18 



OYSTER BOTTOMS OF MISSISSIPPI SOUND, ALA. 



The following table exhibits the data obtained from the examina- 

 tion made of this bed: 



Details of Examination ok Pas.s des Huitres Bed. 



Angle 

 No. 



Date of 

 e.Kamination. 



Depth 



of 

 water. 



Character of growth. 



Oysters caught per 

 square yard. 



Estimated quantity oys- 

 ters per acre. 

























Spat. 



Culls. 



Counts. 



Seed. 



Market. 



Total. 



445 



Dec. 29,1910 



do 



do 



do 



Jan. 1, 1911 

 do 



Jan. 5, 1911 

 do 



Dec. 29,1910 



do 



do 



Jan. 5, 1911 



Feel. 

 3.50 

 4.00 

 5.00 

 5.00 

 2.00 

 2.50 

 11.00 

 13.00 

 4.00 

 5.00 

 4.00 

 7.00 



Dense 



1.8 



.0 



15.7 



.0 



2.0 



.0 



4.1 



4.5 



5.5 



2.5 



3.5 



4.8 



31.8 

 30.0 

 77.5 

 71.3 

 33. 5 

 48.8 

 65. 7 

 .30.9 

 13.0 

 33.2 

 40.1 

 19.2 



6.4 



18.0 



20.6 



23.2 



17.5 



18.9 



25.0 



21.8 



6.5 



5.0 



7.5 



4.0 



Bush. 

 235 



210 

 654 

 499 

 249 

 342 

 486 

 248 

 129 

 250 

 305 

 168 



Bush. 

 104 

 288 

 330 

 372 

 280 

 302 

 400 

 350 

 104 



80 

 120 



64 



Bush. 

 339 



446 

 447 

 449 

 496 

 497 

 530 

 531 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



498 

 984 

 871 

 529 

 644 

 886 

 598 



448 

 450 



Scattering 



do 



233 

 330 



451 

 532 



do 



do.. 



425 

 232 









PASS DES HUITRES FLATS. 



This bed, contiguous with the preceding and the following, lies on 

 the shallow flats south of Pass des Huitres, where the depth at low 

 water ranges from 6 inches to 2 feet, excepting on the western side, 

 where a depth of 5 feet is found on the edge of the area of very scat- 

 tering growth. 



The area, density of growth, and total content of oysters on the bed 

 as arbitrarily defined in this report are shown in the following table: 



Oyster Growth on Pass des Huitres Flats. 





Area. 



Oysters per acre. 



Estimated content of oysters. 



Character of oyster growth. 



Under 3 

 inches. 



Over 3 

 inches. 



Seed. 



Market. 



Total. 



Dense 



Acres. 



122 



41 



39 



Bushels. 



296 



131 



26 



Bushels. 



304 



139 



46 



Bushels. 



36,112 



5,371 



1,014 



Bushels. 



37,088 

 5,699 

 1,794 



Bushels. 

 73, 200 



Scattering 



Very scattering 



11,070 

 2,808 







Total 



202 



1 



42, 497 



44,581 



87,078 





1 





The dense growth lies in the part of the bed toward MobQe Ba}^, 

 where it commences as a sharply defined ridge rising abruptly from a 

 depth of about 3 feet over the mud to about 1 foot near the edge of the 

 oysters. The eastern part of the dense area is composed of a mass 

 of shells, but in the western part there are some sandy areas covermg 

 a shelly substratum. 



The scattering growth merges with the western edge of the dense 

 area where the water begins to deepen, and this in turn passes grad- 

 ually to an area of very scattering oysters lying on soft mud in which 



