﻿212 
  

  

  same 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  natural 
  beds, 
  and 
  this 
  should 
  be 
  the 
  aim 
  and 
  

   result 
  of 
  all 
  laws 
  having 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  view. 
  

  

  "Whether 
  such 
  a 
  law 
  is 
  necessary 
  or 
  not 
  for 
  tlie 
  locality 
  sub- 
  

   jected 
  to 
  the 
  examinations 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  summers 
  I 
  will 
  not 
  

   attempt 
  to 
  show. 
  

  

  Referring 
  to 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  this 
  report 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  fe- 
  

   cundity 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  Sounds, 
  it 
  is 
  seen 
  that 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  

   the 
  ratio 
  of 
  young 
  to 
  mature 
  oysters 
  is 
  greater, 
  and, 
  in 
  other 
  

   cases, 
  less 
  than 
  it 
  should 
  be, 
  and 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  cases 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   portion 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  within 
  the 
  prescribed 
  limits. 
  As 
  has 
  been 
  

   shown, 
  the 
  decreased 
  ratios 
  must 
  be 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  want 
  of 
  

   reproduction, 
  while 
  the 
  increase 
  may 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  removal 
  

   of 
  the 
  mature 
  oysters. 
  

  

  If 
  we 
  take 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  examined 
  in 
  the 
  

   Sounds 
  we 
  will 
  have 
  a 
  ratio 
  expressing 
  the 
  general 
  fecundity 
  

   of 
  the 
  beds, 
  and 
  this 
  ratio 
  between 
  70,866 
  mature 
  oysters 
  and 
  

   36,824 
  young 
  ones 
  is 
  0.5. 
  

  

  Assembling 
  all 
  the 
  oysters 
  counted 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  Bay 
  

   w^e 
  would 
  have 
  as 
  a 
  ratio 
  1.5. 
  

  

  Practically, 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  mature 
  oysters 
  had 
  been 
  removed 
  

   from 
  these 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  Bay, 
  while 
  large 
  numbers 
  had 
  been 
  

   taken 
  from 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  Sounds. 
  The 
  estimates 
  of 
  each 
  show 
  

   approximately 
  how 
  many 
  have 
  been 
  tafeen, 
  and 
  if 
  by 
  examina- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  them 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  mature 
  oysters 
  taken 
  

   off 
  greatly 
  exceeds 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  young 
  removed, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  

   assumed 
  that 
  the 
  restoration 
  of 
  both 
  classes 
  to 
  the 
  beds 
  would 
  

   be 
  immediately 
  shown 
  by 
  a 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  young 
  

   growth 
  to 
  mature 
  oysters. 
  

  

  By 
  the 
  estimate 
  of 
  1878 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  184,600, 
  '.00 
  mature 
  

   and 
  148,800,000 
  young 
  would 
  be 
  removed. 
  

  

  But 
  as 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  young 
  removed 
  would 
  be 
  less 
  and 
  

   less 
  during 
  the 
  season, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  mortality 
  among 
  

   them, 
  and 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  found 
  that 
  mortality 
  to 
  be 
  about 
  L 
  per 
  

   cent., 
  I 
  consider 
  that 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  during 
  the 
  

   season 
  of 
  1878 
  and 
  79 
  probably 
  did 
  not 
  exceed 
  74,400,000. 
  

  

  Therefore 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  removed 
  was 
  259,000, 
  00, 
  of 
  

   which 
  71 
  per 
  cent, 
  were 
  mature, 
  spawn-bearing 
  oysters. 
  

  

  But 
  65 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  at 
  present 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  are 
  

  

  