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i. 
44. Report of the Board of Shell Fish Commissioners. 
CHARLES COUNTY. 
The oyster-producing waters of Charles County include: 
first, the section of the Patuxent River from the middle of 
the mouth of Indian Creek to the middle of the mouth of 
Swansons Creek, west of the main river channel; second, the 
half of Wicomico River west of its deep water-channel. 
Tongmen only are permitted by law to work on the natural 
oyster grounds situated in these waters. 
The status of the oyster grounds which were surveyed was 
calculated from the results of the examinations in accord- 
ance with the rule or table printed on page 14. In the appli- 
cation of this table the oysters taken from the grounds in 
the Patuxent River were considered to have a value of one 
dollar per bushel; those grown in the Wicomico River, sixty 
cents per bushel. 
Fifteen oyster lots covering a total area of 58 65-100 acres, 
leased under former law for the purposes of oyster culture 
and retained by the lessees under the Haman Oyster Culture 
Law, were re-surveyed by the engineers of the Commission 
during the period oceupied by the survey of the natural 
oyster grounds. 
PATUXENT RIVER. 
(Shown on Chart of Natural Oyster Bars, No. 19.) 
The part of the Patuxent River lying within the limits 
of Charles County, although little more than two miles in 
length, contains; 107 acres of natural oyster bar, charted and 
buoyed as three bars,' and some of the best bottoms for oyster 
planting purposes in the State. 
he bottoms upon which the greater part of Teague and 
Carpenters Yard bars have been formed are composed of 
sand from the sand reefs which extend from shore to these 
bars. The oyster bar locally known as Elbow is located upon 
sticky mud such as is found in the greater part of the cove 
ei Teague Point (Point Judith on charts) and Town 
oint. 
All of the bars extend to the river channel, but over Car- 
penters Yard bar only is deep water found. In the part of 
the channel flowing through this bar depths of 35 to 45 feet 
1See table on page 48. 
