OYSTER BEDS OF JAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA. 



43 



daily catch of about 30 bushels per man. The average depth of 

 water is about 5 to 7 feet at low tide. 



The scattering growth is found in two places, one an isolated rock 

 of small size and the other at the extremity of a larger bed where 

 the productive bottom runs off to deeper water. There is not much 

 difference in the density of the growth on the two places, and it is 

 estimated that on the two a tonger could take an average of about 

 10 bushels of oysters per day. 



The very scattering bottom lies in two small patches at opposite ends 

 of the longest bed of the group, and the growth is so sparse as barely 

 to remove the areas from the category of depleted bottom. The 

 depleted areas are three in number, one in the deeper water at the 

 tip of a rock and the others on the two connecting ridges mentioned 

 earlier in this description. About the same numerical proportion 

 exists between the culls and spat as on the preceding bed, and at 

 one place on the dense area there is a good growth of marketable 

 oysters averaging between 400 and 450 per bushel. There is a fair 

 or good deposit of shells throughout the dense and scattering areas 

 and on the apical area of very scattering growth, but elsewhere the 

 rocks are deficient in this respect. 



Details of Examination of Dry Shoals Rocks. 



Station 

 num- 

 ber. 



340 

 341 

 342 

 347 

 348 

 349 

 351 

 352 

 438 

 439 

 440 

 343 

 442 

 337 

 344 

 437 

 441 





Mean 



Date of ex- 



depth 



amination. 



of wa- 





ter. 





Feet. 



Aug. 25,1909 



7.0 



do 



7.0 



do 



5.0 



do 



11.0 



do 



10.0 



do 



5.0 



do 



5.5 



do 



5.5 



Aug. 31,1909 



7.0 



do 



8.0 



do 



6.0 



Aug. 25,1909 



14.0 



Aug. 31,1909 



12.0 



Aug. 25,1909 



11.0 



do 



17.0 



Aug. 31,1909 



14.0 



do 



9.0 



Character of growth. 



Dense., 

 do. 



.do. 

 .do. 

 .do. 

 .do. 

 .do. 

 .do. 

 .do. 



do 



....do 



Scattering. 

 do 



Very scattering. 



do 



Depleted 



do 



Oysters caught per 

 square yard. 



Spat. Culls. Counts. 



16.4 

 11.7 

 21.9 



5.1 

 10.6 

 20.3 

 13.3 



9.7 

 15.7 

 11.1 

 15.4 



3.1 



5.8 

 .8 



6.1 

 .0 

 .0 



26.4 

 30.0 

 38.5 

 20.9 

 36.6 

 57.7 

 14.0 

 15.3 

 21.3 

 43.0 

 23.6 

 11.4 

 19.3 

 2.5 

 11.2 

 1.8 

 1.4 



0.0 

 4.2 

 2.3 

 2.0 



.6 



.0 

 1.3 



.3 



.7 

 12.3 



.4 

 4.0 



.3 

 2.9 

 3.1 



.9 

 1.4 



Estimated 



quantity 



oysters per 



acre. 



Bushels. 



218 

 258 

 343 

 154 

 247 

 398 

 153 

 130 

 195 

 408 

 203 

 117 

 131 

 48 

 121 

 19 

 22 



POINT OF SHOALS ROCK. 



This name is here given to a large area of varying productiveness 

 lying between the preceding, Long Shoal and Point of Shoals Light- 

 house, but it is possible that the name as used by the oystermen may 

 not strictly accord witli this usage. Scattered over the area are a 

 number of small shoals ebbing nearly or quite bare, but (he average 

 depth is in general between (> and S feet. Excepting at its northern 

 edge, where an imaginary line separates it from Long Shoal Rock, 



