gg ea a ay ie ae a: GENS ey i a a 
50 Report of the Board of Shell Fish Commissioners. 
PATUXENT RIVER. 
(Shown on Charts of Natural Oyster Bars, Nos. 19 and 20.) 
The natural oyster bars which lie below the mid-river chan- 
nel in the part of the Patuxent River included between the — 
line in Indian Creek, marking the boundary between Charles 
and St. Marys counties, and the mouth of the river, are de- 
seribed in this report as located within the limits of St. Marys 
County, and the charts showing the location of these bars and 
the bottoms to be opened for lease for oyster culture will, 
when published by the Coast and Geodetic Survey, be filed in 
the office of the Clerk of Court in Leonardtown. 
These oyster bars are 22 in number and cover a total area 
of 2,418 acres. In the part of the river above Point Patience 
the oyster grounds on the St. Mary’s side of the channel were 
found to be much more depleted than those on the opposite 
side, a condition which indicates that storms have had much 
to do with the final destruction of the oyster bars, especially 
such bars as may be in a depleted condition from having been 
overworked. The St. Marys shore of the Patuxent is sub- 
ject to the violence of much more stormy weather than the 
Calvert County shore. 
The conditions which affect the growth of oysters in the 
Patuxent, other than that referred to above, are practically 
the same on both sides of the river and need not be described 
a second time. <A brief description of the conditions found to 
prevail during the period occupied by the survey is given in 
cane of this report devoted to the Patuxent on pages 
The quantity of ground which was surveyed but which the 
examinations showed to be practically barren, amounts to 
about 2,000 acres. This depleted area and not less than an 
equal amount of the adjacent barren bottoms is valuable for 
oyster culture. 
SMITHS CREEK. 
(Shown on Chart of Natural Oyster Bars, No. 24.) 
A line drawn from Gray Point to Kitts Point is considered | 
by the Commission to divide the waters. of Smiths Creek 
from those of the Potomae River. 
1See table on pages 60 and 61. 
