00 



OYSTEB BEDS OF JAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA. 



Those are pointed out in the following discussion of the several 



public grounds: 



PUBLIC GROUNDS NO. 2 NANSEMOND COUNTY AND NO. 6 ISLE OF 



WIGHT COUNTY. 



These two grounds overlap, as platted on the state charts, and as 

 they can not be accurately differentiated in the conflicting area they 

 may be most conveniently considered together. The former bed 

 begins at the upper limit of oyster growth in the Xansemoiul River 

 off Cedar Point, and becoming continuous with No. 6 near Newport 

 News Rock, the latter extends along the right side of the James River 

 to beyond Ballards Marsh Rock. Ground No. 2 is said to contain 

 3,319.6 acres, and Ground No. 6, 4.14S.2 acres, a total of 7,467.8; but 

 there is an overlap or duplication of about 305 acres, and deducting 

 this, the actual total area of the two beds may be assumed to be about 

 7,162.8 acres. The following is a resume of the extent of the oyster 

 bottoms of the several rocks and the barren bottom embraced within 

 the limits of these grounds: 



Areas of Oysteb Growth in Public Grounds No. 2 Nansemond Count* am> 

 No. G Isle op Wight County. 



Name of oyster rock. 



Larkins 



Nansemond Ridge 



Drum Shoal. 



Newport News 



(.'miser Shoal 



Between Nansemond Ridge and Fishing Pointo. 



Bigh shoal 



Troul Shoal 



Dog Shoal 



Fishing Toint 



Between Fishing Point and Ballards tfarsh 



Ballards Marsh 



Total oyster area. 

 Total barren bottom... 



Total Baylor survey 



Oyster growth. 



Acres. 







85 







4 



27 



50 



24 







16 



45 



5 







256 



Scatter- 

 ing. 



Acres. 





 446 

 19 

 27 

 19 





 13 

 25 

 11 

 77 







4 



Very 

 scatter- 

 ing. 



Acres. 





 294 

 14 

 19 

 26 



5 

 M 

 14 

 35 

 47 



B 

 33 



041 



512 



Depleted 



Acres. 



96 

 128 

 32 



7 



96 

 90 

 120 



90 



IS 



142 



Total. 



Acres. 



38 

 1,607 

 128 

 172 

 104 



63 

 186 

 129 

 182 



31 



m 



3,048 



4.114. 



7,162.8 



a 8 acres undetermined. 



It will be observed from this table that the barren bottom, as de- 

 veloped by this survey, exceeds the area of the oyster rocks and con- 

 stitutes about 57 per cent o( the area of the two public grounds under 

 discussion. The depleted bottom, which, excepting the places noted 

 in the detailed descriptions o( the several beds, is at present unpro- 

 ductive and iA' a character that gives little or no promise of future 

 regeneration, forms about 23 per cent of the total area included 

 within the Baylor Lines. Assuming that the areas o( very scattering 



