﻿143 
  

  

  than 
  40 
  per 
  cent, 
  should 
  be 
  removed 
  each 
  year, 
  but, 
  in 
  xnj 
  

   opinion, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  maintain 
  the 
  oysters 
  at 
  a 
  constant 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  in 
  the 
  above 
  case, 
  no 
  more 
  than 
  25 
  per 
  cent, 
  should 
  be 
  ta- 
  

   ken, 
  as 
  the 
  one 
  oyster 
  in 
  four 
  would 
  be 
  replaced 
  each 
  year. 
  No 
  

   comparison 
  between 
  the 
  Schleswig-Holstein 
  beds 
  and 
  those 
  on 
  

   our 
  coast 
  can 
  well 
  be 
  instituted, 
  as 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  Tangier 
  

   and 
  Pocomoke 
  Sounds 
  are 
  of 
  greater 
  extent, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  more 
  

   extensive 
  the 
  bed 
  the 
  greater 
  the 
  breeding 
  power, 
  I 
  should 
  

   consider 
  that 
  until 
  the 
  annual 
  number 
  of 
  mature 
  oysters 
  

   produced 
  is 
  known, 
  it- 
  would 
  be 
  safer 
  to 
  take 
  about 
  50 
  per 
  

   cent, 
  from 
  the 
  beds, 
  supposing 
  them 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  good 
  condition. 
  

   That 
  is 
  but 
  an 
  estimate, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  an 
  erroneous 
  one, 
  but 
  

   certainly 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  too 
  small, 
  and 
  it 
  now 
  remains 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  

   what 
  nuuiber 
  of 
  oysters 
  are 
  actually 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  beds. 
  

   I 
  regret 
  that 
  statistics 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  trades 
  in 
  the 
  Sounds 
  are 
  

   not 
  at 
  hand 
  for 
  reference, 
  and 
  also 
  that 
  the 
  pressure 
  of 
  other 
  

   work 
  while 
  I 
  was 
  in 
  that 
  locality 
  prevented 
  me 
  from 
  obtain- 
  

   ing 
  them. 
  Such 
  observations 
  as 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  make, 
  how^ever, 
  

   will 
  furnish 
  a 
  basis 
  for 
  a 
  somewhat 
  rude 
  estimate 
  of 
  the 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  oysters 
  and 
  young 
  taken 
  off 
  the 
  beds 
  during 
  the 
  sea- 
  

   son. 
  "While 
  in 
  Crisfield 
  harbor, 
  about 
  the 
  11th 
  October, 
  tliere 
  

   were 
  counted 
  fifty-seven 
  sail 
  oyster 
  dredges, 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  

   of 
  bushels 
  carried 
  by 
  them 
  estimated, 
  and 
  the 
  estimate 
  veri- 
  

   fied 
  by 
  the 
  subsequent 
  statements 
  of 
  the 
  masters 
  of 
  the 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  vessels 
  in 
  each 
  class. 
  The 
  following 
  table 
  shows 
  the 
  re- 
  

   sult 
  : 
  

  

  TABLE 
  I. 
  

  

  