﻿OYSTER 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  CAROLINA. 
  261 
  

  

  allel 
  to 
  the 
  long- 
  axis 
  or 
  in 
  long- 
  curves 
  and 
  eddies. 
  The 
  water 
  at 
  the 
  

   immediate 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  reef 
  has 
  still 
  less 
  motion. 
  These 
  conditions 
  I 
  

   have 
  sought 
  to 
  illustrate 
  in 
  figure 
  1, 
  on 
  page 
  2G2. 
  Their 
  effect 
  is 
  read- 
  

   ily 
  seen; 
  the 
  oysters 
  and 
  shells 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  reef, 
  where 
  the 
  swift 
  

   current 
  sweeps 
  past, 
  are 
  always 
  washed 
  clear 
  of 
  sediment, 
  while 
  above 
  

   and 
  below 
  the 
  reef 
  the 
  conditions 
  are 
  favorable 
  to 
  the 
  deposition 
  and 
  

   collection 
  of 
  the 
  silt, 
  which 
  is 
  ever 
  present 
  in 
  larg-e 
  quantities 
  in 
  the 
  

   water 
  of 
  Newport 
  and 
  North 
  rivers. 
  

  

  Young 
  oysters 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  their 
  free 
  swimming 
  life 
  attach 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  to 
  almost 
  any 
  object, 
  whether 
  suitable 
  or 
  unsuitable, 
  which 
  

   happens 
  to 
  be 
  at 
  hand 
  wdien 
  the 
  critical 
  attaching 
  stage 
  is 
  reached, 
  

   but 
  only 
  those 
  survive 
  that 
  chance 
  to 
  settle 
  on 
  hard 
  smooth 
  surfaces 
  

   and 
  in 
  places 
  practicall}' 
  free 
  from 
  sediment. 
  The 
  oyster 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  

   its 
  attachment 
  is 
  so 
  small 
  and 
  delicate 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  easily 
  smothered. 
  For 
  

   this 
  reason, 
  in 
  Newport 
  and 
  North 
  rivers, 
  of 
  the 
  millions 
  of 
  young 
  oys- 
  

   ters 
  that 
  attach 
  themselves 
  ever}^ 
  season, 
  comparatively 
  few 
  ever 
  come 
  to 
  

   maturit}'. 
  It 
  will 
  thus 
  be 
  readil}^ 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  places 
  on 
  

   a 
  reef 
  for 
  the 
  attachment 
  of 
  spat 
  are 
  the 
  03^sters 
  and 
  shells 
  at 
  the 
  end^ 
  

   where 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  danger 
  of 
  being 
  overwhelmed 
  by 
  sediment, 
  and 
  food 
  

   is 
  carried 
  past 
  their 
  mouths 
  in 
  constant 
  abundance. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  different 
  

   at 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  reef; 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  oysters 
  settle 
  where 
  there 
  

   are 
  coatings 
  of 
  sediment, 
  which 
  kills 
  them 
  immediatel}" 
  ; 
  others 
  suc- 
  

   cumb 
  soon 
  after 
  attachment 
  to 
  the 
  silt 
  which, 
  no 
  longer 
  held 
  in 
  sus- 
  

   pension 
  by 
  the 
  water 
  when 
  checked 
  in 
  its 
  motion 
  by 
  the 
  reef, 
  is 
  

   constantly 
  being 
  drizzled 
  upon 
  them 
  and 
  carried 
  into 
  their 
  gills. 
  The 
  

   oysters 
  that 
  survive 
  are 
  comparatively 
  few. 
  The 
  soft 
  bottom 
  just 
  

   beyond 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  a 
  reef 
  is 
  gradually 
  hardened 
  hy 
  the 
  oysters 
  

   and 
  shells 
  that 
  fall 
  or 
  are 
  knocked 
  from 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  reef; 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  

   ends 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  o3"sters 
  that 
  fall 
  beyond 
  the 
  reef 
  survive, 
  and 
  

   their 
  shells 
  afford 
  places 
  for 
  the 
  attachment 
  of 
  spat 
  a 
  little 
  farther 
  out 
  

   than 
  were 
  before 
  available. 
  There 
  are 
  thus 
  two 
  formative 
  processes 
  

   at 
  w^ork, 
  building 
  more 
  rapidly 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  than 
  at 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  

   reef. 
  

  

  The 
  manner 
  of 
  origin 
  and 
  growth 
  of 
  existing 
  reefs 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  very 
  

   interesting, 
  but 
  instructive, 
  for 
  in 
  it 
  is 
  illustrated 
  nature's 
  method 
  of 
  

   preparing 
  soft 
  muddy 
  bottoms 
  for 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  oysters; 
  and 
  if 
  it 
  

   can 
  be 
  copied 
  by 
  man, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  method 
  by 
  which 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  now 
  barren 
  

   muddy 
  areas 
  in 
  the 
  Beaufort 
  region 
  and 
  in 
  Pamlico 
  Sound 
  may 
  be 
  

   made 
  to 
  produce 
  oysters 
  of 
  good 
  quality. 
  The 
  substratum 
  of 
  the 
  

   present 
  oyster 
  reefs 
  is 
  hard, 
  but 
  they 
  are, 
  with 
  few 
  exceptions, 
  sur- 
  

   rounded 
  by 
  deep, 
  soft 
  mud, 
  and, 
  as 
  1 
  will 
  endeavor 
  to 
  show% 
  there 
  is 
  

   every 
  reason 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  bottom 
  where 
  they 
  now^ 
  stand 
  was 
  

   once 
  not 
  different 
  from 
  the 
  surrounding 
  mud 
  flats. 
  

  

  The 
  l)anks 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  and 
  harbor 
  have 
  always 
  presented 
  numerous 
  

   objects 
  with 
  smooth, 
  hard 
  surfaces 
  to 
  which 
  oysters 
  might 
  become 
  

  

  