﻿199 
  

  

  INFORMATION 
  OBTAINED 
  FROM 
  "RECORD 
  OF 
  STATISTICS. 
  

  

  The 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  party 
  on 
  duty 
  at 
  Crisfield 
  inspected, 
  

   during 
  the 
  season, 
  496 
  vessels 
  directly 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  oyster 
  

   fishery, 
  and 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  these 
  inspections 
  have 
  been 
  re- 
  

   corded 
  in 
  the 
  Record 
  of 
  Statistics, 
  which 
  record, 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  

   extent, 
  explains 
  itself. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  vessels 
  dredging, 
  it 
  was 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  impossible 
  to 
  visit 
  and 
  inspect 
  all 
  that 
  entered 
  during 
  

   the 
  day. 
  When 
  such 
  was 
  the 
  case, 
  those 
  inspected 
  were 
  se- 
  

   lected 
  from 
  different 
  classes 
  and 
  from 
  different 
  dredging 
  

   grounds 
  that 
  a 
  fair 
  idea 
  might 
  be 
  obtained 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   oysters 
  removed 
  each 
  day 
  from 
  each 
  bed. 
  

  

  The 
  method 
  of 
  examination 
  was 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  bushels 
  in 
  the 
  load 
  given 
  by 
  the 
  mas- 
  

   ter 
  of 
  the 
  vessel 
  was 
  recorded, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  hours 
  

   of 
  labor 
  necessary 
  to 
  obtain 
  that 
  quantity, 
  and 
  other 
  matters 
  

   of 
  statistical 
  interest. 
  

  

  Several 
  samples 
  of 
  one-quarter 
  or 
  one-half 
  bushels 
  each 
  

   were 
  then 
  selected 
  from 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  load, 
  and 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  oysters 
  in 
  each 
  sample 
  of 
  each 
  class 
  counted 
  and 
  

   recorded. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  samples 
  examined 
  depended 
  upon 
  

   the 
  number 
  of 
  bushels 
  in 
  the 
  load 
  and 
  upon 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  

   the 
  oysters, 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  being 
  taken 
  when 
  the 
  oysters 
  ap- 
  

   peared 
  dissimilar, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  quantity 
  was 
  great. 
  At 
  least 
  

   three 
  samples 
  were 
  usually 
  examined. 
  

  

  In 
  most 
  cases 
  the 
  average 
  number 
  of 
  each 
  class 
  per 
  sample 
  

   was 
  nearly 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  given 
  by 
  each 
  term, 
  and, 
  conse- 
  

   quently, 
  it 
  is 
  assumed 
  that 
  a 
  close 
  estimate 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   each 
  class 
  in 
  the 
  entire 
  load 
  was 
  obtained 
  by 
  multiplying 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  each 
  class 
  in 
  a 
  bushel, 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  samples, 
  

   by 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  bushels 
  in 
  the 
  load. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  record 
  of 
  these 
  inspections 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  

   determine 
  with 
  practical 
  accuracy 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  oysters 
  of 
  

   the 
  several 
  classes 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  various 
  beds 
  by 
  each 
  de- 
  

   scription 
  of 
  dredging 
  vessel. 
  

  

  After 
  September 
  1st, 
  when 
  the 
  dredging 
  began, 
  we 
  counted 
  

   each 
  day 
  all 
  the 
  vessels 
  in 
  sight 
  from 
  the 
  " 
  Palinurus," 
  speci- 
  

   fying 
  the 
  size 
  and 
  the 
  ground 
  upon 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  working, 
  

  

  