﻿OYSTER 
  EEGIONS 
  OF 
  APALACHICOLA 
  BAY, 
  ETC. 
  205 
  

  

  to 
  a 
  space 
  of 
  4 
  square 
  yards. 
  The 
  oysters 
  are 
  of 
  good 
  flavor 
  and 
  fat. 
  

   The 
  young- 
  growth 
  occurs 
  in 
  bunches 
  of 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  six. 
  Xo 
  vegeta- 
  

   ble 
  matter 
  was 
  found, 
  or 
  enemies 
  of 
  any 
  kind 
  noticed. 
  The 
  bed 
  is 
  6 
  

   inches 
  deep, 
  with 
  soft 
  sand 
  underneath. 
  

  

  This 
  bed 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  will 
  become 
  one 
  of 
  excellent 
  productiveness. 
  

  

  The 
  reef 
  north 
  of 
  South 
  Lumj). 
  — 
  A 
  long, 
  narrow 
  oyster 
  reef, 
  to 
  which 
  

   no 
  name 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  by 
  the 
  oystermen, 
  begins 
  at 
  a 
  point 
  about 
  half 
  

   a 
  mile 
  north 
  of 
  South 
  Lump, 
  and 
  extends 
  in 
  a 
  northwesterly 
  direction 
  

   for 
  over 
  a 
  mile. 
  The 
  reef 
  itself, 
  except 
  at 
  its 
  middle 
  portion, 
  is 
  very 
  

   narrow, 
  and 
  has 
  only 
  4i 
  to 
  5^ 
  feet 
  of 
  water 
  on 
  it 
  at 
  low 
  water. 
  It 
  

   rises 
  abruptly 
  from 
  a 
  uniformly 
  soft 
  muddy 
  bottom, 
  on 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  

   depth 
  of 
  from 
  7 
  to 
  8 
  feet 
  at 
  low 
  water. 
  The 
  area 
  covered 
  by 
  oysters 
  

   extends 
  beyond 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  reef 
  itself, 
  and 
  measures 
  07 
  acres. 
  

   This 
  bed 
  has 
  the 
  same 
  characteristics 
  as 
  the 
  others 
  in 
  this 
  locality. 
  

   There 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  growth 
  of 
  young 
  oysters 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  old 
  shells, 
  and 
  

   rather 
  fewer 
  full-grown 
  oysters 
  than 
  are 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  neighboring- 
  

   beds. 
  Observations 
  gave 
  about 
  three 
  full-grown 
  oysters 
  to 
  a 
  square 
  

   yard, 
  and 
  half 
  a 
  bushel 
  of 
  young 
  growth 
  to 
  4 
  square 
  yards. 
  The 
  

   oysters 
  here 
  were 
  rather 
  fresh 
  in 
  flavor, 
  but 
  this 
  was 
  probably 
  due 
  to 
  

   the 
  low 
  density 
  which 
  existed 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  just 
  before 
  the 
  observations 
  

   were 
  made. 
  The 
  bed, 
  like 
  the 
  others 
  hereabouts, 
  gives 
  good 
  promise 
  

   of 
  productiveness. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  outlying 
  patch 
  of 
  about 
  5 
  acres 
  lying 
  about 
  an 
  

   eighth 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  bed 
  just 
  described, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  the 
  same 
  

   characteristics. 
  

  

  Thif/pen 
  Bar. 
  — 
  This 
  oyster 
  bed 
  is 
  located 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Apa- 
  

   lachicola 
  Eiver, 
  and 
  is 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  entrance 
  of 
  the 
  

   dredged 
  channel. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  narrow 
  bar 
  running 
  in 
  a 
  north 
  Avest-and- 
  

   southeast 
  direction 
  for 
  over 
  half 
  a 
  mile, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  oyster 
  area 
  

   covers 
  13 
  acres. 
  There 
  are 
  only 
  3 
  feet 
  of 
  water 
  at 
  low 
  water 
  on 
  its 
  

   shoalest 
  parts, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  about 
  it 
  5.^ 
  to 
  (5 
  feet 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  muddy 
  

   bottom. 
  On 
  this 
  bed 
  there 
  are 
  full-grown 
  oysters 
  of 
  excellent 
  quality, 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  a 
  fine 
  growtli 
  of 
  young 
  oysters 
  in 
  different 
  stages 
  of 
  devel- 
  

   opment. 
  The 
  large 
  oysters 
  are 
  found 
  singly 
  and 
  in 
  bunches 
  of 
  from 
  

   two 
  to 
  five. 
  The 
  full-grown 
  oysters 
  are 
  found 
  about 
  nineteen 
  to 
  the 
  

   square 
  yard. 
  The 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  bed 
  is 
  1 
  foot, 
  with 
  hard 
  sand 
  underneath. 
  

  

  Thigpeu 
  Bar, 
  in 
  common 
  witli 
  all 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  bay, 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  worked 
  for 
  several 
  seasons 
  by 
  the 
  oyster- 
  

   men, 
  as 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  agreed 
  to 
  allow 
  these 
  beds 
  to 
  renmin 
  undisturbed 
  

   for 
  a 
  time, 
  to 
  give 
  them 
  a 
  chance 
  to 
  recuperate 
  from 
  their 
  state 
  of 
  

   depletion, 
  brought 
  about 
  by 
  the 
  too 
  great 
  demand 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  pre- 
  

   vious. 
  It 
  would 
  appear 
  at 
  present 
  that 
  this 
  bar 
  ranks 
  next 
  to 
  Silva's 
  

   Bar 
  in 
  i)oint 
  of 
  quality 
  of 
  its 
  oysters. 
  It 
  is, 
  however, 
  of 
  small 
  extent. 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  somewhat 
  strange 
  that 
  this 
  excellent 
  bed 
  of 
  oysters 
  should 
  

   exist 
  in 
  such 
  close 
  proximity 
  to 
  the 
  entrance 
  of 
  the 
  dredged 
  channel 
  to 
  

   the 
  river, 
  but 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  this 
  extrauce 
  is 
  fully 
  L* 
  miles 
  

   from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  fresh 
  water 
  

  

  