44 



OYSTER BEDS OF JAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA. 



the bed is everywhere bounded by the deep water of the ship chan- 

 nel or a swash channel which separates it from Dry Shoals and 

 Swash Rocks. Where it faces the ship channel there is for most 

 of the distance a border of barren bottom lying between the bed 

 proper and deep water. 



The condition and extent of the bed at the time of the survey was 

 as follows: 



Oyster Growth on Point of Shoals Rock. 



Character of growth. 



Area. 



Oysters 

 per 

 acre. 



Total con- 

 tent of 

 oysters. 





Acres. 

 254 

 155 

 239 

 142 



Bushels. 



200 



93 



42 



15 



Bushels. 

 50, 800 

 14,415 

 10,038 





Very scattering 



Depleted 



2,130 





Total 



790 





77,383 







The dense areas are three, one near the eastern end of the bed, 

 another adjoining the corresponding area of Long Shoal Rock, and 

 the third an isolated spot on a shoal in the swash channel. The 

 densest growths occur as a rule on the shoaler spots, especially at the 

 eastern end of the bed, from the isolated area above alluded to to the 

 ship channel. In this area the average growth is about 275 bushels 

 of oysters to the acre — considering the depths, sufficient to yield 

 about 38 bushels per day's tonging — while the average of the whole 

 area of dense growth would not exceed 25 bushels per day. 



There are four scattering areas, one of which, near the eastern 

 apex of the bed, is insignificant. On these as a whole a tonger 

 should average, at the beginning of the season, about 10 bushels per 

 day. 



The veiy scattering growth is distributed in three areas, of which 

 one adjoins the dense growth on the isolated patch in the swash 

 channel. They are barely prolific enough to raise them above the 

 assumed limit of depletion. 



The depleted area is in five patches or borders along the free 

 boundary of the bed. They are entirely negligible in their pro- 

 ductiveness. 



On the dense and scattering areas the proportion of very small 

 to small oysters is higher than on the beds previously described, and 

 there are several places on each where the growth of oysters above 3 

 inches long is fair. 



On the dense areas the deposit of shells is abundant, on the areas 

 of scattering growth it is ample, while the areas with a very scattering 

 growth and the depleted bottoms are decidedly deficient. In general 

 the latter two areas are of no present and little prospective value. 



