20 
OYSTER BEDS OF JAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA . 
At the eastern edge of the rock, as defined on the chart, there is a 
dense growth, not shown, which lies just outside of the Baylor line, 
and running south from this is a growth of young oysters on the 
so-called depleted bottom sufficient to yield about 4 bushels per day. 
The depleted bottom on the whole will yield about 2 bushels of 
market oysters per day and about the same quantity of young. 
The following are the results of examinations on this rock : 
Details op Examination op Newport News Rock. 
Station 
num- 
Date of ex- 
amination. 
Mean 
depth 
of wa- 
ter. 
Character of growth 
of market oysters. 
Oysters caught per 
square yard. 
Estimated quantity oys- 
ters per acre. 
ber. 
Spat. 
Culls. 
Counts. 
Seed. 
Market. 
Total. 
52 
Aug. 13,1909 
Feet. 
12.0 
Dense 
0.7 
13.6 
6.7 
Bush. 
93 
Bush. 
108 
Bush. 
201 
53 
....do 
9.0 
Scattering. . . 
1.1 
9.8 
4.7 
71 
76 
147 
55 
do 
11.0 
do 
1.8 
10.2 
3.1 
78 
50 
128 
56 
do 
10.0 
Very scattering. . . 
1.1 
11.6 
2.2 
83 
35 
118 
23 
Aug. 11,1909 
9.5 
Depleted 
3.1 
5.1 
' 1.6 
53 
26 
79 
46 
Aug. 12,1909 
9.5 
do 
.7 
4.9 
1.8 
36 
30 
66 
54 
Aug. 13,1909 
10.0 
do 
1.1 
1.1 
1.6 
14 
26 
40 
CRUISER SHOAL ROCK. 
This rock lies on and about th,e shoal that gives it its name, mainly 
in Public Ground No. 6, Warwick County, but partly in the area 
common to that ground and No. 2, Nansemond County. Its area 
and condition are shown in the following table: 
Oyster Growth on Cruiser Shoal Rock. 
Character of growth of market oysters. 
Area. 
Oysters per acre. 
Estimated 
content of 
market 
oysters. 
Seed. 
Market. 
Dense 
Acres. 
27 
19 
26 
32 
Bushels. 
140 
47 
51 
66 
Bushels. 
156 
53 
28 
9 
Bushels. 
4,212 
1,007 
728 
288 
Scattering 
Very scattering 
Depleted 
Total 
104 
6,235 
The dense and scattered areas follow the line of a very shallow 
ridge which forms the backbone of the shoal, the former being capa- 
ble of yielding from 10 to 20 bushels of oysters per day and the 
latter about 5. The area of very scattering growth lies on each side 
of the more prolific areas and is capable of yielding about 3 bushels 
of market oysters per day’s tonging. The depleted area will yield 
an average of not over 1 bushel of market oysters per day, and the 
parts more distant from the ridge are practically bare. Close to the 
ridge, even on some of the bottom depleted of market oysters, the 
