﻿27 
  

  

  Previous 
  to 
  the 
  year 
  1800, 
  and 
  from 
  this 
  date 
  to 
  1825, 
  the 
  

   number 
  taken 
  each 
  year 
  was 
  small, 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  average 
  more 
  

   than 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  million 
  oysters, 
  and 
  the 
  enormous 
  numbers 
  

   which 
  were 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  late 
  years 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  

   removal 
  of 
  this 
  moderate 
  number 
  yearly 
  had 
  no 
  tendency 
  

   to 
  destroy 
  the 
  beds. 
  It 
  seems 
  quite 
  evident 
  from 
  the 
  figures 
  

   that 
  the 
  bed 
  might 
  have 
  yielded 
  twenty 
  million 
  oysters 
  a 
  year 
  

   for 
  an 
  indefinite 
  period, 
  and 
  the 
  figures 
  given 
  for 
  the 
  years 
  after 
  

   1825 
  are 
  therefore 
  highly 
  instructive, 
  for 
  they 
  show 
  that 
  a 
  

   bed 
  which 
  is 
  capable 
  of 
  furnishing 
  a 
  very 
  great 
  supply 
  of" 
  

   oysters 
  may 
  be 
  completely 
  exterminated 
  within 
  a 
  compara- 
  

   tively 
  few 
  years 
  by 
  unlimited 
  dredging. 
  

  

  The 
  table 
  also 
  shows 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  answer 
  to 
  rely 
  upon 
  

   the 
  very 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  eggs, 
  and 
  therefore 
  trust 
  to 
  a 
  few 
  

   oysters 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  replenishing 
  the 
  bed. 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  such 
  facts, 
  no 
  one 
  who 
  appreciates 
  the 
  magni- 
  

   tude 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  industry 
  of 
  the 
  Chesapeake 
  can 
  doubt 
  that 
  

   the 
  protection 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  oyster 
  beds 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  which 
  

   is 
  worthy 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  careful 
  attention. 
  While 
  the 
  manner 
  

   in 
  which 
  this 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  accomplished 
  is 
  outside 
  the 
  scope 
  of 
  the 
  

   present 
  paper, 
  a 
  statement 
  of 
  those 
  favorable 
  and 
  unfavorable 
  

   infiuences 
  which 
  have 
  suggested 
  themselves 
  to 
  me 
  during 
  my 
  

   work, 
  may 
  fairly 
  find 
  a 
  place 
  here. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  naturalists 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  indi- 
  

   viduals 
  which 
  reach 
  maturity 
  in 
  any 
  species 
  of 
  animals 
  or 
  

   plants 
  does 
  not 
  depend 
  upon 
  the 
  number 
  which 
  are 
  born. 
  The- 
  

  

  