﻿OYSTER 
  REGIONS 
  OF 
  APALACHICOLA 
  BAY, 
  ETC. 
  201 
  

  

  current, 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  direction 
  of 
  ebb 
  and 
  flow, 
  all 
  aloug- 
  the 
  shore 
  of 
  

   St. 
  George 
  Island 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  Kew 
  Inlet. 
  Over 
  the 
  oyster 
  bed 
  known 
  as 
  

   East 
  Hole 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  a 
  mossy 
  growth 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  would 
  seem 
  

   to 
  indicate 
  eddying 
  currents 
  at 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bay, 
  but 
  this 
  theory 
  

   was 
  not 
  established 
  by 
  observation 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  lack 
  of 
  time. 
  At 
  a 
  

   position 
  between 
  the 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Bar 
  and 
  West 
  Pass, 
  

   the 
  currents 
  run 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  during 
  flood 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  

   during 
  ebb. 
  Flood 
  (;urrent 
  has 
  a 
  velocity 
  from 
  1 
  to 
  2=} 
  knots 
  and 
  ebb 
  

   from 
  i 
  to 
  1 
  knot 
  per 
  hour. 
  

  

  As 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  bay, 
  the 
  winds 
  govern 
  the 
  currents 
  very 
  

   perceptibly. 
  

  

  Hie 
  tides. 
  — 
  The 
  mean 
  rise 
  and 
  fall 
  of 
  the 
  tides, 
  established 
  by 
  con- 
  

   tinuous 
  observations 
  lasting 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  survey, 
  

   was 
  1.8 
  feet, 
  but 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  borne 
  iu 
  mind 
  that 
  the 
  tidal 
  observations 
  

   were 
  taken 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  and 
  early 
  spring, 
  and 
  that 
  a 
  somewhat 
  

   different 
  result 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  obtained 
  from 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  observations 
  

   during 
  the 
  summer. 
  

  

  The 
  tides 
  are 
  very 
  nuich 
  affected 
  by 
  the 
  winds, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  noticeable 
  during 
  the 
  heavy 
  nortliers, 
  when 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  driven 
  

   out 
  of 
  the 
  bay 
  and 
  the 
  tide 
  is 
  very 
  much 
  below 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  mean 
  low 
  

   water, 
  being 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  1.1 
  feet 
  below. 
  This 
  very 
  low 
  

   water 
  is 
  usually 
  accompanied 
  by 
  cold, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  by 
  freezing 
  

   weather, 
  which 
  is 
  very 
  destructive 
  to 
  such 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds 
  as 
  

   are 
  exposed. 
  Heavy 
  southerly 
  gales 
  cause 
  unusually 
  high 
  tides, 
  and 
  

   hurricanes 
  and 
  freshets 
  cause 
  disastrous 
  floods. 
  

  

  As 
  is 
  well 
  known, 
  there 
  is 
  usually 
  but 
  one 
  tide 
  in 
  twenty-four 
  hours 
  

   on 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  coast, 
  and 
  the 
  tides 
  are 
  very 
  irregular. 
  At 
  

   times 
  during 
  the 
  survey 
  the 
  tide 
  would 
  be 
  low 
  for 
  several 
  days 
  together, 
  

   and 
  then, 
  again, 
  would 
  be 
  high 
  for 
  a 
  considerable 
  period. 
  In 
  fact, 
  the 
  

   tides 
  are 
  affected 
  by 
  the 
  winds 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  as 
  to 
  sometimes 
  

   almost 
  obliterate 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  lunar 
  influences. 
  

  

  WESTERN 
  PART 
  OF 
  APALACHICOLA 
  IJAY. 
  

  

  SiliHi's 
  Bar. 
  — 
  The 
  dense 
  growth 
  of 
  oysters 
  on 
  this 
  bar 
  covers 
  16 
  acres, 
  

   and 
  the 
  scattering 
  growth, 
  surrounding 
  the 
  bar 
  proper, 
  contains 
  about 
  

   200 
  acres. 
  The 
  bar 
  has 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  3 
  feet 
  of 
  water 
  on 
  it 
  at 
  low 
  water, 
  and 
  

   extends 
  nearly 
  north 
  from 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Bar 
  for 
  about 
  three-fourths 
  of 
  a 
  

   mile, 
  being 
  about 
  100 
  yards 
  in 
  width. 
  The 
  scattering 
  growth 
  extends 
  

   out 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  beyond 
  the 
  bar, 
  and 
  is 
  over 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  width. 
  

  

  The 
  oysters 
  of 
  this 
  bar 
  are 
  of 
  excellent 
  quality, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  only 
  one 
  

   other 
  bed 
  — 
  Cat 
  Point 
  Bar 
  — 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  compared 
  with 
  it. 
  These 
  

   oysters 
  also 
  compare 
  ver}^ 
  t^xvorabl}^ 
  with 
  the 
  best 
  northern 
  oysters. 
  

   They 
  are 
  most 
  plentiful 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  bar, 
  being 
  found 
  

   here, 
  in 
  number, 
  about 
  20 
  to 
  the 
  stpiare 
  yard, 
  and 
  are 
  about 
  equally 
  

   divided 
  in 
  bunches 
  and 
  single 
  oysters. 
  They 
  average 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  5 
  in 
  a 
  

   bunch. 
  The 
  whole 
  area 
  of 
  oyster 
  bottom 
  is 
  quite 
  clear, 
  with 
  very 
  little 
  

   vegetable 
  growth. 
  The 
  oysters 
  are 
  covered 
  generally 
  with 
  barnacles 
  

  

  