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  tive 
  fishing 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  Sounds 
  during 
  the 
  

   last 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  years 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  exhaustive 
  of 
  mature 
  brood 
  

   oysters— 
  and 
  that 
  consequently 
  the 
  large 
  ratios 
  of 
  young 
  to 
  

   mature 
  oysters 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  attachment 
  of 
  

   young, 
  but 
  rather 
  of 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  oklei* 
  oysters, 
  and, 
  

   hence, 
  the 
  change 
  from 
  a 
  large 
  ratio 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  one, 
  or 
  

   vice 
  versa, 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  safe 
  indication 
  of 
  the 
  dete- 
  

   rioration 
  of 
  the 
  bed, 
  for, 
  as 
  explained 
  in 
  the 
  previous 
  part 
  

   of 
  this 
  report, 
  the 
  ratio 
  will 
  remain 
  abnormally 
  large 
  until 
  

   the 
  young 
  growth 
  reach 
  maturity, 
  when 
  it 
  will 
  become 
  abnor- 
  

   mally 
  small, 
  and 
  will 
  so 
  remain 
  for 
  a 
  few^ 
  years, 
  when 
  it 
  will 
  

   again 
  become 
  very 
  large, 
  and 
  this 
  process 
  will 
  continue 
  for 
  

   some 
  time, 
  until 
  the 
  beds 
  are 
  practically 
  unfit 
  for 
  dredging, 
  

   as 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  Pocomoke 
  Soifnd. 
  

  

  Thus 
  we 
  see 
  that 
  not 
  even 
  the 
  ratios 
  alone 
  are 
  sure 
  indica- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  increase 
  or 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  oysters, 
  but 
  

   that 
  they 
  must 
  be 
  considered 
  together 
  w4th 
  other 
  facts 
  before 
  

   we 
  can 
  arrive 
  at 
  just 
  conclusions. 
  

  

  By 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  closing 
  paragraphs 
  of 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   report 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  fecundity 
  of 
  tlie 
  beds, 
  it 
  is 
  noticed 
  that 
  

   the 
  amount 
  of 
  debris 
  increases 
  on 
  the 
  southern 
  Tangier 
  beds,, 
  

   and 
  that 
  on 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  Sounds 
  it 
  is 
  much 
  greater 
  

   than 
  it 
  M'as 
  in 
  the 
  Bay. 
  

  

  An 
  increase 
  of 
  this 
  percentage, 
  as 
  already 
  pointed 
  out, 
  is 
  

   an 
  indication 
  of 
  the 
  deterioration 
  of 
  the 
  beds, 
  and 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  

   the 
  destructive 
  eflects 
  of 
  the 
  dredging, 
  which 
  not 
  only 
  re- 
  

   moves 
  many 
  oysters, 
  but 
  so 
  disturbs 
  numy 
  others 
  that 
  tlieir 
  

   destruction 
  is 
  an 
  almost 
  assured 
  fact. 
  

  

  To 
  a 
  certain 
  extent 
  this 
  cannot 
  be 
  helped, 
  and 
  is 
  a 
  neces- 
  

   sary 
  incident 
  of 
  the 
  fishery, 
  but 
  overworking 
  the 
  beds 
  in- 
  

   creases 
  this 
  evil 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  others, 
  as 
  is 
  evident 
  by 
  the 
  percent- 
  

   age 
  on 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  Pocomoke 
  beds. 
  

  

  Peferring 
  to 
  the 
  table 
  showing 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  oysters 
  re- 
  

   moved 
  in 
  1818, 
  and 
  also 
  comparing 
  it 
  with 
  the 
  table 
  of 
  pro- 
  

   portions 
  to 
  the 
  square 
  yard, 
  the 
  following 
  may 
  be 
  noticed 
  : 
  

  

  1st. 
  In 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  Tangier 
  Sound 
  tlie 
  proportions 
  

   to 
  the 
  square 
  yard 
  are 
  very 
  large, 
  wln'ch 
  is 
  probably 
  due 
  to- 
  

   the 
  shoalness 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  the 
  soft 
  bottom, 
  which 
  allowed 
  

  

  