OYSTER BEDS OF JAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA. 



61 



growth, at present practically worthless so far as actual productive- 

 ness is concerned, are capable of coming into production at some time 

 in the future, by virtue of the young growth and clean shells that 

 they bear, it will be seen that the actual productive oyster rocks 

 form only about 20 per cent of the area of these two public grounds. 

 The estimated total marketable contents of the grounds, based 

 upon the distribution of oysters as indicated by the chain, and the 

 actual productiveness of the various areas as determined by actual 

 count and measurement, is exhibited in the following table: 



Content of Market Oysters, Public Grounds No. 2 Nansemond County and 

 No. 6 Isle of Wight County. 



Name of rock. 



Dense. 



Scatter* 



ing. 



Very 

 scatter- 

 ing. 



Depleted . 



Total. 





Bushels. 



Bushels. 



Bushels. 



Bushels. 



195 



8, 602 



2,755 



3,483 



288 



182 



807 



720 



1,416 



1,710 



Bushels. 

 195 





7,905 



20, 760 



950 



1,701 



1,007 



10,878 

 546 

 420 

 728 

 210 

 600 

 420 

 945 

 2,008 

 248 

 792 



54, 145 





4,251 





432 



4, 212 



5, 400 



2, 100 



6, 036 





6,235 



Flat Rock, etc 



5, 792 



High Shoal 



024 

 1,100 



507 

 6,314 



4, 191 



Trout Shoal 



2,240 





1,664 

 5, 355 

 1,340 



4,532 



Fishing Point 



15, 447 





1,588 



Ballards Marsh 



124 



894 



1,810 





2S, 408 





Total 



3u, os7 



17,855 



21,052 



106, 462 







This indicates that if it were possible to " clean up" completely 

 the entire area covered by the oyster rocks, the product would be 

 about 106,000 bushels of marketable oysters. When an analysis is 

 made, it is speedily apparent that the commercially available supply 

 on these beds is only about 40 per cent of the foregoing, as stated in 

 the following table: 



Available Content of Market Oysters, Public Grounds No. 2 Nansemond 

 County and No. G Isle op Wight County. 



Name of rock. 



Dense. 



Scatter- 

 ing. 



Very 



soatter- 



Ing. 



Total. 



Larklns ; 



Bushels. 



Bushels. 



Bushels. 



Bushels. 



N;iiis(miioik1 Ridge 



5,500 



13,600 

 400 

 850 

 700 



1,000 

 100 



20 ooo 



Drum 



f>(X) 



New port News 



850 



3,400 



a, coo 

 1,500 



l 200 



Cruiser Shoal 





•1 100 



Flat Rock, etc 





8 ooo 



llitfh Shoal 



850 



600 



850 



8,600 



100 



I 950 



Trout Shoal 



600 



Dog Shoal 



1 , 200 



i. 100 

 1,300 





i 150 



Pishing Polnl 



800 



s SO0 



Between Fishing Point and Ballards Marsh 



1 . 200 



Hallards Marsh 



7") 



100 



17,") 



1 



21,150 





Total 



■jo.. ■;:•;. 



i 600 



43,075 





