

OYSTER BEDS OF JAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA. 



21 



growth of young is good enough to yield an average of about 15 

 bushels per day to the tonger; but on the very scattering and 

 depleted areas further removed from the ridge the young growth is 

 sparse. 



The following table shows the results of the examinations made 

 on this bed : 



Details of Examination op Cruiser Shoal 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 v 



Culls. 



Counts. 



Seed. 



Market. 



Total. 



58 



Aug. 13,1909 

 Sept. 14, 1909 

 Aug. 12,1909 

 do 



Aug. 13,1909 

 Aug. 12,1909 

 Aug. 13,1909 

 Sept. 14, 1909 



Feet. 



10.5 

 8.5 

 9.0 



11.0 

 7.5 

 9.0 



13.0 

 6.0 



Dense 



4.0 



1.5 

 .3 

 .2 



1.8 

 .5 

 .0 



5.3 



21.0 



17.0 



7.0 



.4 



13.4 



4.5 



.0 



20.2 



7.3 



12.1 



3.3 



2.0 



1.6 



.7 



.0 



.9 



Bush. 



162 



120 



47 



4 



99 



32 







166 



Bush. 



117 



195 



53 



32 



25 



11 







15 



Bush. 

 279 



589 

 51 



do. 



315 

 100 



50 

 57 



47 



Very scattering 



do 



Depleted 



36 



124 

 43 



59 



.do. . 







590 



do 



181 



FLAT ROCK AND ADJACENT SMALL BEDS. 



Flat Rock is a small bed bearing a dense growth of market oysters 

 lying in the southeast corner of Public Ground No. 6 ; Warwick County. 

 The examination of this rock was not satisfactory, as owing to an 

 error in platting in the field certain positions supposed to be on the 

 bed proved to be on adjacent planted beds. The single examination, 

 in connection with traversing lines of chain readings, indicates a 

 growth over the entire area which will yield to the tonger an average 

 of about 9 bushels of market oysters per day. There were practically 

 no small oysters or shells, and there was some reason to believe that 

 the place had been planted, though it was fully 200 yards inside of the 

 Baylor lines. 



North of Flat Rock is a small depleted area, covering about 7 acres, 

 on which there are about 26 bushels of market oysters and 16 bushels 

 of young oysters per acre, and on which it is computed that a tonger 

 could take not over 2 bushels of oysters per day. 



West of Cruiser Rock is another unnamed bed of very scattering 

 oysters. Its area is about 5 acres, with an average of 42 bushels of 

 market oysters and 55 bushels of seed oysters per acre, and it is esti- 

 mated that a tonger could take about 3£ bushels of oysters per day. 



Northwest of Flat Rock, at intervals of about 400 yards, are two 

 small beds where the water does not shoal, on which no deter- 

 minations were made except with the chain. The indications are of 

 very scattering growths. The areas are about 5 and 2 acres, respec- 

 tively. The data relating to the several beds examined are as follows : 



