﻿OYSTER 
  REGIONS 
  OF 
  APALACHICOLA 
  BAY, 
  ETC. 
  107 
  

  

  The 
  area 
  for 
  3 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  of 
  the 
  Bulkhead, 
  included 
  

   between 
  the 
  3-foot 
  curves 
  of 
  either 
  shore, 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  patches 
  of 
  

   dense 
  j^rowth 
  of 
  oysters. 
  There 
  are, 
  in 
  all, 
  10 
  of 
  tliese 
  patches, 
  niakini? 
  

   a 
  total 
  of 
  38 
  acres. 
  Of 
  these 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  containing 
  only 
  about 
  

   1 
  acre, 
  and 
  the 
  largest 
  contains 
  5 
  acres. 
  

  

  All 
  these 
  small 
  clusters 
  of 
  dense 
  growth 
  of 
  oysters 
  have 
  the 
  -same 
  

   characteristics. 
  The 
  oysters 
  are 
  found 
  surrounding 
  reefs 
  of 
  dead 
  

   shells, 
  which 
  are 
  usually 
  awash 
  at 
  Jiigh 
  water. 
  The 
  reefs 
  are 
  narrow 
  

   and 
  crescent- 
  shaped, 
  with 
  their 
  concave 
  surface 
  to 
  the 
  eastward, 
  and 
  

   invariably 
  run 
  in 
  a 
  uorth-and-south 
  direction. 
  They 
  shoal 
  oif 
  gradually 
  

   on 
  the 
  eastern 
  side 
  and 
  rise 
  abruptly 
  from 
  the 
  deep 
  water 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  

   side. 
  The 
  oysters 
  extend 
  out, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  about 
  30 
  yards 
  to 
  the 
  east- 
  

   ward 
  and 
  about 
  20 
  yards 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  of 
  the 
  reef. 
  They 
  are 
  found 
  

   singly 
  and 
  are 
  in 
  excellent 
  condition 
  and 
  of 
  good 
  quality. 
  In 
  manj^ 
  

   instances 
  spat 
  and 
  young 
  growth 
  were 
  noticed. 
  The 
  reefs 
  all 
  arise 
  

   from 
  a 
  soft, 
  muddy 
  bottom 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  8 
  or 
  9 
  feet, 
  in 
  some 
  cases, 
  

   while 
  over 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  (mtlying 
  patithes 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  

   about 
  li 
  feet 
  at 
  low 
  water. 
  

  

  The 
  scattered 
  growth 
  of 
  oysters 
  in 
  tliis 
  ])art 
  of 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Sound 
  

   covers 
  considerable 
  area, 
  there 
  being 
  1,590 
  acres. 
  The 
  largest 
  extent 
  

   of 
  the 
  scattered 
  growth 
  occurs 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  sound, 
  inside 
  the 
  

   3-foot 
  curve 
  and 
  nearly 
  opposite 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  patches 
  of 
  dense 
  growth 
  

   before 
  mentioned. 
  Scattered 
  oysters 
  are 
  also 
  fcmnd 
  all 
  along 
  the 
  south 
  

   shore 
  from 
  the 
  Bulkhead 
  to 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Point, 
  although, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  

   locality 
  just 
  mentioned, 
  they 
  form 
  only 
  a 
  narrow 
  band. 
  They 
  are 
  also 
  

   found 
  some 
  little 
  distance 
  up 
  the 
  bayous 
  of 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Island. 
  On 
  

   the 
  north 
  shore 
  they 
  extend 
  as 
  far 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  as 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  

   middle 
  of 
  the 
  sound. 
  The 
  oysters 
  are 
  found 
  on 
  bottoms 
  of 
  hard 
  nnid 
  

   and 
  hard 
  and 
  soft 
  sand. 
  They 
  occur 
  in 
  bunches 
  of 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  8 
  in 
  each 
  

   bunch, 
  and 
  are 
  good-sized 
  and 
  well-conditioned, 
  except 
  close 
  inshore, 
  

   where 
  they 
  are 
  smaller 
  and 
  poorer. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  sound, 
  just 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Bulkhead, 
  is 
  

   an 
  area 
  of 
  102 
  acres, 
  where 
  there 
  was 
  formerly 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  oysters, 
  but 
  

   where 
  now 
  only 
  shells 
  can 
  be 
  found. 
  As 
  no 
  drills, 
  starfish, 
  drumfish, 
  

   or 
  other 
  euemies 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  were 
  discovered, 
  it 
  is 
  probabh' 
  that 
  the 
  

   loss 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  of 
  this 
  bed, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  the 
  bed 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  of 
  

   the 
  Bulkhead, 
  was 
  occasioned 
  by 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  hurricanes 
  which 
  

   have 
  recently 
  swept 
  this 
  region, 
  the 
  oysters 
  being 
  smothered 
  by 
  the 
  

   mud 
  deposited, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  stirred 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  unusual 
  currents 
  and 
  

   heavy 
  seas. 
  

  

  Planting 
  f/round. 
  — 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  areas 
  of 
  scattered 
  oysters, 
  there 
  

   are, 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  sound, 
  l,-405 
  acres 
  of 
  excellent 
  i)lanting 
  ground. 
  

   Tiie 
  strip 
  along 
  the 
  northern 
  shore 
  extends 
  from 
  the 
  scattered 
  area 
  to 
  

   Green 
  Point, 
  and 
  makes 
  out 
  from 
  shore 
  about 
  a 
  ([uarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile, 
  and 
  

   out 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  about 
  4 
  feet 
  at 
  low 
  water. 
  This 
  strip 
  cov^ers 
  6G5 
  acres. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  attempt 
  at 
  oyster 
  cultivation 
  in 
  the 
  area 
  covered 
  by 
  tiie 
  

   survey 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  G. 
  Kuge, 
  of 
  Apalachicola, 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  

  

  