28 OYSTER BOTTOMS OF MISSISSIPPI EAST OF BILOXI. 



The natural beds have been slowly developed on bottom similar 

 to that which surrounds them solely because through some agency 

 there originally lodged on the mud or sand some hard objects to which 

 the young oysters could safely cling. Oysters developing there and 

 their shells scattered about by the waves furnished additional 

 places for fixation of new generations of young, with the result that 

 the original growth extended in area and its bed became a compact 

 mass of shells and fragments, beneath which can still be found by 

 excavation or probing the original bottom differing in no essential 

 particular from the adjacent barren areas. 



All that is required by the barren bottom in order that it may 

 become productive is that its surface should be supplied with hard 

 objects or cultch, either through natural agencies or by the hand of 

 man. The capacity of the bottom to sustain material deposited on 

 it and to maintain it in proper condition to serve as cultch depends 

 largely on its stability and consistency. Moving sands gradually 

 cover objects deposited on their surface and soft mud permits them 

 to sink. It is therefore of prime importance for the oyster culturist 

 to have information concerning the character of the bottom, and it 

 was one of the purposes of the survey to supply it. 



The methods and the instrument employed have been described in 

 the introductory part of this report and the results attained are shown 

 graphically on the chart. 



The symbols on the chart designating the character of the bottom 

 do not show all of the places at which examinations were made. 

 They were merely representative of the general characteristics in their 

 vicinity with respect to the bottom deposits. It will be observed 

 that the chart shows, in general, a gradually increasing softness of 

 the bottom toward the middle of the sound. The survey in the 

 adjoining part of Alabama demonstrated that the veiy soft or oozy 

 mud extends nearly to the islands on the south, adjoining which there 

 is a narrow strip of sand, and, in view of the apparently similar con- 

 ditions in Mississippi and the limited time at the disposal of the 

 party, it was deemed unnecessary to continue the examinations 

 beyond the line at which it was evident that the bottom was growiog 

 too soft for oyster culture. 



Excludiug the shoal waters near shore, which it is understood are 

 to a considerable extent subject to the control of riparian owners, the 

 firmer bottom lies within five general areas, embraciag about 23,000 

 acres, which are described as follows: 



Grand Batture Shoal. — This shoal extends ia a curve, concave, 

 toward the east, from the west end of Grand Batture Spit to a beacon 

 in about 8 feet of water near the middle of the sound. The shoal 

 itself lies in a depth of 6 feet or less and is composed of more or less 

 shifting sand, apparently too unstable for oyster culture, but sur- 



