﻿134 
  

  

  There 
  are, 
  then, 
  two 
  similar 
  facts 
  noticed 
  in 
  both 
  Sounds 
  

   with 
  regard 
  to 
  tlie 
  presence 
  and 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  and 
  

   "young 
  growth;" 
  the 
  former 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  deep 
  wa- 
  

   ter 
  and 
  on 
  hard 
  bottoms, 
  tlie 
  latter 
  in 
  shoal 
  water, 
  on 
  or 
  

   near 
  soft 
  bottoms. 
  The 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  can 
  hard- 
  

   ly 
  be 
  of 
  much 
  importance 
  in 
  this 
  case, 
  for 
  though 
  a 
  hard 
  

   clean 
  bottom 
  is 
  necessary 
  for 
  a 
  successful 
  attachment 
  of 
  

   the 
  " 
  spat," 
  yet 
  the 
  bottoms 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   Sounds 
  must 
  be 
  sufficiently 
  so 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  large 
  quantity, 
  

   as 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  young 
  growth 
  on 
  

   those 
  beds 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  is 
  not 
  due 
  

   entirely 
  to 
  that 
  cause 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  their 
  scarcity 
  on 
  the 
  Chain 
  

   Shoal 
  and 
  Drumming 
  Shoal 
  beds 
  in 
  Tangier 
  and 
  Shell 
  and 
  

   Muddy 
  Marsh 
  beds 
  in 
  Pocomoke 
  Sound, 
  where 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  

   hard 
  and 
  moderately 
  clean. 
  Remaining 
  then 
  as 
  the 
  only 
  

   probable 
  cause 
  known 
  to 
  us 
  is 
  the 
  difference 
  of 
  depth 
  of 
  

   water. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  upon 
  reviewing 
  the 
  remarks 
  and 
  rec- 
  

   ord, 
  that 
  almost 
  invariably 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  deep 
  water 
  

   and 
  the 
  young 
  growth 
  in 
  shoal. 
  It 
  was 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  the 
  

   oystermen 
  that 
  the 
  oysters 
  in 
  the 
  Sounds 
  increased 
  from 
  one 
  

   to 
  three 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  year 
  of 
  their 
  existence. 
  

   The 
  class 
  termed 
  " 
  young 
  growth" 
  by 
  us 
  were 
  from 
  three- 
  

   fourths 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  to 
  one 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  inches 
  long 
  ; 
  and 
  sup- 
  

   posing 
  the 
  oystermen 
  to 
  be 
  correct 
  in 
  their 
  estimation 
  of 
  in- 
  

   crease 
  in 
  size, 
  the 
  class 
  termed 
  " 
  young 
  growth" 
  would 
  then 
  

   be 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  season's 
  brood." 
  

  

  The 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  September, 
  

   and 
  in 
  Tangier 
  Sound 
  ; 
  the 
  principal 
  amount 
  of 
  information 
  

   was 
  collected 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  that 
  month 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  

   part 
  of 
  October. 
  If, 
  then, 
  the 
  oysters 
  on 
  the 
  shoal 
  water 
  beds 
  

   had 
  spawned 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  June, 
  they 
  would 
  have 
  had 
  

   about 
  four 
  months 
  growth 
  when 
  our 
  observations 
  were 
  made. 
  

   In 
  searching 
  for 
  spawn 
  in 
  the 
  oysters 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  

   August 
  and 
  first 
  part 
  of 
  September, 
  Mr. 
  Kice 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  

   discover 
  any 
  except 
  in 
  those 
  from 
  deep 
  w^ater, 
  and 
  that 
  fact, 
  

   together 
  with 
  the 
  inference 
  drawn 
  from 
  the 
  preceding 
  para- 
  

   graphs, 
  leads 
  me 
  to 
  believe 
  the 
  oystermen 
  correct 
  in 
  stating 
  

  

  ^Spawned 
  imioh 
  earlier 
  tlian 
  those 
  termed 
  " 
  j'oun^." 
  

  

  