

   is 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  84 
  acres 
  suitable 
  for 
  planting. 
  

  

  