﻿170 
  

  

  The 
  proportions 
  liave 
  been 
  calculated 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  similar 
  

   to 
  that 
  described 
  in 
  my 
  previous 
  report, 
  and 
  are, 
  as 
  was 
  pointed 
  

   out 
  in 
  that 
  report, 
  only 
  of 
  value 
  as 
  forming 
  a 
  standard 
  for 
  

   comparison. 
  It 
  must 
  be 
  borne 
  in 
  mind, 
  however, 
  in 
  making 
  

   such 
  comparison, 
  that 
  the 
  hardness 
  of 
  the 
  unworked 
  beds 
  and 
  

   the 
  closeness 
  of 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  would 
  prevent 
  as 
  

   many 
  being 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  dredge 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  softer 
  and 
  more 
  

   open 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  Sounds, 
  

  

  By 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  table, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  propor- 
  

   tion 
  calculated 
  for 
  each 
  locality 
  is 
  very 
  nearly 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  

   that 
  arrived 
  at 
  by 
  combining 
  all 
  the 
  observations, 
  and 
  that 
  

   this 
  proportion 
  is 
  about 
  0.4 
  to 
  the 
  square 
  yard. 
  

  

  Accepting 
  that 
  as 
  the 
  standard, 
  the 
  proportion 
  to 
  the 
  square 
  

   yard 
  upon 
  a 
  bed 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  dredged 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  

   should 
  certainly 
  not 
  fall 
  below 
  0.4, 
  and 
  considering 
  the 
  differ- 
  

   ent 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  bottom, 
  the 
  proportion, 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  

   dredge 
  upon 
  an 
  old 
  bed, 
  should 
  be 
  much 
  larger, 
  unless 
  the 
  

   bed 
  has 
  been 
  overworked. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  table 
  shows 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  oysters 
  of 
  each 
  

   class 
  examined, 
  and 
  also 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  bushels 
  brought 
  up 
  

   and 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  shells 
  and 
  debris 
  to 
  the 
  whole 
  amount. 
  

  

  As 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  by 
  the 
  table, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  fourth 
  class 
  

   of 
  this 
  year's 
  gl'owth 
  is 
  very 
  large, 
  showing 
  that 
  however 
  bad 
  

   the 
  season 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  inside 
  the 
  Sounds 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  influ- 
  

   enced 
  the 
  reproduction 
  in 
  the 
  Bay. 
  

  

  