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  theory. 
  Currents 
  were 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  no 
  effect 
  upon 
  the 
  spawn- 
  

   ing. 
  Oysters 
  of 
  one 
  year's 
  growth, 
  three-fourths 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  

   long, 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  with 
  the 
  spawn 
  in 
  them, 
  and 
  oysters 
  on 
  

   natural 
  beds 
  were 
  thought 
  by 
  the 
  majority 
  to 
  spawn 
  soon- 
  

   er 
  than 
  the 
  planted 
  ones, 
  though 
  there 
  M'as 
  not 
  much 
  dif- 
  

   ference. 
  Oysters 
  transplanted 
  with 
  the 
  spawn 
  in 
  them, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  will 
  cease 
  spawning. 
  

  

  A 
  wet 
  or 
  warm 
  spring 
  would 
  hasten 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  spawning, 
  

   but 
  would 
  not 
  shorten, 
  its 
  duration. 
  Heavy 
  freshets 
  were 
  

   very 
  destructive 
  to 
  the 
  " 
  spat 
  " 
  in 
  Pocomoke 
  Sound, 
  driving 
  

   it 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  Bay, 
  and 
  large 
  schools 
  of 
  fish, 
  especially 
  trout 
  

   and 
  taylors, 
  devoured 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  ever}^ 
  spring 
  and 
  sum- 
  

   mer. 
  The 
  young 
  were 
  supposed 
  to 
  " 
  strike 
  " 
  every 
  tliree 
  

   years, 
  though 
  there 
  was 
  but 
  little 
  regularity 
  about 
  it, 
  a 
  bed 
  

   sometimes 
  running 
  for 
  ten 
  years 
  with 
  a 
  young 
  growth 
  on 
  it 
  

   every 
  year 
  and 
  then 
  failing 
  to 
  produce 
  anything 
  for 
  two 
  or 
  

   three 
  years. 
  Sometimes 
  one 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bed 
  will 
  be 
  covered 
  

   by 
  young, 
  and 
  another 
  part 
  totally 
  barren. 
  

  

  No 
  systematic 
  attempt 
  had 
  ever 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  

   amount 
  of 
  "cultch" 
  in 
  the 
  Sounds, 
  though 
  a 
  few 
  persons 
  had 
  

   placed 
  old 
  shells, 
  ballast, 
  boards 
  and 
  boughs 
  about 
  their 
  plant- 
  

   ing 
  ground 
  and 
  succeeded 
  in 
  making 
  a 
  good 
  catch. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  the 
  general 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  oyster 
  increased 
  in 
  

   size 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  two 
  inches 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  year 
  of 
  growth 
  

   and 
  a 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  second 
  ; 
  afterwards 
  

   the 
  increase 
  was 
  much 
  less. 
  Oysters 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  four 
  

   years 
  old 
  were 
  considered 
  as 
  best 
  for 
  the 
  market 
  and 
  

   are 
  then 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  four 
  inches 
  lono;. 
  Ten 
  bushels 
  of 
  

   oysters 
  were 
  considered 
  a 
  profitable 
  day's 
  work 
  for 
  a 
  tonger. 
  

   For 
  a 
  dredger 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  bushels 
  varied 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  

   their 
  different 
  sizes. 
  About 
  sixty 
  bushels 
  were 
  considered 
  a 
  

   profitable 
  day's 
  work 
  for 
  the 
  larger 
  vessels 
  and 
  from 
  twenty 
  

   to 
  thirty 
  for 
  smaller 
  craft. 
  

  

  The 
  dredging 
  vessels 
  employ 
  from 
  four 
  to 
  nine 
  men 
  and 
  

   the 
  " 
  tonging 
  " 
  canoes 
  one 
  man 
  and 
  a 
  boy. 
  Tonging 
  could 
  

   not 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  profitably 
  in 
  depths 
  greater 
  than 
  four 
  fath- 
  

   oms 
  in 
  the 
  Sound 
  and 
  dredging 
  in 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  six. 
  The 
  

   dredges 
  vary 
  in 
  size, 
  from 
  two 
  feet 
  to 
  four 
  feet 
  across 
  the 
  mouth 
  

  

  