60 
OYSTER BEDS OF JAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA. 
These are pointed out in the following discussion of the several 
public grounds: 
PUBLIC GROUNDS NO. 2 NANSEMOND COUNTY AND NO. 6 ISLE OF 
WIGHT COUNTY. 
These two grounds overlap, as platted on the state charts, and as 
they can not be accurately differentiated in the conflicting area they 
may be most conveniently considered together. The former bed 
begins at the upper limit of oyster growth in the Nansemond River 
off Cedar Point, and becoming continuous with No. 6 near Newport 
News Rock, the latter extends along the right side of the James River 
to beyond Ballards Marsh Rock. Ground No. 2 is said to contain 
3,319.6 acres, and Ground No. 6, 4,148.2 acres, a total of 7,467.8; but 
there is an overlap or duplication of about 305 acres, and deducting 
this, the actual total area of the two beds may be assumed to be about 
7,162.8 acres. The following is a resume of the extent of the oyster 
bottoms of the several rocks and the barren bottom embraced within 
the limits of these grounds: 
Areas of Oyster Growth in Public Grounds No. 2 Nansemond County and 
No. 6 Isle of Wight County. 
Oyster growth. 
• Name of oyster rock. 
Dense. 
Scatter- 
ing. 
Very 
scatter- 
ing. 
Depleted. 
Total. 
Larkins 
Acres. 
0 
Acres. 
0 
Acres. 
0 
Acres. 
39 
Acres. 
39 
Nansemond Ridge 
85 
446 
294 
782 
1,607 
128 
Drum Shoal 
0 
19 
14 
95 
Newport News 
4 
27 
12 
129 
172 
Cruiser Shoal 
27 
19 
26 
32 
104 
Between Nansemond Ridge and Fishing Point ® 
50 
0 
5 
7 
62 
High Shoal 
24 
13 
24 
95 
156 
Trout Shoal 
0 
25 
14 
90 
129 
Dog Shoal 
16 
11 
35 
120 
182 
Fishing Point 
45 
77 
47 
90 
259 
Between Fishing Point and Ballards Marsh 
5 
0 
8 
18 
31 
Ballards Marsh 
0 
4 
33 
142 
179 
Total oyster area 
256 
641 
512 
1,639 
3,048 
4,114.8 
Total barren bottom 
Total Baylor survey 
7, 162.8 
1 
a 8 acres undetermined. 
It will be observed from this table that the barren bottom, as de- 
veloped by this survey, exceeds the area of the oyster rocks and con- 
stitutes about 57 per cent of the area of the two public grounds under 
discussion. The depleted bottom, which, excepting the places noted 
in the detailed descriptions of the several beds, is at present unpro- 
ductive and of a character that gives little or no promise of future 
regeneration, forms about 23 per cent of the total area included 
within the Baylor lines. Assuming that the areas of very scattering 
