﻿217 
  

  

  than 
  the 
  above, 
  I 
  am 
  of 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  fishery 
  still 
  con- 
  

   tinning 
  this 
  failure 
  will 
  occur 
  soonest 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  at' 
  the 
  en- 
  

   trances 
  of 
  the 
  Sound 
  on 
  those 
  in 
  Sections 
  1 
  and 
  3, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  

   two 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  beds 
  is 
  most 
  likely 
  to 
  first 
  occur? 
  

   and 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  beds, 
  the 
  Woman's 
  Marsh 
  will 
  be 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  

   give 
  out. 
  

  

  As 
  stated 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  this 
  report, 
  the 
  beds 
  may 
  bo 
  

   protected 
  either 
  directly 
  or 
  indirectly 
  by 
  either 
  enlarging 
  the 
  

   areas 
  for 
  the 
  dredgers, 
  ensuring 
  by 
  artificial 
  means 
  the 
  ma- 
  

   turity 
  of 
  a 
  larger 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  spat, 
  or 
  directly 
  by 
  lim- 
  

   iting 
  and 
  restricting 
  the 
  fishery. 
  

  

  I 
  alluded 
  in 
  my 
  previous 
  report 
  to 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  

   this 
  protection 
  was 
  aflbrded 
  abroad, 
  and 
  suggested 
  a 
  manner 
  

   for 
  afibrding 
  it 
  at 
  home, 
  and 
  the 
  necessity 
  for 
  the 
  adoption 
  of 
  

   some 
  such 
  measures 
  seems 
  so 
  urgent 
  that 
  I 
  earnestly 
  hope 
  they 
  

   will 
  shortly 
  be 
  undertaken. 
  

  

  The 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  dredging 
  ground 
  can 
  be 
  easily 
  attained 
  

   by 
  depositing 
  the 
  shells 
  from 
  the 
  shell 
  heaps 
  about 
  the 
  pack- 
  

   ing 
  houses 
  on 
  the 
  bottoms 
  contiguous 
  to 
  the 
  natural 
  beds, 
  but 
  

   such 
  deposit 
  should 
  always 
  be 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  

   ebb 
  and 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  tide, 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  the 
  drifting 
  spat 
  may 
  

   be 
  carried 
  over 
  the 
  newly 
  exposed 
  cultch. 
  The 
  bottom 
  is 
  of 
  

   minor 
  importance 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  of 
  sufficient 
  consistency 
  to 
  

   prevent 
  the 
  oysters 
  from 
  sinking 
  into 
  the 
  mud. 
  A 
  sticky 
  

   clay 
  bottom 
  is 
  preferable, 
  though 
  the 
  beds 
  may 
  be 
  extended 
  

   over 
  sand 
  shoals. 
  

  

  In 
  searching 
  for 
  new 
  beds 
  they 
  will 
  probably 
  be 
  found 
  

   about 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  estuaries 
  and 
  rivers 
  and 
  where 
  there 
  are 
  

   sudden 
  changes 
  of 
  bottom 
  in 
  the 
  Chesapeake, 
  depths 
  of 
  from 
  

   two 
  to 
  four 
  fathoms 
  will 
  be 
  most 
  likely 
  to 
  reward 
  a 
  search, 
  

   and, 
  where 
  there 
  are 
  large 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  creeks 
  and 
  rivers, 
  it 
  is 
  

   likely 
  that 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  natural 
  expansion 
  through 
  their 
  

   mouths, 
  and 
  beds 
  will 
  probably 
  be 
  found 
  off 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  search 
  must 
  be 
  carefully 
  conducted, 
  or 
  the 
  beds 
  which 
  

   appear 
  to 
  be 
  long, 
  narrow 
  ridges, 
  will 
  be 
  missed, 
  and 
  the 
  dredge 
  

   should 
  be 
  dragged 
  across 
  the 
  tide, 
  as 
  the 
  beds 
  usually 
  extend 
  

   in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  current. 
  A 
  sudden 
  change 
  of 
  depth 
  

   of 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  feet, 
  and 
  from 
  soft 
  to 
  hard 
  bottom 
  when 
  on 
  

  

  