56 
OYSTER BEDS OF TAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA. 
The following examinations were made : 
Details op Examination op Spindle Rock. 
Station 
num- 
Date of ex- 
amination. 
Mean 
depth 
of wa- 
ter. 
Character of growth. 
Oysters caught per 
square yard. 
Estimated 
quantity 
oysters per 
acre. 
ber. 
Spat. 
Culls. 
Counts. 
415 
Aug. 28,1909 
Feet. 
6.0 
Dense 
' 7.7 
19.7 
3.7 
Bushels. 
179 
426 
do 
4.0 
do 
8.8 
14.0 
.4 
120 
427 
do 
6.0 
do 
7.4 
13.6 
1.1 
119 
411 
do 
4.0 
Very scattering 
1.3 
2.6 
.7 
27 
412 
do 
4.5 
Depleted 
.0 
.9 
.7 
12 
DAYS POINT SHOAL BED. 
This follows a shoal but part of which is included in the public 
ground. The part included embraces a dense growth capable of 
yielding to the tonger about 27 bushels of oysters per day. The 
following is the result of the examination made : 
Details of Examination op Days Point Shoal Rock. 
Station 
num- 
ber. 
Date of ex- 
amination. 
Mean 
depth 
of wa- 
ter. 
Character of growth. 
Oysters caught per 
square yard. 
Estimated 
quantity 
oysters per 
acre. 
Spat. 
Culls. 
Counts. 
413 
Aug. 28,1909 
Feet. 
4.5 
Dense 
7.2 
22.3 
1.5 
Bushels. 
166 
PUBLIC GROUNDS. 
The public oyster grounds of Virginia are those areas of the bot- 
toms of tide water which are included within the lines of the Baylor 
survey and additions thereto upon which the public is permitted 
to take oysters at certain seasons of the year on compliance with cer- 
tain conditions, and which are withheld from lease for purposes of 
oyster culture under private and exclusive control. 
The public grounds were designed to include all of the natural rocks, 
though, as has been explained previously, no actual examination 
was made for the purpose of really determining the facts. The 
boundaries are necessarily straight lines and do not purport to con- 
form to the outlines of the actual rocks, and largely for this reason 
they can not fail to include within their confines more or less barren 
bottom. The relation which the barren bottoms bear to that which 
actually produces oysters has been in more or less acrimonious dis- 
pute between the tongers and dredgers on the one hand and the 
planters and their partisans on the other, and it was largely to 
secure authentic and definite information on this point that the 
present survey was undertaken. 
