BIOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY 155 



methods some oystermen are expecting to double this yield and secure from 

 14 to 15 bushels of market oysters per bushel of seed planted. 



The preparation of oysters for market involves different procedures. 

 Oysters for the shell trade may require the production of a uniform smaller 

 sized oyster than those designated for a shucking house. Transplantation 

 may be necessary to an area where a desired flavor will be obtained. Oysters 

 going to shucking houses present the problem of securing the greatest yield 

 of oyster meats from a given measure. Thus, it may be necessary to trans- 

 plant oysters to areas that are rich in food organisms. Such areas may be 

 produced in the future through artificial enrichment of the waters by adding 

 necessary constituents to stimulate the growth of food organisms. 



In areas where successful oyster culture is carried on, the methods differ 

 considerably. The industry cannot be governed in its practices by any set 

 of rules. In North Carolina, where oyster culture has not been extensively 

 carried on, it would be necessary to determine which methods best satisfy 

 the local conditions and, if necessary, to modify the procedures that are 

 successfully being employed elsewhere. 



THE OYSTER INDUSTRY 



North Carolina has maintained a rather modest position in oyster produc- 

 tion over the past fifty years. In 1940 North Carolina was third from the 

 bottom of the list of oyster-producing states along the Atlantic and Gulf 

 coasts. However, production in 1945 markedly increased to place North 

 Carolina in sixth position among the same list of states (Table 3). 



The bulk of the industry is located in the Pamlico Sound area. Although 

 production of oysters has been of significance in Core and Bogue sounds 

 and their tributaries, over four-fifths of the oysters are produced in Pam- 

 lico Sound and its tributaries. This is to be expected when one considers the 

 vast area of Pamlico Sound, over 1,140,000 acres as compared to 105,000 

 acres for Core and Bogue sounds combined (Winslow, 1889). Only a small 

 portion of this total area, however, is actually producing oysters. Winslow 

 (1886) calculated over 10,000 acres as consisting of natural beds and 

 estimated that between 609,000 and 807,000 acres were of possible and 

 probable value for oyster culture. The acreage of natural oyster beds as 

 given by Winslow is probably low, for Grave (1904) states that the natural 

 beds of Hyde County, as determined by Stevenson from inquiries, were 

 from 18,000 to 36,000 acres in extent. This apparent discrepancy was due 

 to unawareness, at that time, of the existence of beds that were located 

 nearly two miles offshore in Pamlico Sound, which were not discovered until 

 nearly ten years after Winslow's survey. Many of the beds in the Pamlico 

 Sound area that existed in Winslow's time are still more or less productive. 

 A survey comparable to that conducted by Winslow has not been attempted 



