56 



OYSTER BEDS OF JAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA. 



The following examinations were made: 



Details of Examination of Spindle Rock. 



Station 

 num- 

 ber. 



Mean 

 Date of ex- depth 

 amination. of wa- 

 ter. 



Oysters caught per 

 square yard. 



Character of growth. 



Spat. 



Culls. | Counts. 



Estimated 



quantity 



oysters per 



acre. 



415 

 426 

 427 

 411 

 412 



Aug. 28, 

 ....do.. 

 ....do.. 

 ....do.. 

 ....do.. 



Feet. 

 6.0 

 4.0 

 6.0 

 4.0 

 4.5 



Dense 



....do 



....do 



Very scattering 

 Depleted 



7.7 

 8.8 

 7.4 

 1.3 

 .0 



19.7 

 14.0 

 13.6 

 2.6 



3.7 



.4 



1.1 



.7 

 .7 



Bushels. 

 179 

 120 

 119 

 27 

 12 



DAYS POINT SHOAL BED. 



This follows a shoal but part of which is included in the public 

 ground. The part included embraces a dense growth capable of 

 yielding to the tonger about 27 bushels of oysters per day. The 

 following is the result of the examination made : 



Details of Examination of Days Point Shoal Rock. 



Sta- 

 tion 



Date of 

 examination. 



Mean 

 depth 



of 

 water. 



Character of growth. 



Oysters caught per 

 square yard. 



Estimated 

 quantity 

 oysters 

 per acre. 



ber. 





Spat. Culls. 



Counts. 



413 



Aug. 28,1909 



Feet. 

 4.5 



i 



Dense 7.2 



! 



22.3 



1.5 



Bushels. 

 166 



PUBLIC GROUNDS. 



The public oyster grounds of Virginia are those areas of the bot- 

 toms of tide water which are included within the lines of the Baylor 

 survey and additions thereto upon which the public is permitted 

 to take oysters at certain seasons of the year on compliance with cer- 

 tain conditions, and which are withheld from lease for purposes of 

 oyster culture under private and exclusive control. 



The public grounds were designed to include all of the natural rocks, 

 though, as has been explained previously, no actual examination 

 was made for the purpose of really determining the facts. The 

 boundaries are necessarily straight lines and do not purport to con- 

 form to the outlines of the actual rocks, and largely for this reason 

 they can not fail to include within their confines more or less barren 

 bottom. The relation which the barren bottoms bear to that which 

 actually produces oysters has been in more or less acrimonious dis- 

 pute between the tongers and dredgers on the one hand and the 

 planters and their partisans on the other, and it was largely to 

 secure authentic and definite information on this point that the 

 present survey was undertaken. 





