te doing well, showing onl/ a miniraoin of disease. This would seem to 

 presage a satisfactory growth for the summer of 1937. I,t was of in- 

 terest to notej'-hoth in the Hooper Island area and at Taylors Bridge, 

 a good growth of Euppia maritima find Totaraogeton pact inatus, and a fair 

 stand of Zannichelli'a p"alustfis ~in the same water" wi th Zo stera . . Seven 

 samples of water were collected at these areas in Dorchester County, Md. , 

 with the follovdng relative percentage of sea salinity: 



TJffiLE 1.-- Salinity of seven sample s of w ater cQlle,ct g^d in 



Dorchester County , Md . ,' ^ 



No. of 

 sample 



Date 



Locality 



Average 

 s ea salinity 



1 

 2 

 3 



4 

 5 

 6 

 7 



July 25, IS 35 

 do 



do 



Dec. 23, 1935 

 do 



Slaughter River, Taylors Island 

 ——do- 



At second draw "bridge "between 



Tarr Bay and Honga Hiver 



Tarr Bay Marsh Pond 



Fishing Creek 



Taylors Island Bridge 



j Tarr Bay, l/4 mile from No. 2— 



Percent 

 32 . 61 

 39.14 



39 . 24 

 38.22 

 39 .71 

 40.18 

 48.96 



The p-H of all saniples ranged from 7.5 to 7.8. It has "been found. . 

 that the minimum saline content that eelgrass is able to tolerate is 

 slightly more than one-fourth the average of sea salinity. 3/ 



Reports indicate that during the past year there has "been no appre- 

 ciahle change in the eelgrass situation in the James, York, and Potomac 

 Rivers, or in the other streams flowing into Chesapeake' Bay. Some drift, 

 has "been noted along the southern reaches of all these streams. 



North Carolina 



Inspection along the coast of North Carolina has not "been so com- 

 plete as desira"ble. Information o"btained from "both personal o"bservation 

 and reports indicates that the wasting disease was more than ordinarily 

 severe in that area late last summer, resulting in an abnormal extent of 

 drift when the relative scarcity of the plant is considered. Early in 

 the summer a more encouraging crop of plants seemed to be in' evidence. 

 Disease was nevertheless noticeable in fully two of every three plants 

 inspected. At Swanquarter scarcely a rhizome could be found that was 

 alive more than 1 l/2 inches from a grov/ing plant. Furthermore, all 

 rhizomes and leafy parts of the plants were spindling. Pew plants more 

 than 5 inches long were noted and many were much shorter. 



No appreciable change was detected in the condition of eelgrass in 

 Bogue and Core Sounds during the past year. It is apparent that a small 

 number of the beds are maintaining themselves although no noticeable 

 recovery was detected. At the mouth of New River, N. C, it was surprising 



3/ The average saline content of the sea is considered 3.5 percent 

 total salts. 



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