OYSTER BEDS OF JAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA. 



71 



insignificant. For the purposes of this report it is considered to 

 include four natural rocks, although the largest of these, for which 

 no name was obtained from the oystermen, may be locally recog- 

 nized by names for its constituents severally. The general condi- 

 tion and extent of the bed are shown in the following table : 



Areas of Oyster Growth, Public Ground No. 1 Isle op Wight County. 



Name of oyster rock. 



Dense. 



Scatter- 

 ing. 



Very scat- 

 tering. 



Depleted. 



Total. 



Rock Wharf Shoals 



A cres. 



18 



45 



14 



4 



Acres. 

 

 

 0. 

 



Acres. 

 

 5 

 3 

 



Acres. 

 8 

 37 

 2 

 



Acres. 

 26 





87 





19 



Days Point Shoal 



4 









81 







8 



47 



136 





589 















i ! 





725 





i 1 I 





The area of barren bottom as compared with the extent of the 

 ground is relatively large, constituting about 81 per cent, and the 

 depleted bottom, which is at present worthless and holds forth no 

 promise of improvement, adds an additional 7 per cent to the wholly 

 unproductive bottom. The area of dense growth, which is undoubt- 

 edly productive, covers about 11 per cent of the whole, while the 

 bottom bearing very scattered oysters, which is at present prac- 

 tically incapable of yielding a living wage to the tonger, covers about 

 1 per cent. 



The following table shows the estimated total content of oysters 

 on the rocks at the end of August, 1909: 



Total Content of Oysters, Public Ground No. 1 Isle of Wight County. 



Name of rock. 



Dense. 



Scatter- 

 ing. 



Very scat- 

 tering. 



Depleted. 



Total. 



Rock Wharf Shoals 



Bushels. 



2,520 



6,300 



1,960 



664 



Bushels. 



Bushels. 



Bushels. 



88 



666 



24 



Bushels. 

 2,608 

 7,196 



Between Rock Wharf Shoals and Spindle Rocks 





230 



81 





2,065 

 664 



Days Point Shoal 















Total 



11,444 





311 



778 



12,533 









The total content of the ground as a whole averages about 17 

 bushels per acre. Practically all of this is borne by the small frac- 

 tion of the bottom classed as dense, on which the average produc- 

 tion is at the rate of about 141 bushels per acre, considerably less 

 than on the areas of dense growth on the great beds across the 

 channel. 



