68 
OYSTER BEDS OF JAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA. 
It is necessary, therefore, in the discussion of the productiveness 
of this part of the James River oyster grounds, to adopt a different 
standard of productiveness. The whole oyster product of whatever 
size is involved in the question of the present value of the beds, 
whereas in the areas previously discussed the market oysters only 
could be considered, and the quantity of young was of interest merely 
as indicating the probability of the beds being maintained or repleted. 
In the discussion which follows here the maximum potential yield is 
considered as the production in excess of that which will give the 
tonger 4 bushels of oysters per day of tonging, not taking into con- 
sideration the time employed in culling out the shells and returning 
them to the beds. 
This part of Ground No. 1 includes all oyster rocks on the left bank 
of the James River, from the mouth of Warwick River to the upper 
limit of oyster growth, near Deepwater Shoals Light-House. The 
following is a summary of the extent of the several rocks and the 
barren bottoms embraced within the Baylor lines: 
Areas of Oyster Growth, Public Ground No. 1 Warwick County, Above 
Deep Creek. 
Name of rock. 
Dense. 
Scatter- 
ing. 
Very scat- 
tering. 
Depleted. 
Total. 
Acres. 
Acres. 
Acres. 
Acres. 
Acres. 
Jail Island 
Wreck Shoal 
Dry Shoals 
Point of Shoals 
Swash 
Mulberry Swash. t 
Marshy Island. 
Long Shoal. .- 
V Rock 
Moores 
Horsehead 
Deepwater Shoals 
Total oyster area 
227 
198 
586 
0 
126 
18 
254 
155 
146 
0 
422 
34 
197 
322 
331 
10 
240 
0 
37 
6 
33 
192 
17 
0 
14 
0 
9 
239 
0 
20 
235 
84 
73 
0 
139 
21 
508 
947 
0 
586 
21 
174 
142 
790 
115 
261 
29 
505 
387 
1,141 
79. 
504 
73 
386 
0 
43 
16 
380 
241 
279 
2,616 
935 
834 
Total barren area 
Total Baylor survey. 
6,896.8 
12, 892. 8 
It will be noticed at once that the proportion of barren bottom to 
that actually included in the rocks as determined by the survey is 
somewhat smaller than in the grounds previously discussed, consti- 
tuting about 53 per cent of the total. The depleted bottom, which, 
with practically no exceptions, is at present and potentially valueless, 
covers an additional 12 or 13 per cent, so that, assuming all the rest 
to be at present productive or capable of becoming so in the future, 
the oyster bottom covers about 35 per cent of the whole. 
The following table exhibits the estimated total content of the sev- 
eral rocks and their subdivisions at the opening of the oyster season 
on September 15, 1909: 
