﻿OYSTER 
  REGIONS 
  OF 
  APALACHICOLA 
  BAY, 
  ETC. 
  203 
  

  

  As 
  before 
  remarked, 
  there 
  is 
  apparently 
  uo 
  reason 
  why 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  

   St. 
  Vincent 
  Bar 
  should 
  not 
  again 
  become 
  a 
  productive 
  bed, 
  and 
  the 
  

   general 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  growth 
  bears 
  out 
  this 
  opinion. 
  

  

  The 
  shell 
  reefs 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Bar. 
  — 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  shell 
  

   reefs, 
  with 
  no 
  live 
  oysters 
  on 
  or 
  near 
  them, 
  are 
  found 
  about 
  1^ 
  miles 
  

   north 
  of 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Bar. 
  These 
  former 
  oyster 
  beds 
  are 
  

   similar 
  to 
  the 
  southern 
  part 
  of 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Bar 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  there 
  being 
  

   no 
  oysters 
  of 
  full 
  size 
  found 
  on 
  or 
  near 
  them. 
  They 
  consist 
  of 
  one 
  large 
  

   reef 
  with 
  4 
  feet 
  of 
  water 
  on 
  it 
  at 
  low 
  water, 
  containing 
  23 
  acres, 
  and 
  

   three 
  other 
  smaller 
  ones, 
  containing 
  altogether 
  13 
  acres. 
  They 
  all 
  

   rise 
  abruptly 
  out 
  of 
  from 
  8 
  to 
  10 
  feet 
  of 
  water. 
  On 
  these 
  beds 
  the 
  sbells 
  

   occur 
  in 
  clusters 
  of 
  from 
  8 
  to 
  10, 
  and 
  vary 
  in 
  size 
  from 
  ^ 
  inch 
  to 
  4J 
  

   inches 
  in 
  length. 
  The 
  inside 
  of 
  the 
  shell 
  presents 
  a 
  clean 
  appearance, 
  

   as 
  if 
  the 
  shell 
  had 
  been 
  buried 
  and 
  only 
  lately 
  uncovered; 
  this 
  

   applied 
  to 
  the 
  smaller 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  larger 
  shells. 
  The 
  outsides 
  of 
  

   the 
  shells 
  were 
  covered 
  with 
  barnacles, 
  and 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  oyster 
  crabs 
  

   were 
  noticed. 
  A 
  few 
  live 
  oysters 
  of 
  young 
  growth, 
  about 
  half 
  an 
  inch 
  

   in 
  diameter, 
  were 
  found 
  on 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  shells, 
  but 
  this 
  growth 
  seemed 
  

   to 
  be 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  ridges 
  of 
  the 
  reefs 
  j)roper. 
  The 
  old 
  shells 
  are 
  very 
  

   closely 
  packed, 
  and 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  coating 
  of 
  mud. 
  

   The 
  probe 
  showed 
  these 
  beds 
  to 
  1)6 
  about 
  oi 
  inches 
  in 
  thickness. 
  Under 
  

   the 
  beds 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  soft 
  mud 
  for 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  2 
  feet, 
  and 
  then 
  hard 
  

   sand 
  for 
  about 
  a 
  foot 
  or 
  more. 
  No 
  vegetable 
  growth 
  was 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  

   beds, 
  and 
  no 
  enemies 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  could 
  be 
  discovered. 
  Undoubtedly 
  

   the 
  loss 
  of 
  these 
  beds 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  cause 
  that 
  destroyed 
  St. 
  

   Vincent 
  Bar 
  — 
  namely, 
  the 
  hurricane 
  before 
  spoken 
  of. 
  The 
  appearance 
  

   of 
  the 
  beds 
  indicates 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  buried 
  and 
  only 
  lately 
  uncov- 
  

   ered. 
  It 
  is 
  likely 
  that 
  these 
  beds 
  will 
  recover, 
  if 
  not 
  molested. 
  

  

  8o\ith 
  Lump. 
  — 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  name 
  given 
  to 
  an 
  oyster 
  bed 
  which 
  lies 
  

   half 
  way 
  between 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Bar 
  and 
  Tow 
  Head 
  Island, 
  

   near 
  Apalachicola, 
  and 
  about 
  half 
  way 
  between 
  them. 
  It 
  contains 
  35 
  

   acres 
  of 
  quite 
  a 
  dense 
  growth 
  of 
  oysters, 
  which 
  are, 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part, 
  

   small 
  in 
  size. 
  The 
  reef 
  runs 
  east 
  and 
  west, 
  and 
  is 
  five-eighths 
  of 
  a 
  

   mile 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  an 
  eighth 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  wide 
  at 
  its 
  

   widest 
  part. 
  It 
  has 
  over 
  it 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  feet 
  at 
  low 
  water, 
  

   with 
  a 
  ruling 
  depth 
  of 
  4 
  feet. 
  The 
  depth 
  of 
  water 
  surrounding 
  the 
  

   reef 
  is 
  from 
  8 
  to 
  9 
  feet 
  at 
  low 
  water, 
  and 
  the 
  reef 
  is 
  more 
  shelving 
  on 
  

   the 
  north 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side. 
  This 
  bed, 
  like 
  the 
  others 
  surround- 
  

   ing 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side, 
  was 
  formerly 
  very 
  productive, 
  but 
  it, 
  like 
  

   the 
  others, 
  was 
  so 
  overworked 
  that 
  it 
  became 
  depleted 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  

   ago. 
  Since 
  that 
  time, 
  these 
  beds 
  have 
  been 
  left 
  to 
  recuperate, 
  and 
  it 
  

   seems 
  probable 
  that, 
  if 
  left 
  undisturbed, 
  they 
  will 
  soon 
  recover 
  their 
  

   former 
  productiveness. 
  At 
  present 
  among 
  the 
  old 
  shells 
  are 
  found 
  

   some 
  full-grown 
  oysters 
  — 
  about 
  two 
  to 
  a 
  square 
  yard 
  — 
  while 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  

   bed 
  young 
  oysters 
  are 
  found 
  of 
  all 
  sizes, 
  all 
  in 
  a 
  healthy 
  condition. 
  No 
  

   enemies 
  to 
  the 
  oyster 
  were 
  discovered. 
  The 
  bed 
  is 
  2 
  feet 
  in 
  thickness, 
  

   and 
  underlying 
  the 
  bed 
  it 
  is 
  hard 
  sand. 
  

  

  