OYSTER BEDS OF JAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA. 
77 
maintain their present condition or 10 cause slight improvement in 
their productiveness, and the real question at issue largely resolves 
itself into a matter of their present productiveness, which has been 
already discussed. Most of these bottoms are sufficiently clothed 
with shells to insure their share of a good strike. The depleted areas, 
excepting in the places specifically mentioned in the descriptions of 
the individual rocks, may be regarded as hopeless of recuperation 
under natural conditions. 
The barren bottoms, which preceding tables show to constitute a 
very. large proportion of the areas of the public beds, are in many 
cases so situated as to be of necessity and for practical considerations 
impossible of' separation from the natural beds without injury to the 
future of the latter or without due regard to the question of policing 
and administration. There are, however, certain large areas readily 
separable from the public grounds, and the latter would suffer prac- 
tically no diminution in really productive bottom as a result of the 
severance. 
SEED-OYSTER AREA. 
This region lies above the line drawn between Deep Creek and 
Days Point, and is shown on chart 2 accompanying this report. The 
following table summarizes the extent and condition of the bottoms 
of different degrees of productiveness included within this part of 
the Baylor survey: 
Summarized Statement of Oyster Growth on Seed Areas. 
Name of ground. 
Dense. 
Scatter- 
ing. 
Very scat- 
tering. 
Depleted 
Barren. 
Total. 
Warwick No. 1 (above Deep Creek) 
Isle of Wight No. 1 
Total 
Per cent 
Acres. 
2,420 
81 
Acres. 
1,131 
0 
Acres. 
834 
8 
Acres. 
1,611 
47 
Acres. 
6,896.8 
589.0 
Acres. 
12,892.8 
725.0 
2,501 
18.4 
1,131 
8.3 
842 
6.2 
1,658 
12.2 
7,485.8 
54.9 
13,617.8 
100.0 
The following table furnishes an estimate of the total content of 
seed oysters present on the bottoms of varying productiveness at the 
beginning of the oyster season on September 15, 1909: 
Summarized Content of Oysters on Seed Areas. 
Name of ground. 
Dense. 
Scatter- 
ing. 
Very scat- 
tering. 
Depleted. 
Total. 
Warwick No. 1 (above Deep Creek) 
Isle of Wight No. 1 ... . . . .. .. 
Bushels. 
668,540 
11,444 
Bushels. 
104, 987 
Bushels. 
61, 607 
311 
Bushels. 
21,803 
778 
Bushels. 
856, 937 
12,533 
Total ......... 
679,984 
272 
78.2 
104,987 
93 
12.1 
61,918 
73 
7.1 
22,581 
13 
2.6 
869,470 
Average per acre 
Per cent 
100.0 
