64 



OYSTER BEDS OF JAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA. 



PUBLIC GROUND NO. 1 WARWICK COUNTY, BELOW DEEP CREEK. 



This public ground, while continuous in its lines from near New- 

 port News to above Deepwater Shoals Light, is divided, for purposes 

 of administration, by a line running from Deep Creek to Days Point. 

 Below this line the cull law is in force and tonging is practically 

 confined to taking oysters for the market, while above the line it is 

 legally permissible to take oysters of all sizes for planting purposes. 

 The total area of the portion of the bed here discussed is about 

 5,515 acres. It embraces six well-defined rocks or groups of rocks, 

 the general condition and area of which are shown in the following 

 table, which also includes a very small contiguous and overlapping 

 area at the inshore edge of Kettle Hole Rock, known as Public 

 Ground No. 2 Warwick County: 



Areas of Oyster Growth, Public Ground No. 1 Warwick County, Below 



Deep Creek. 



Name of oyster rock. 



Dense. 



Scatter- 

 ing. 



Very scat- 

 tering. 



Depleted. 



Total. 





Acres. 

 18 

 6 

 258 

 76 

 10 

 44 



Acres. 

 44 

 

 C6 

 118 

 69 

 



Acres. 

 27 

 16 

 111 

 100 

 225 

 10 



Acres. 



226 



4 



11 



127 



118 



52 



Acres. 

 365 





26 



Kettl* Hole 



446 





421 



Blunt Point 



428 



White Shoal 



106 







Total ovster area 



468 



297 



489 



538 



1,792 



Total barren bottom 



3,723 







































As shown above, the barren bottom is equal to about 68 per cent 

 of the area included within the Baylor lines, while the depleted area, 

 which is almost uniformly worthless in its present condition, is equal 

 to about 10 per cent. Assuming, as has been done in the discussion 

 of the preceding grounds, that the bottom bearing a very scattering 

 growth, of little or no present value so far as its market-oyster con- 

 tent is concerned, is capable of regeneration under the operation of 

 natural agencies, the total present or prospective productive bottom 

 constitutes about 22 per cent of the entire area. The following table 

 shows the estimated present market-oyster content of the several 

 rocks and their respective subdivisions according to density of 

 growth: 



