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  certainly 
  know 
  of 
  no 
  place 
  where 
  the 
  natnral 
  conditions 
  

   offered 
  are 
  any 
  better 
  for 
  such 
  a 
  project 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  

   St, 
  Jerome's 
  Creek. 
  The 
  bottom 
  would 
  of 
  course 
  have 
  

   to 
  undergo 
  such 
  preparation 
  as 
  would 
  insure 
  to 
  it 
  solid- 
  

   ity, 
  and 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  well 
  to 
  imitate 
  the 
  flat 
  ridge-like 
  

   character 
  of 
  the 
  bank 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  Fig. 
  8. 
  The 
  long 
  

   axis 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  should 
  probably 
  lie 
  transversely 
  to 
  the 
  

   direction 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  tide 
  ebbs 
  and 
  flows 
  in 
  and 
  out 
  of 
  

   the 
  creeks, 
  as 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  banks 
  

   examined. 
  The 
  next 
  thing 
  to 
  do 
  would 
  be 
  to 
  colonize 
  

   these 
  banks 
  with 
  oysters 
  stuck 
  thickly 
  into 
  the 
  bottom, 
  

   hinge 
  downwards, 
  imitating 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  S.nimals 
  

   in 
  the 
  natural 
  banks. 
  The 
  cost 
  of 
  an 
  experimental 
  bank 
  

   established 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  suggested, 
  need 
  not 
  be 
  much, 
  as 
  

   the 
  experiment 
  could 
  be 
  tried 
  as 
  successfully 
  on 
  a 
  limited 
  

   scale 
  as 
  upon 
  a 
  more 
  extensive 
  one. 
  

  

  WHY 
  DKPJDaiNG 
  INJURES 
  THE 
  BEDS. 
  

  

  Dredging, 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  it 
  destroys 
  the 
  arrangement 
  of 
  

   the 
  oysters 
  of 
  the 
  banks, 
  tends 
  to 
  interfere 
  with 
  the 
  fe- 
  

   cundity 
  of 
  the 
  latter. 
  Carry 
  on 
  dredging 
  operations 
  on 
  

   any 
  given 
  bank 
  long 
  enough 
  to 
  rob 
  it 
  both 
  of 
  its 
  natural 
  

   growth 
  of 
  adult 
  oysters 
  and 
  in 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  natural 
  growth 
  

   of 
  spat, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  strange 
  indeed 
  if 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  cease 
  to 
  

   be 
  productive. 
  As 
  we 
  had 
  occasion 
  to 
  remark 
  above, 
  

   that 
  tlie 
  uppermost 
  tier 
  or 
  last 
  generation 
  of 
  oysters 
  was 
  

   the 
  one 
  which 
  aft'orded 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  tlie 
  points 
  of 
  

   attachment 
  for 
  the 
  young 
  fry, 
  it 
  is 
  clear 
  that 
  the 
  banks 
  

   are 
  annually 
  robbed 
  of 
  vast 
  numbers 
  of 
  j^ossible 
  oysters. 
  

   True, 
  the 
  dead 
  shells 
  which 
  are 
  or 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  allowed 
  

   to 
  remain 
  on 
  the 
  beds, 
  lying 
  about 
  amongst 
  the 
  living 
  

   individuals 
  also 
  afford 
  attachment 
  for 
  the 
  young, 
  but 
  

   perhaps 
  not 
  more 
  liberally 
  than 
  the 
  living 
  shells. 
  

  

  Another 
  reason 
  why 
  dredging, 
  especiall}^ 
  when 
  carried 
  

   to 
  excess, 
  tends 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  banks, 
  as 
  insisted 
  upon 
  

   by 
  Mobius 
  and 
  others, 
  is 
  the 
  removal 
  by 
  that 
  r.ieans 
  of 
  

   too 
  large 
  a 
  proportion 
  of 
  germ-producilig 
  ddiil 
  It 
  is 
  

   in 
  this 
  way 
  that 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  lO 
  regain 
  their 
  

  

  