With the Virginia Legislature in 1894 authorizing a survey of an underwater state bottom to establish public and private oyster beds, new problems arose. Oyster growers were now allowed to lease grounds from the state to grow oysters. Sometimes the new private grounds had been worked for years by tongers when all the grounds were public. This often resulted in conflict between tongers and growers. Also, public and private grounds were often located side-by-side, meaning that with a shift in wind...