﻿184 
  

  

  extensively 
  as 
  the 
  others 
  in 
  Pocomoke 
  Sound, 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  ra- 
  

   tio 
  of 
  young 
  growth 
  to 
  mature 
  oysters 
  exceedingly 
  small. 
  In 
  

   no 
  case 
  do 
  the 
  former 
  predominate. 
  From 
  this, 
  according 
  to 
  

   the 
  deductions 
  from 
  the 
  Tangier 
  Beds, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  inferred 
  

   that 
  the 
  seasons 
  of 
  187G 
  or 
  7 
  were 
  unusually 
  successful 
  ones 
  

   for 
  the 
  attachment 
  of 
  the 
  spat, 
  and 
  that 
  subsequently 
  there 
  

   has 
  been 
  no 
  successful 
  season. 
  

  

  By 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  spatting 
  table, 
  we 
  find, 
  however, 
  that 
  

   the 
  spatting 
  season 
  of 
  1876 
  or 
  1877 
  was, 
  on 
  the 
  whole, 
  unsuc- 
  

   cessful, 
  and 
  the 
  seasons 
  subsequent 
  have 
  either 
  been 
  successful 
  

   or 
  moderately 
  so, 
  and 
  this 
  conclusion 
  is 
  supported 
  by 
  our 
  ob- 
  

   servations 
  during 
  1878. 
  

  

  But 
  as 
  the 
  success 
  or 
  non-success, 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  spatting 
  

   table, 
  is 
  comparative 
  only, 
  we 
  can 
  only 
  assume 
  that 
  whether 
  

   successful 
  or 
  not 
  the 
  attachment 
  was 
  not 
  sufiicient 
  as 
  one 
  ex- 
  

   planation 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  ratios 
  found 
  in 
  Pocomoke. 
  

  

  Consequently 
  the 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  success 
  of 
  diflerent 
  spat- 
  

   ting 
  seasons 
  is 
  not 
  suflBcient 
  to 
  explain 
  unusual 
  and 
  abnormal 
  

   changes 
  in 
  the 
  ratios 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  growth 
  to 
  the 
  mature 
  

   oyster. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  mature 
  

   oysters 
  from 
  a 
  bed 
  would 
  show 
  apparently 
  an 
  increased 
  fecun- 
  

   dity, 
  by 
  increasing 
  the 
  ratio 
  of 
  young 
  growth 
  to 
  mature 
  oys- 
  

   ters, 
  and 
  this 
  apparent 
  increase 
  would 
  be 
  observable 
  for 
  at 
  

   least 
  two 
  years, 
  or 
  until 
  the 
  young 
  growth 
  became 
  in 
  turn 
  

   mature, 
  when, 
  as 
  the 
  reproduction 
  would 
  naturally 
  be 
  dimin- 
  

   ished 
  by 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  brood 
  oysters, 
  and 
  consequently 
  

   there 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  smaller 
  number 
  of 
  young 
  growth, 
  and 
  as 
  

   the 
  young 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  previous 
  year 
  would 
  be 
  in 
  that 
  time 
  

   mature, 
  the 
  ratio 
  would 
  suddenly 
  turn 
  in 
  the 
  opposite 
  way, 
  

   and 
  be 
  as 
  abnormally 
  small 
  as 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  abnormally 
  large. 
  

  

  Once 
  having 
  taken 
  this 
  turn, 
  and 
  the 
  fishing 
  still 
  continu- 
  

   ing, 
  the 
  ratios 
  would 
  constantly 
  decrease. 
  A 
  few 
  fluctuations 
  

   might 
  occur 
  now 
  and 
  then, 
  but 
  the 
  general 
  tendency 
  would 
  

   be 
  a 
  diminishing 
  one. 
  

  

  Nature 
  arranges 
  her 
  own 
  laws 
  of 
  supply 
  and 
  demand, 
  and 
  

   the 
  proportions 
  she 
  establishes 
  between 
  the 
  different 
  classes 
  in 
  

   any 
  community 
  are 
  most 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  necessary 
  ones, 
  and 
  

  

  