largest leaves noted at the time were about SO inches long* By July the 

 "beds had progressed remarkatlyj msny of the leaves "being more than 70 

 inches long. The root stocks had "become firmly matted, preventing a person 

 from sinking in the soft muddy oottom, and the foliage was dense enough to 

 make vrading through the "beds diffic^alt. . 



Another check in August showed the plants to he holding up quite 

 well, although the foliage had thinned out appreciahly. This may represent 

 a normal cessation of vegetative growth associated with the fruiting season, 

 as seeds were maturing at the time. The leaves were rather "badly streaked 

 and olotched, however, and to determine whether the slump indicated the oe- 

 ginning of the end for this "bed a final check was made in January 1937. 

 The foliage -..then was much shorter than it had "been throughout the summer, 

 averaging less than 30 inches. This was to be eiqpected, however, as eel- 

 grass is not active during the winter. Othervrise the stand looked qaite 

 encouraging. Hootstocks were ro"bust, with intemodes as long as 2 l/s 

 inches. The season's growth of many rhizomes had amounted to as much as 

 15 inches. The same area had shown only a few isolat-Qd and more or less 

 diseased plants two years earlier. 



Northward in the Maine region a small area of scattered plants was 

 discovered in July near York Seach. The leaves of these plants averaged 

 about 30 inches long. Lluch smaller plants were located in August, in Casco 

 Bay, near Falmouth Toreside. In t^at area the plants were found growing in 

 beds of Rippia . Drifting leaves noted on the bay at the time indicated 

 that possibly there were more extensive, beds in other pa.rts of the area. 

 Each year a few scattered plants have been produced in Casco Bay. All 

 plants and leaves seen there during the past season were small for the 

 region and were rather badly diseased. 



Beds of eelgrass were reported from Jonesport, Maine, in J^gust. 

 Small fruiting plants were said to be common near Roq.ue Bluffs, and much 

 larger plants present in deeper water neexty. Other reports indicated 

 that eelgrass was mailing some progress at Lubec early this season, and that 

 small patches were thriving in Trenchmans Bay in places modified by fresh 

 water. 



The eelgrass parasite seems to be most' active late in summer, a 

 period coinciding wi.th the warming up of the sea water. Since the water 

 is cool over rjch a large part of i:iie year in this region, one might ex- 

 pect that disease activity vjov.ld be retf^rded. {.^'ris is not borne out, how- 

 ever, by local reports. ]^'Luv.ercun observers state that during the past 

 three years eelgrass in many localities has produced rppc.rently thriving 

 growths only to be suddenly and completely wiped out oy disease. 



It is difficult to outline definitely the status of eelgrass for 

 this region. The vast number of coves and bays on the Maine coast cannot 

 be covered comprehensively by any such hasty sur^^ey as we have oeen able 

 to make. If the few areas that were examined may be considered representa- 

 tive, however, small local growths of Zoster a are surviving, suffering now 

 and then from severe attacks of disease, but on the whole safely avoiding 

 complete extirpation. 



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