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  Upon 
  an 
  over- 
  dredged 
  and 
  almost 
  exhausted 
  bed 
  the 
  oysters 
  

   will 
  be 
  large 
  and 
  single, 
  blunt-billed, 
  with 
  dirty 
  shells, 
  and. 
  

   an 
  almost 
  entire 
  absence 
  of 
  sponges, 
  barnacles 
  and 
  crejyidula 
  

   will 
  be 
  noticed, 
  but 
  the 
  shells 
  will 
  be 
  covered 
  with 
  tubicola 
  

   and 
  bored 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  by 
  the 
  horing 
  jpfiolad. 
  

  

  Late 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  spring 
  the 
  dredgers 
  began 
  working 
  on 
  the 
  

   beds 
  immediately 
  off 
  Kedge's 
  Straits 
  and 
  the 
  one 
  off 
  Hog 
  

   Neck, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  present 
  season 
  the 
  returns 
  show 
  that 
  

   the 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  Sounds 
  have 
  been, 
  to 
  some 
  extent, 
  abandoned 
  

   for 
  those 
  outside 
  in 
  the 
  Bay. 
  

  

  As 
  so 
  little 
  dredging 
  was 
  done 
  before 
  my 
  examination, 
  I 
  

   think 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  dredging 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  party 
  may 
  

   be 
  considered 
  as 
  obtained 
  from 
  unworked 
  beds. 
  These 
  results 
  

   will 
  be 
  alluded 
  to 
  subsequently. 
  

  

  Probably 
  small 
  beds 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  along 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  

   islands 
  from 
  Kedge's 
  Straits 
  to 
  the 
  entrance 
  of 
  Tangier 
  Sound,, 
  

   but 
  as 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  shoal 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  dredge 
  very 
  close 
  in. 
  

  

  As 
  far 
  as 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  at 
  present 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  reason 
  why 
  

   the 
  existing 
  beds 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  extended 
  very 
  considerably, 
  

   and 
  such 
  extension 
  will 
  probably 
  take 
  place 
  now 
  that 
  the 
  

   dredgers 
  are 
  beginning 
  to 
  work 
  upon 
  the 
  beds. 
  If 
  suitable- 
  

   cultch 
  is 
  exposed, 
  probably 
  very 
  large 
  areas 
  will 
  soon 
  be 
  cov- 
  

   ered 
  with 
  oysters. 
  

  

  TABLE 
  OP 
  PROPORTIONS 
  TO 
  SQUARE 
  YARD. 
  

  

  The 
  above 
  table 
  of 
  proportions 
  to 
  the 
  square 
  yard 
  has 
  been 
  

   compiled 
  from 
  all 
  observations 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  Bay, 
  when 
  there 
  

   was 
  any 
  evidence 
  of 
  a 
  bed 
  existing, 
  such 
  evidence 
  being 
  given 
  

   by 
  the 
  probe, 
  soundings, 
  and 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  matter 
  brought 
  

   up 
  by 
  the 
  dredge. 
  

  

  