﻿OYSTER 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  CAROLINA. 
  257 
  

  

  oysters, 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  257.7 
  and 
  135.22 
  acres, 
  respectively. 
  Com- 
  

   paring 
  these 
  figures 
  with 
  those 
  given 
  by 
  Winslow 
  for 
  1887, 
  it 
  is 
  evi- 
  

   dent 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  twelve 
  years 
  that 
  intervened 
  the 
  beds 
  have 
  

   become 
  considerably 
  reduced 
  in 
  size. 
  Winslow 
  gives 
  403 
  acres 
  as 
  the 
  

   area 
  of 
  the 
  Newport 
  beds, 
  not 
  including 
  those 
  of 
  Carrot 
  Island, 
  and 
  

   212.75 
  acres 
  as 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  North 
  River. 
  His 
  estimate 
  

   that 
  the 
  entire 
  area 
  in 
  each 
  river 
  not 
  now 
  occupied 
  by 
  natural 
  beds 
  

   was 
  available 
  and 
  suitable 
  for 
  oj^ster 
  culture 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  its 
  branches 
  is 
  

   also 
  very 
  much 
  greater 
  than 
  the 
  estimate 
  of 
  Captain 
  Smith, 
  who, 
  

   guided 
  by 
  the 
  experience 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  planted 
  oysters 
  in 
  these 
  

   waters 
  since 
  the 
  survey 
  hj 
  Winslow, 
  gave 
  3,810 
  acres 
  as 
  the 
  amount 
  

   of 
  ground 
  suited 
  to 
  planting 
  in 
  Newport 
  and 
  3,600 
  acres 
  in 
  North 
  

   River. 
  My 
  own 
  experience, 
  acquired 
  since 
  the 
  survey 
  in 
  1899, 
  would 
  

   lead 
  me 
  to 
  reduce 
  the 
  amount 
  still 
  more, 
  limiting 
  all 
  planting 
  to 
  such 
  

   unoccupied 
  bottoms 
  as 
  are 
  found 
  above 
  the 
  lines 
  referred 
  to 
  in 
  the 
  

   discussion 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  beds 
  on 
  the 
  next 
  page. 
  

  

  The 
  amount 
  of 
  ground 
  under 
  cultivation 
  in 
  Newport 
  River 
  at 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  Winslow's 
  survey 
  was 
  28 
  acres. 
  In 
  1899, 
  although 
  as 
  many 
  

   as 
  170 
  entries 
  of 
  ground 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  since 
  1887, 
  there 
  were 
  no 
  

   beds 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  taxes 
  for 
  the 
  previous 
  3^ear 
  had 
  been 
  paid, 
  and 
  hence 
  

   none 
  to 
  which 
  a 
  good 
  title 
  could 
  be 
  claimed. 
  In 
  North 
  River, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  in 
  1899, 
  there 
  were 
  500 
  acres 
  of 
  ground 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  pre- 
  

   empted 
  for 
  oyster 
  culture, 
  on 
  most 
  of 
  which 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  planting 
  

   had 
  been 
  done 
  and 
  on 
  v/hich 
  the 
  taxes 
  were 
  paid. 
  The 
  amount 
  of 
  

   ground 
  under 
  cultivation 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  survey 
  by 
  Winslow 
  was 
  

   310 
  acres. 
  

  

  These 
  waters 
  are 
  more 
  like 
  bays 
  than 
  rivers, 
  their 
  courses 
  being 
  

   very 
  short 
  and 
  their 
  mouths 
  very 
  wide. 
  The 
  mouths, 
  moreover, 
  are 
  

   more 
  or 
  less 
  filled 
  with 
  extensive 
  low 
  islands 
  covered 
  with 
  tall 
  marsh- 
  

   grass, 
  separated 
  from 
  each 
  other 
  by 
  shallow 
  channels, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  

   mainland 
  by 
  wider 
  and 
  deeper 
  ones, 
  which 
  are 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  oystermeu 
  

   and 
  fishermen 
  in 
  navigating 
  the 
  rivers. 
  The 
  supply 
  of 
  fresh 
  water 
  

   is 
  furnished 
  by 
  seepage 
  from 
  the 
  extensive 
  marshes 
  lying 
  about 
  the 
  

   headwaters 
  of 
  the 
  streams, 
  and 
  is 
  ordinarily 
  so 
  limited 
  that 
  the 
  cur- 
  

   rents 
  are 
  almost 
  wholly 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  tide. 
  The 
  fresh 
  water 
  reaches 
  tha 
  

   rivers 
  either 
  directly 
  or 
  through 
  small 
  shallow 
  streams 
  which 
  pene- 
  

   trate 
  the 
  marsh 
  lands, 
  and 
  except 
  during 
  very 
  dry 
  or 
  verj^ 
  wet 
  seasons 
  

   the 
  supply, 
  although 
  limited, 
  is 
  constant, 
  iiowing 
  into 
  the 
  rivers 
  at 
  

   various 
  points 
  in 
  their 
  courses 
  and 
  meeting 
  and 
  mixing 
  with 
  the 
  salt 
  

   water 
  brought 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  tides. 
  At 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  sources 
  the 
  water 
  is" 
  

   usuall}^ 
  quite 
  fresh, 
  bat 
  the 
  density 
  gradually 
  increases 
  with 
  the 
  down- 
  

   ward 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  until 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  mouths 
  are 
  reached 
  

   the 
  salt 
  water 
  is 
  so 
  largely 
  predominant 
  that 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  fresh 
  is 
  

   scarcely 
  perceptible. 
  This 
  condition 
  explains 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  oyster 
  

  

  F. 
  C. 
  1903 
  17 
  

  

  