﻿187 
  

  

  found 
  on 
  the 
  unworked 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  Bay, 
  no 
  comparison, 
  ex- 
  

   cept 
  in 
  one 
  way, 
  is 
  just, 
  the 
  conditions 
  of 
  bottom 
  and 
  differ- 
  

   ence 
  of 
  growth 
  upon 
  the 
  worked 
  and 
  unworked 
  beds 
  differing 
  

   so 
  materially. 
  

  

  The 
  proportions 
  on 
  any 
  bed, 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  method 
  we 
  

   have 
  used, 
  will 
  always 
  be 
  much 
  less 
  than 
  what 
  is 
  really 
  the 
  

   case, 
  but 
  they 
  will 
  be 
  much 
  less 
  true 
  on 
  an 
  unworked 
  bed 
  

   than 
  upon 
  one 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  subjected 
  to 
  

   dredging 
  influences, 
  and 
  where 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  soft 
  and 
  yield- 
  

   ing, 
  and 
  the 
  oysters 
  grow 
  singly 
  or 
  in 
  small 
  clusters 
  instead 
  

   of 
  being 
  cemented 
  together 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  stratum, 
  as 
  

   they 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  undredged 
  beds. 
  Therefore 
  any 
  proportions 
  

   obtained 
  from 
  a 
  bed 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  worked 
  should 
  be 
  larger 
  

   than 
  that 
  obtained 
  from 
  an 
  unworked 
  one. 
  How 
  much 
  so, 
  it 
  

   is 
  impossible 
  to 
  say, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  a 
  smaller 
  proportion 
  

   would 
  indicate 
  a 
  failure 
  of 
  the 
  mature 
  oysters. 
  

  

  In 
  calculating 
  these 
  proportions 
  only 
  first 
  and 
  second 
  class 
  

   oysters 
  have 
  been 
  considered. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  by 
  the 
  table 
  that 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  beds 
  above 
  

   Kedge's 
  Straits 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  marked 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  oysters 
  to 
  the 
  square 
  yard. 
  That 
  on 
  the 
  remaining 
  

   beds, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  "Woman's 
  Marsh 
  and 
  Johnson's 
  

   Rocks, 
  and 
  considering 
  the 
  Thoroughfare 
  Hocks 
  as 
  one, 
  there 
  

   has 
  been 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  oysters. 
  

  

  That 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  Pocomoke 
  Sound 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  

   marked 
  decrease. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  also 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  on 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  the 
  propor- 
  

   tion 
  falls 
  below 
  the 
  standard 
  of 
  0.4, 
  that 
  on 
  none 
  of 
  them 
  is 
  

   it 
  very 
  much 
  greater, 
  and 
  that 
  generally 
  speaking 
  the 
  propor- 
  

   tions 
  are 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  standard 
  on 
  those 
  beds 
  that 
  show 
  a 
  

   gain 
  upon 
  the 
  proportion 
  established 
  during 
  1878. 
  

  

  It 
  would 
  appear 
  then, 
  by 
  one 
  comparison, 
  that 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   beds 
  have 
  not 
  a 
  sufficient 
  number 
  of 
  mature 
  oysters 
  upon 
  

   them 
  ; 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  other, 
  that 
  however 
  many 
  were 
  taken 
  off, 
  

   yet 
  nature 
  could 
  more 
  than 
  supply 
  the 
  demand. 
  

  

  These 
  inconsistent 
  results 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  several 
  

   causes. 
  The 
  standard 
  proportion 
  may 
  be 
  too 
  high, 
  but, 
  as 
  

   has 
  been 
  explained, 
  if 
  the 
  beds 
  are 
  in 
  equally 
  good 
  condition, 
  

  

  