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  large 
  amount 
  of 
  grass, 
  sponge 
  and 
  sea 
  weed, 
  growing 
  on 
  the 
  

   sand 
  shoals, 
  especially 
  the 
  one 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  Heme 
  Island 
  and 
  

   south 
  of 
  the 
  Guilford 
  Channel, 
  is 
  frequently 
  torn 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  

   heavy 
  gales 
  and 
  deposited 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  injurious 
  

   effect 
  that 
  it 
  had 
  in 
  Tangier 
  Sdund. 
  Heavy 
  southerly 
  gales 
  

   wall 
  sometime 
  cover 
  the 
  beds 
  above 
  the 
  Buoy 
  Spit 
  and 
  Shell 
  

   Rocks 
  with 
  mud 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  but 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  long, 
  it 
  

   'is 
  said, 
  to 
  affect 
  the 
  oysters 
  seriously. 
  

  

  EFFECT 
  OF 
  ICE 
  AND 
  GALES. 
  

  

  The 
  heavy 
  gales 
  that 
  occur 
  in 
  winter 
  and 
  summer, 
  though 
  

   principally 
  during 
  the 
  former 
  season, 
  increase 
  or 
  diminish 
  the 
  

   depth 
  of 
  water 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  sometimes 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  three 
  feet. 
  

   Strong 
  northerly 
  and 
  northwesterly 
  gales 
  have 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  

   diminishing 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  water 
  by 
  piling 
  up 
  any 
  floating 
  ice 
  

   upon 
  the 
  leeward 
  shores 
  and 
  cutting 
  away 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  shores. 
  

   Heavy 
  southeasterly 
  and 
  southerly 
  gales 
  will 
  increase 
  the 
  

   depth 
  of 
  water 
  on 
  the 
  beds, 
  stir 
  up 
  the 
  soft 
  muddy 
  bottom 
  of 
  

   the 
  channels 
  and 
  beds 
  above 
  Shell 
  Rock 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  win- 
  

   ter, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  piling 
  the 
  ice 
  on 
  the 
  leeward 
  shores 
  and 
  

   planted 
  beds 
  near 
  Ape's 
  Hole 
  Creek, 
  will 
  pile 
  it 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  

   Old 
  Rocks, 
  Buoy 
  Rock 
  and 
  Shell 
  Rocks. 
  Generally 
  speak- 
  

   ing, 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  this, 
  as 
  in 
  Tangier 
  Sound, 
  are 
  in 
  too 
  much 
  

   water 
  to 
  permit 
  their 
  being 
  uncovered 
  by 
  even 
  the 
  heaviest 
  

   gales, 
  or 
  to 
  allow 
  the 
  ice 
  to 
  ground 
  upon 
  them 
  at 
  any 
  time 
  ; 
  

   but 
  those 
  beds 
  in 
  shoal 
  water, 
  of 
  about 
  one 
  fathom 
  and 
  the 
  

   planted 
  beds, 
  which 
  are 
  generally 
  in 
  less, 
  are 
  subjected 
  to 
  

   both. 
  The 
  effect 
  of 
  gales 
  and 
  ice 
  in 
  Pocomoke 
  Sound 
  seems 
  

   to 
  be 
  less 
  than 
  that 
  in 
  Tangier 
  Sound, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  its 
  

   less 
  extent 
  and 
  small 
  area. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  INFORMATION 
  GIVEN 
  BY 
  OYSTERMEN. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  information 
  is 
  that 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  answers 
  

   to 
  the 
  questions 
  propounded 
  to 
  oystermen. 
  All 
  the 
  oyster- 
  

   men 
  and 
  dealers 
  that 
  were 
  encountered 
  during 
  the 
  season, 
  so 
  

   far 
  as 
  was 
  possible, 
  were 
  interrogated. 
  That 
  which 
  was 
  not 
  

  

  