OYSTER BOTTOMS OF MISSISSIPPI EAST OF BILOXI. 



17 



SMALL PATCHES, BILOXI BAY. 



Northwest of the bed just described and stretching as far as the 

 railroad bridge and to the edge of the private bottoms off Red Bluff 

 are a number of patches varying in extent from one-half acre to 

 about 18 acres, aggregating about 73 acres of all degrees of produc- 

 tiveness. 



The condition and extent of these fragmentary beds are summa- 

 rized in the following table: 



Oyster Growth on Small Patches in Biloxi Bat. 



Character of growth. 



Area. 



Oysters per acre. 



Under 3 

 inches. 



Overs 

 inches. 



Estimated content of oysters. 



Seed. 



Market. 



Total. 



Dense 



Scattering 



Very scattering 

 Depleted 



Total.... 



Acres. 



5 



7 



60 



1 



Bushels. 



120 



99 



38 



33 



Bushels. 



277 



121 



40 



Bushels. 



600 



693 



2,280 



33 



BUrShels. 



1,385 



847 



2,400 



Bushels. 



1,985 



1,540 



4,680 



41 



73 



3,606 



4,640 



8,246 



The patches bearing dense growth are four or five in number, cov- 

 ering, all told, about 5 acres and individually so small that to show 

 them on the chart it has been necessary to exaggerate their size They 

 bear between 240 and 341 bushels per acre of oysters over 3 inches 

 long, but the stock is so badly clustered and poor as to have small 

 value. 



There are two patches of scattering oysters, covering at most about 

 7 acres, on which the growth resembles that just described, though 

 less abundant. The patches of very scatteriag growth are more 

 numerous and several of them are of considerable size. The bound- 

 aries of one which adjoins the private beds on the northeast side of 

 the bay about 1^ m'des below the railroad bridge was not definitely 

 determined, but it is estimated to contain about 18 acres. At the 

 place examined it bore about 50 bushels of 3-inch oysters per acre 

 and about 10 bushels of smaller ones. Another bed of about 7 acres 

 adjoins the northeast corner of the private beds off Deer Island and 

 bears per acre approximately 50 bushels each of oysters over and 

 under 3 inches long. 



The most extensive bed of very scattering oysters covers about 

 29 acres near the middle of the bay. It bears an average per acre 

 of about 40 bushels of each of the two sizes. This bed lies on bottom 

 such as is classed in this report as soft and very soft, and bears the 

 appearance of having been recently established. It is said that the 

 State planted oysters in this vicinity several years ago, and it appears 

 probable that this is the place. The oysters are inferior and in rough 

 clusters. 



