36 Report of the Board of Shell Fish Commissioners. 
The bottoms adjoining the Middleground were surveyed 
and examined with the result that part were found to be 
natural oyster bar and part were found to be barren bottom. 
In accordance with the definition of a natural oyster bar 
adopted by the Commission, the bottoms in question will be- 
come barren bottom when the lessees shall have exercised the 
right granted to them by the Court to remove the oysters. 
No action has been taken with reference to the part of the 
Middleground under litigation. It has not been shown to 
| be natural oyster bar on the charts and its status must be 
| settled through an appeal. 
The number of lots leased under former law and which 
have been retained by the respective lessees is 59, covering 
a total area of 230 23-100 acres. All were resurveyed during 
the survey of the public oyster grounds and new leases have 
been issued in each case. 
PATUXENT RIVER. 
a (Shown on Charts of Natural Oyster Bars, Nos. 19 and 20.) 
The oyster-producing section of the Patuxent River situated 
within the jurisdiction of Calvert County lies north of the 
mid-river channel and extends from Drum Point, at the mouth 
of the river, to, and a short distance above, Hallowing Point 
opposite the town of Benedict. 
A belt of 27 natural oyster bars,’ interrupted at places by 
the muddy channels of ereeks and by areas of depleted oyster 
hottoms, aggregating 3,469 acres, occupies about one-fourth 
of this area. The oyster bars unless partially depleted 
usually extend to within a short distance of the shore, their 
inner boundaries being covered at low water to a depth of 
from one to six feet. Oysters grow in the Patuxent at depths 
greater than in any other waters of the State. In the vicinity 
of Point Patience oysters were taken at depths of 120 and 130 
feet and the results of the examinations in this déep water 
showed the bottom to be densely stocked and the oysters to 
be in a thriving condition. While the oysters may originally 
have been carried to these deep bottoms from adjoining 
oyster bars by currents (as many oystermen claim), no evi- 
dence was found to indicate that the conditions on the deep 
4 
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4 
1See table on pages 42 and 43. ~ 
