﻿OYSTER 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  CAROLINA. 
  259 
  

  

  Gillikins's 
  windmill 
  and 
  Wards 
  Creek 
  with 
  oj^ster 
  sig-nal 
  "Sandy," 
  

   exception 
  being 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  Wards 
  Creek. 
  

   During 
  wet 
  seasons 
  these 
  lines 
  would 
  be 
  farther 
  down, 
  during 
  a 
  period 
  

   of 
  drought 
  farther 
  up 
  the 
  rivers. 
  The 
  oysters 
  from 
  the 
  lower 
  beds 
  

   are 
  misshaped, 
  ill 
  llavored, 
  and 
  usually 
  poor, 
  and 
  are 
  used 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  

   canneries 
  in 
  putting 
  up 
  their 
  poorest 
  grade 
  of 
  stock. 
  

  

  The 
  bottom 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  parts 
  of 
  both 
  rivers 
  between 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds 
  

   hi 
  principally 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  black 
  mud, 
  although 
  areas 
  of 
  hard 
  white 
  

   sand, 
  considerable 
  in 
  extent, 
  are 
  also 
  found. 
  The 
  muddy 
  bottoms 
  are 
  

   either 
  soft, 
  sticky, 
  or 
  hard, 
  a 
  variable 
  amount 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  shell 
  frag- 
  

   ments 
  being 
  mixed 
  with 
  a 
  fine, 
  light, 
  organic 
  debris. 
  The 
  layer 
  of 
  

   mud 
  varies 
  in 
  thickness 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  to 
  several 
  feet 
  and 
  rests 
  

   upon 
  a 
  substratum 
  sometimes 
  of 
  clay, 
  sometimes 
  of 
  sand. 
  

  

  These 
  extensive 
  mud 
  flats 
  are 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  a 
  considerable 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  oyster's 
  food 
  supply 
  in 
  these 
  streams. 
  Diatoms 
  of 
  many 
  species 
  

   live 
  and 
  multiply 
  on 
  the 
  mud 
  surfaces 
  in 
  such 
  numbers 
  that 
  on 
  per- 
  

   fectly 
  calm 
  days 
  they 
  give 
  to 
  the 
  mud 
  their 
  yellowish-brown 
  color, 
  

   and, 
  with 
  the 
  light 
  surface 
  layer 
  of 
  the 
  mud, 
  are 
  easily 
  taken 
  up 
  by 
  

   the 
  waves 
  and 
  currents 
  and 
  carried 
  over 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds, 
  thousands 
  in 
  

   each 
  quart 
  of 
  water. 
  The 
  food 
  supply 
  is 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  species 
  

   of 
  diatoms 
  in 
  both 
  rivers, 
  but 
  during 
  the 
  periods 
  when 
  observations 
  

   were 
  made 
  the 
  quantit}' 
  in 
  Newport 
  River 
  considerably 
  exceeded 
  that 
  

   in 
  North 
  River, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  parts 
  of 
  both 
  streams 
  the 
  suppl}^ 
  

   was 
  greater 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  parts 
  below. 
  In 
  Newport 
  River 
  the 
  food 
  is 
  

   more 
  available 
  to 
  the 
  oysters 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  rapid 
  currents. 
  

   The 
  food 
  question 
  is 
  discussed 
  elsewhere. 
  

  

  The 
  bottom 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  Newport 
  River 
  has 
  a 
  much 
  more 
  

   uneven 
  surface 
  than 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  corresponding 
  part 
  of 
  North 
  River, 
  

   the 
  result 
  being 
  that 
  swifter 
  currents 
  are 
  developed 
  in 
  the 
  former 
  

   than 
  in 
  the 
  latter. 
  In 
  North 
  River 
  above 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Y/ards 
  Creek, 
  

   the 
  water 
  is 
  fairly 
  uniform 
  in 
  depth, 
  and 
  in 
  consequence 
  becomes 
  

   evenly 
  distributed 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  area. 
  The 
  general 
  flow 
  which 
  takes 
  

   place 
  over 
  the 
  Sunken 
  Rocks 
  seldom 
  attains 
  a 
  velocity 
  greater 
  than 
  

   one-eighth 
  mile 
  per 
  hour. 
  In 
  Newport 
  River, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  in 
  

   the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Cross 
  Rock 
  beds, 
  a 
  velocity 
  of 
  one-half 
  mile 
  per 
  

   hour 
  is 
  reached 
  in 
  the 
  channels, 
  and 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds 
  are 
  so 
  located 
  that 
  

   they 
  are 
  washed 
  by 
  the 
  currents, 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  interrupt- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  channels 
  and 
  forcing 
  the 
  water 
  to 
  flow 
  around. 
  

  

  NATURAL 
  OYSTER 
  BEDS. 
  

  

  The 
  natural 
  03'ster 
  beds 
  of 
  these 
  rivers 
  may 
  best 
  be 
  described 
  under 
  

   two 
  headings 
  — 
  reefs 
  and 
  tonging 
  grounds. 
  

  

  Reefs. 
  — 
  Oyster 
  reefs 
  occur 
  in 
  both 
  rivers 
  from 
  source 
  to 
  mouth, 
  

   and 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  ones 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  a 
  name 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  known 
  

   among 
  the 
  oystermen 
  and 
  fishermen. 
  The}' 
  are 
  long, 
  narrow 
  ridges 
  

   of 
  mud 
  and 
  shells, 
  the 
  tops 
  usuall}' 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  dense 
  growth 
  of 
  

  

  