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fact that the survey boat was the subject of constant visita- 
tion from the local oystermen and that any error on the part 
of the men selected by the counties was apt to be corrected by 
local visitors. As a matter of fact, the cases of such omis- 
sion, when actually existing, were relatively small and unim- 
portant. 
The second objection was that the results of the investiga- 
tion determined the character of the ground only for the time 
of examination and a moderately short interval thereafter. 
Granted that natural rock might become barren (an assump- 
tion established as fact by any piece of depleted bottom ex- 
amined) or that barren bottom might become natural (an 
assumption established as fact by every case of new bar estab- 
lished by culling or old bar spread by dredging), it becomes 
evident that a survey made at one time would produce results 
which after a relatively short period might be disadvantageous 
to the natural-rock oystermen or to those interests of the 
State which expected to profit from leasing revenues. 
Viewed, however, as a method of examining dredging bot- 
tom, this method had to meet a third objection. Oystermen 
maintained then, as they maintain now, that on certain types 
of sandy bottom the oysters are buried in sand to such an ex- 
tent that nothing but the sharp teeth and heavy drag of a 
dredge would penetrate to a sufficient depth to capture them. 
On the other hand, the Commission, seeking as it was to de- 
termine the boundary lines of bars, could not well use the 
dredge, because the results of its use gave merely an average 
condition throughout the dredge path and did not indicate 
the exact point at which the bar ceased. For this reason, 
probably more than any other, the Commission adhered to the 
method outlined above on both tonging and dredging bottoms. 
In order that the interests of the oystermen might be pro- 
tected the law provided that full copies of the survey in each 
county should be filed in the county seat, and that citizens 
dissatisfied with the findings of the survey might take an ap- 
peal to the local county court, but limited the right to take 
this appeal to a relatively short period and declared that after 
this period for appeal had elapsed the findings of the Commis- 
sion would be conclusive evidence in all of the courts of the 
State. 
