74 TT. S. BliKEAIT OF FTSHEHrER 



islands. This locality is well protected iiom lieavj' seas and seems 

 to be suitable for oyster culture. 



The mouths of the rivers present a great variety of bottom condi- 

 tions from hard and sticky mud, very suitable for oyster culture, to 

 entirely unsuitable soft mud and sand. The salinity of the water 

 is subject to great seasonal and daily fluctuations, depending on the 

 stage of the river and tide. The water of the large rivers, like the 

 Savannah and Altamalia, is muddy and contains a considerable 

 amount of suspended material which is deposited at their mouths. 

 Better conditions can be found in the smaller clear-water rivers such 

 as the Satilla and St. Marys, but even in these the sudden changes 

 caused by freshets may produce disastrous results. The heavy dep- 

 osition of silt, low salinity especially during the freshets, and 

 strong currents make any oyster culture here very difficult. 



The third class of waters includes the tributaries of the principal 

 streams, tidal rivers, and a large number of narrow creeks and salt 

 marshes. The bottom here varies from very soft mud, unsuitable 

 for oyster planting, to hard blue mud, which is considered very de- 

 sirable for oyster culture; sand bottom occurs rarely. Though the 

 rise and fall of tide can be regarded as uniform for the whole coastal 

 region, averaging 7 to 8 feet, the tidal currents here are consider- 

 ably slower than in the sounds.^ Tiie salinity of the water naturally 

 varies, depending on the distance from the ocean and the stage of 

 the rivers. It can be roughly estimated that C to 8 miles from the 

 ocean beach is the average limit of brackish water. Further inland 

 the salt marshes pass into tidal swamps, wdiich at high tide are partly 

 covered by the backing up of the fresh river water. Small creeks 

 and marshes are .well protected from the rough sea. Their water is 

 rich in the microscopic organisms which constitute the natural food 

 of the oysters, and wherever the salinity and bottom conditions are 

 right, they can be regarded as suitable for oyster culture. There 

 are no natural beds located in the marshes, but where the oysters 

 were introduced they grew rapidly and acquired good flavor. These 

 waters should, therefore, be regarded as very suitable for oyster 

 ])ropagation, Tlie total area of salt marshes probably measures be- 

 tween 150 and 200 square miles (estimated by L, W. Stephenson 

 and J. O. Veath) ; but since no survey of the marshlands of the State 

 has yet been made, accurate figures can not be given. The figures 

 just mentioned can be regarded as very conservative. They mean 

 that there are between 96,000 and 128,000 acres of salt marshes, a 

 considerable portion of wdiich can be used for oyster culture. It is 

 opinion of the senior writer, based on the observations of the survey 

 of 1925, that large areas of salt marsh and small creeks can be 

 adapted for oyster planting. 



We can see from tlie foregoing pages that considerable areas can 

 be found in the Georgia tidewater region that can be exploited for 

 oyster culture. For this purpose the small streams, creeks, and 

 marshes are preferable to mouths of the large rivers and open sounds 

 where oysters may be buried by sliifting bottoms and the deposition 

 of silt, killed })y fresliets, or attacked by enemies such as drills and 

 starfishes whicli avoid brackish waters. 



