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  and 
  increased 
  while 
  contending 
  with 
  them. 
  Therefore 
  an 
  in- 
  

   crease 
  of 
  power 
  for 
  injury 
  mnst 
  be 
  assigned 
  to 
  one 
  or 
  all 
  of 
  

   these 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  diminished 
  number 
  of 
  oysters. 
  Prob- 
  

   ably 
  the 
  "spat" 
  falls 
  on 
  more 
  favorable 
  ground 
  since 
  the 
  beds 
  

   were 
  discovered 
  than 
  was 
  formerly 
  the 
  case, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   increased 
  amount 
  of 
  "cultch'"' 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fishing 
  of 
  the 
  beds, 
  

   and 
  aside 
  from 
  that, 
  the 
  conditions 
  surrounding 
  and 
  operating 
  

   upon 
  the 
  beds 
  are 
  so 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  that 
  the 
  loss 
  

   of 
  the 
  young 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  much 
  greater 
  from 
  the 
  want 
  of 
  

   attachment. 
  

  

  The 
  freshets 
  and 
  other 
  natural 
  causes 
  for 
  diminished 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  young 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  long 
  in 
  operation, 
  and 
  the 
  dete- 
  

   rioration 
  cannot 
  be 
  justly 
  assigned 
  to 
  them. 
  Remaining 
  then 
  

   to 
  be 
  accounted 
  for 
  are 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  enemies. 
  Those 
  found 
  

   by 
  us 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  were 
  drills 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  and 
  a 
  

   very 
  few 
  star 
  fish, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  oystermen 
  were 
  ignorant 
  of 
  both 
  

   their 
  presence 
  and 
  destructive 
  effects, 
  I 
  am 
  unable 
  to 
  decide 
  

   whether 
  they 
  have 
  increased 
  or 
  diminished 
  in 
  numbere. 
  There 
  

   is 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  ver}^ 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  young 
  are 
  destroj^ed 
  

   by 
  the 
  drills 
  ; 
  fully 
  fifty 
  per 
  cent, 
  on 
  some 
  beds 
  in 
  Pocomoke 
  

   Sound. 
  If, 
  then, 
  these 
  small 
  enemies 
  have 
  only 
  within 
  late 
  

   years 
  entered 
  the 
  Sounds, 
  we 
  have 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  causes 
  

   for 
  the 
  deterioration 
  of 
  the 
  beds. 
  But 
  as 
  there 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  

   marked 
  deterioration 
  upon 
  those 
  beds 
  upon 
  which 
  no 
  drills 
  

   were 
  found, 
  still 
  another 
  cause 
  must 
  be 
  at 
  work 
  and 
  must 
  be 
  

   sought 
  in 
  the 
  non-production 
  of 
  the 
  young. 
  This 
  is 
  caused 
  

   by 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  brood 
  " 
  oysters, 
  they 
  having 
  been 
  re- 
  

   moved 
  or 
  become 
  extincl, 
  thus 
  causing 
  a 
  failure 
  of 
  impregna- 
  

   tion. 
  If 
  the 
  theory 
  is 
  correct 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  mutual 
  fecunda- 
  

   tion 
  partaken 
  of 
  by 
  all 
  oysters 
  on 
  the 
  'beds, 
  the 
  spermatozoa 
  

   being 
  formed 
  and 
  milted 
  somewhat 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  

   ova, 
  then 
  it 
  can 
  easily 
  be 
  understood 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  oysters 
  are 
  

   80 
  much 
  separated 
  that 
  even 
  the 
  tides 
  and 
  currents 
  cannot 
  

   bring 
  the 
  spermatozoa 
  within 
  reach 
  of 
  the 
  adjacent 
  ani- 
  

   mals, 
  there 
  could 
  be 
  no 
  production 
  of 
  young. 
  Taking 
  for 
  

   instance 
  the 
  most 
  exaggerated 
  case 
  in 
  both 
  Sounds, 
  that 
  of 
  

   the 
  Muddy 
  Marsh 
  bed, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  set 
  of 
  the 
  

   current 
  over 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  generally 
  from 
  any 
  other 
  adjacent 
  bed, 
  

  

  