Smvey of Oyster Bars, Somerset County, Md: 21 



both by the people engaged in the oyster industry and the general public who may 

 become interested through leasing of barren bottoms for oyster culture. 



The names of the oyster bars, crab bottoms, and clam beds are those used locally, 

 as nearly as could be ascertained by the hydrographic engineer of the Commission. 

 When there was no local name in common use, as was generally the case with the crab 

 bottoms, a name was selected from one of the prominent features of the vicinity. By 

 the use of recognized names or those that would naturally suggest certain sections of 

 water, it is believed that much confusion will be avoided in the location on the charts 

 of the oyster bars and crab bottoms, especially by those not familiar with the use of 

 maps. 



The corners of the oyster bars, crab bottoms, and clam beds are numbered from 1 

 to the total number of corners in each area under consideration. Where boundaries 

 adjoin, making one point a corner of two or more oyster bars, crab bottoms, or clam 

 beds, as the case may be, these points have two or more numbers, each number corre- 

 sponding to the bar, bottom, or bed in which the figure is located. The numbers of 

 the corners correspond with the technical and legal descriptions of this publication 

 under the headings of "Boundaries of natural oyster bars," "Boundaries of crab 

 bottoms," and "Boundaries of clam beds." 



The landmarks, oyster bars, crab bottoms, and clam beds have been grouped in 

 the "Contents" of this publication in accordance with the charts upon which they are 

 shown. To find a particular bar, bottom, bed, or landmark which is only known by 

 name, consult the "Contents" and the desired chart and general location will be indi- 

 cated. To find the name of a bar, bottom, bed, or landmark which is only known by 

 location, consult the progress map at the beginning of this publication for the number 

 of the chart on which it is to be found, and then examine the known locality on the 

 chart for the name of the bar, bottom, bed, or landmark in question. 



The contours on the charts showing the depth of water at mean low tide have been 

 taken from the hydrographic sheets of former work of the Coast and Geodetic Survey. 

 Four curves were selected as being the most convenient for taking off from the original 

 hydrographic sheets and the ones of greatest value to those interested in shell-fish 

 industries. The 1 -fathom contour (6 feet) corresponds in a general way to the outer 

 limits of the crab bottoms, while the waters outside of this curve and inside the 5-fathom 

 contour (30 feet) practically include all the oyster bars surveyed. The 3-fathom con- 

 tour (18 feet) furnishes the curve of about the average depth of water on the oyster 

 bars and the 10-fathom contour (60 feet) serves in a general way to indicate the outer 

 limits of probable oyster culture. 



The boundaries of the waters within the "territorial limits of the county" and the 

 boundaries of the "waters contiguous to the county" opened up for the leasing with 

 Somerset County are plainly indicated on the charts. A full technical description of 

 these boundaries is given in this publication under the heading "Boundaries of county 

 waters." 



The areas in acres of the oyster bars, crab bottoms, and clam beds were determined 

 under the direction of the hydrographic engineer of the Commission by two independent 

 planimeter measurements of the areas as delineated on the smooth projections of the 



