18 



OYSTER BEDS OF JAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA. 



would be hardly more than one-half bushel per day. The young 

 growth is sparse and the shells few. The bed bears the aspect of hav- 

 ing been carried off bodily for planting purposes, a depredation to 

 which its location makes it susceptible. The results of detailed ex- 

 aminations are as follows : 



Details op Examination op Larkins Rock. 



Station 

 num- 



Date of ex- 

 amination. 



Mean 

 depth 

 of wa- 

 ter. 



Character of growth 

 of market oysters. 



Oysters caught per 

 square yard. 



Estimated quantity oys- 

 ters per acre. 



ber. 



Spat. 



Culls. 



Counts. 



Seed. Market. 



1 



Total. 



20 



Aug. 10,1909 

 Aug. 11,1909 



do 



Sept. 13, 1909 



do 



do 



Feet. 

 8.5 

 7.5 

 6.5 

 6.5 

 7.0 

 6.5 



Depleted 



0.0 

 .0 

 .0 

 .0 

 .2 

 .0 



0.0 

 .0 



3.5 

 .0 



2.7 

 .6 



0.0 

 .0 



.'o 



1.1 

 .6 



Bush. 









 23 





 31 



4 



Bush. 

 

 

 2 

 

 18 

 10 



Bush. 

 



27 



28 



544 



545 



546 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 





 25 





 49 

 14 



DRUM SHOAL ROCK. 



This is a small bed located at the northwest corner of Public Ground 

 No. 2 in Nansemond County. Its area, density of oyster growth, 

 and estimated contents are as follows: 



Oyster Growth on Drum Shoal Rock. 



Character of growth of market oysters. 



Area. 



Oysters per acre. 



Estimated 

 content of 



Seed. 



Market. 



market 

 oysters. 





Acres. 

 19 

 14 

 95 



Bushels. 

 92 

 61 

 62 



Bushels. 

 50 

 39 

 29 



Bushels. 

 950 





546 





2,755 







Total 



128 







4,251 









This bed was doubtless originally restricted to the area of the 

 shoal which is now covered by the scattering and very scattering 

 growth, but oysters and shells have become scattered over the sur- 

 rounding bqttom and it is now connected, by means of a depleted 

 area, with Nansemond Ridge Rock on the south and Newport News 

 Rock on the west. 



The scattering growth lies in a depth of from 6 to 8 feet at mean 

 low water and the market oysters grow in such quantity that a 

 tonger of average ability can take about 5 bushels per day. The 

 very scattering growth is at the eastern side of the shoal and has 

 oysters in sufficient numbers to yield about 3} bushels per day. 

 The density of growth shown for the depleted area in the table pro- 

 duced above is in excess of the actual conditions, as the examina- 



