48 



shells counted. The vessels were of different sizes aud from different localities. The results are 

 shown in the table following: 



Table II. • 



Vessel. 



Sloop 



Schooner ... 



Buckeye 



Sloop 



Schooner ... 

 Schooner . . . 

 Schooner . . . 

 Buckeye — 



Buckeye 



Schooner . . . 

 Schooner . . . 



Total 





Numb 





-^s 







00 



















K 





13 





13 



30 





93 



15 





33 



23 





73 



90 





76 



65 





32 



10 

 25 

 50 

 150 



>r of young to the 

 peck. 



a 



© 







Second 



u 

 H 



'© 



3 



pa 







72 

 508 



125 



163 







132 

 322 

 308 



88 



78 







67 





192 



89 



57,40 



221 



4 



196 



168 







39 



23 



35 





205 



2,228 



Localities from which obtained. 



The small proportion from Great Rock, the 



from Terrapin Sands. 

 Deep Water Rock.Kedge's Straits. 

 Paul's Rock. 

 Great Rock. 



Great Rock and Thoroughfare. 

 Paul's Rock (Sands). 

 Great Rock (northern part). 

 Great Rock. 

 California Rock. 



Average 202 per bushel. 



The total number of bushels brought into Crisfleld, as seen by Table I, amounted in one day 

 to 2,408, and estimating the number of oysters to a bushel to be between 150 or 200, we have for the 

 results of one day's fishing from 361,200 to 481,000 oysters and about 486,000 young. During the 

 progress of the work in the Sounds, there were twenty -four counts made of the dredgers in sight 

 from the vessel. In order that some idea may be formed of the number of oysters taken by these 

 dredgers, an estimate has been made, based upon Table II, of the number of bushels and young 

 carried off the beds. In forming the estimate, all the vessels in the Sound were divided into three 

 classes — the first being an assemblage of all the different craft, the second only the smaller classes, 

 and the third, where about two-thirds were small, and the remainder large craft. The number of 

 sail counted was then placed in one of these classes, we having observed when among the dredg- 

 ers the particular class aud size of vessel usually working over a particular ground. In order to 

 ascertain the number of bushels to each vessel, the total number of bushels brought in (2,408) was 

 divided by the number of sails (57), which would give 42 bushels as the average to a sail. A closer 

 estimate is obtained from Table IT, where the number of bushels assigned to each craft is that 

 given by their master. The total number of bushels (551 ), divided by the number of sail (12), gives 

 45 and a fraction as the number of bushels to each sail. ' I have divided by 12 instead of 11, be- 

 cause the last number in Table II was the result of two days', dredging. 



The average number of bushels per sail for the second class, by Table I, is 16.6 bushels; by 

 Table II, 17 bushels. The average for the third class is, by Table I, 29 bushels ; by Table II, 33 

 bushels. In all cases the smaller numbers have been used in calculating the number of bushels 

 of oysters. The total number of bushels taken from the beds in both Sounds in thirteen days was 

 47,842, and allowing from 150 to 200 oysters to a bushel (though the number is probably larger), 

 there would be removed from the Sounds in the very first of the season from 7,176,300 to 9,568,400 

 oysters. This, however, is far below the real number, as the entire area and number of sail were 

 not visible at the same time. 



In order to estimate the number of oysters removed from the beds in each day, I have divided 

 the Sounds into four sections. The first section comprises all of Tangier Sound north of Little 

 Island and the Mussel Hole Bed. The second section comprises all of that part of the Sound, in- 

 cluding the Manokiu and Big Annemessex Bivers, between Little Island and Jane's Island. The 

 third section comprises all of Tangier Sound south of Jane's Island. The fourth section all of 

 Bocomoke Sound. 



