﻿183 
  

  

  I 
  find 
  the 
  ratio 
  of 
  young 
  growth 
  to 
  mature 
  oysters 
  to 
  be, 
  

   generally 
  sj)eaking, 
  a 
  constantly 
  increasing 
  one 
  from 
  the 
  head 
  

   of 
  Tangier 
  Sound 
  to 
  the 
  last 
  section. 
  

  

  In 
  my 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  investigation 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  1878, 
  1 
  called 
  

   attention 
  to 
  the 
  noticeable 
  absence 
  of 
  "young" 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  

   above 
  Piney 
  Island 
  Bar 
  and 
  Kedge's 
  Straits, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  large 
  

   attachment 
  on 
  the 
  southern 
  beds, 
  and 
  the 
  ratios 
  in 
  Table 
  II 
  

   begin 
  increasing 
  materially 
  on 
  those 
  beds 
  vrhere 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  

   successful 
  attachment 
  of 
  young 
  during 
  the 
  previous 
  season. 
  

  

  Referring 
  to 
  the 
  " 
  Spatting 
  Table," 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  on 
  

   the 
  upper 
  section 
  there 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  a 
  successful 
  attachment 
  

   since 
  1876 
  or 
  7; 
  hence, 
  the 
  mature 
  oysters 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  three 
  

   years 
  old, 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  those 
  seasons, 
  should 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  as- 
  

   cendant 
  naturally, 
  and, 
  hence, 
  the 
  small 
  ratios 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  

   section. 
  

  

  Apparently 
  the 
  ratios 
  should 
  be 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  on 
  the 
  mid- 
  

   dle 
  section, 
  as 
  its 
  successive 
  spatting 
  season 
  was 
  also 
  in 
  1876 
  

   or 
  7 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  moderately 
  successful 
  season 
  was 
  in 
  1878, 
  while 
  

   on 
  the 
  upper 
  section 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  lb79 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  brood 
  oysters 
  are 
  

   constantly 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  constantly 
  increasing 
  num- 
  

   bers, 
  it 
  follows 
  that 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  each 
  succeeding 
  year 
  will 
  be 
  

   less. 
  As 
  an 
  additional 
  cause, 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  

   section 
  are 
  worked 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  others. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1878 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  extraordinary 
  

   growth 
  of 
  young 
  on 
  Harris' 
  Rock, 
  which 
  accounts 
  for 
  its 
  large 
  

   ratio, 
  and 
  the 
  increase 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  ratios 
  over 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   first 
  section 
  is 
  due, 
  to 
  some 
  extent, 
  to 
  the 
  attachment 
  of 
  the 
  

   season 
  of 
  1878. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  lower 
  section 
  the 
  ratios 
  are 
  very 
  large, 
  by 
  reason 
  of 
  

   the 
  successful 
  attachment 
  in 
  1878, 
  and 
  the 
  but 
  moderate 
  suc- 
  

   cess 
  of 
  the 
  seasons 
  of 
  .1876 
  or 
  7. 
  

  

  The 
  variations 
  in 
  the 
  ratios 
  can 
  thus 
  be 
  accounted 
  for 
  by 
  

   the 
  success 
  or 
  failure 
  of 
  difierent 
  spatting 
  seasons, 
  and 
  no 
  

   doubt 
  this 
  success 
  or 
  failure 
  has 
  its 
  influence, 
  but 
  that 
  its 
  ef- 
  

   fects 
  are 
  not 
  invariable 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  by 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  ratios 
  

   of 
  Pocomoke 
  Sound. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  Parker's 
  Rock, 
  a 
  small 
  bed 
  lying 
  

   near 
  Watt's 
  Island, 
  and 
  which 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  dredged 
  upon 
  as 
  

  

  