﻿OYSTER 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  CAROLINA.- 
  265 
  

  

  in 
  tong-in*,^ 
  03'ster.s 
  and 
  returning 
  the 
  cullings 
  to 
  the 
  bed 
  the 
  soft 
  

   bottpms 
  beyond 
  the 
  hard 
  are 
  rapidly 
  filled 
  with 
  .shells. 
  

  

  Aside 
  from 
  the 
  few 
  oysters 
  annually 
  carried 
  from 
  the 
  reefs 
  by 
  

   waves 
  and 
  ice 
  and 
  deposited 
  upon 
  them, 
  the 
  tonging 
  grounds 
  are 
  

   stocked 
  from 
  the 
  young 
  free-swimming 
  oysters 
  that 
  attach 
  themselves 
  

   to 
  the 
  exposed 
  shells. 
  The 
  amount 
  of 
  spat 
  caught 
  by 
  the 
  shells 
  varies 
  

   from 
  year 
  to 
  year, 
  the 
  climatic 
  conditions 
  at 
  times 
  being 
  such 
  that 
  

   practically 
  no 
  catch 
  is 
  made. 
  From 
  the 
  results 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  plant- 
  

   ing 
  experiments 
  carried 
  on 
  during 
  1000, 
  1901, 
  and 
  1902 
  it 
  appears 
  

   that 
  spat 
  become 
  attached 
  in 
  greatest 
  abundance 
  when 
  the 
  specific 
  

   gravity 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  from 
  l.OlO 
  to 
  1.017. 
  In 
  Newport 
  River 
  a 
  dry 
  

   season 
  brings 
  about 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  conditions, 
  but 
  in 
  North 
  River 
  

   the 
  best 
  results 
  are 
  obtained 
  when 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  rainfall 
  is 
  greater 
  

   than 
  usual. 
  The 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  shells, 
  too, 
  has 
  much 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  

   amount 
  of 
  spat 
  that 
  becomes 
  attached. 
  If 
  the 
  shells 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  

   sediment 
  or 
  coated 
  with 
  "slime'" 
  the 
  oysters 
  are 
  killed, 
  their 
  structure 
  

   and 
  size 
  at 
  this 
  stage 
  being 
  such 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  easily 
  smothered. 
  

  

  The 
  sediment 
  that 
  settles 
  upon 
  shells 
  in 
  quiet 
  water 
  is 
  easily 
  

   removed 
  by 
  wave 
  motion 
  during 
  high 
  winds, 
  and 
  it 
  probably 
  has 
  littlo 
  

   effect 
  upon 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  spat 
  during 
  a 
  season, 
  but 
  when 
  "slime" 
  

   accumulates 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  easily 
  removed. 
  By 
  "slime" 
  is 
  meant 
  any 
  

   growth 
  that 
  brings 
  about 
  a 
  foulness 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  shells. 
  This 
  

   ma}'' 
  be 
  a 
  vegetable 
  growth 
  (diatoms 
  or 
  algfe), 
  or 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  brought 
  

   about 
  by 
  animals 
  (sponges, 
  br3^ozoa, 
  hydroids, 
  etc.). 
  It 
  is 
  produced 
  

   most 
  rapidly 
  and 
  abundantly 
  when 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  salt, 
  the 
  plants 
  and 
  

   animals 
  thriving 
  best 
  in 
  pure 
  sea 
  water, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  efi'ectively 
  removed 
  

   when 
  the 
  water 
  becomes 
  brackish. 
  On 
  this 
  account 
  the 
  shells 
  on 
  the 
  

   beds 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  are 
  usually 
  quite 
  free 
  

   from 
  slime 
  and 
  a 
  good 
  catch 
  of 
  spat 
  is 
  annually 
  counted 
  upon, 
  but 
  

   those 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  lower 
  do\>^n 
  often 
  become 
  very 
  foul 
  and 
  worthless 
  as 
  

   spat 
  collectors. 
  

  

  Oj^sters 
  grown 
  on 
  the 
  tonging 
  grounds 
  owe 
  their 
  superiority 
  to 
  reef 
  

   oysters 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that, 
  not 
  being 
  crowded, 
  each 
  oyster 
  not 
  only 
  has 
  

   room 
  for 
  normal 
  growth 
  but 
  is 
  well 
  supplied 
  with 
  food. 
  As 
  has 
  been 
  

   mentioned 
  in 
  other 
  places 
  in 
  this 
  report, 
  the 
  food 
  resources 
  of 
  these 
  

   rivers 
  are 
  adequate 
  for 
  many 
  times 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  oysters 
  now 
  pro- 
  

   duced, 
  provided 
  the 
  oysters 
  do 
  not 
  lie 
  too 
  close 
  together. 
  In 
  places 
  on 
  

   the 
  tonging 
  grounds 
  spat 
  often 
  covers 
  the 
  shells 
  when 
  they 
  happen 
  to 
  

   be 
  unusually 
  clean, 
  and 
  the 
  result 
  is 
  bunches 
  of 
  ousters 
  in 
  Avhich 
  the 
  

   individuals 
  are 
  just 
  as 
  ill-shaped 
  and 
  unsalable 
  as 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  reefs. 
  

   The 
  water 
  flowing 
  past 
  such 
  a 
  bunch 
  of 
  oysters 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  in 
  amount 
  

   as 
  that 
  which 
  supplies 
  an 
  oyster 
  growing 
  singlv, 
  and 
  contains 
  the 
  same 
  

   amount 
  of 
  available 
  food, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  one 
  case 
  several 
  mouths 
  share 
  

   what, 
  in 
  the 
  other, 
  is 
  available 
  for 
  one. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  surprising, 
  there- 
  

   fore, 
  that 
  oysters 
  growing- 
  in 
  clusters, 
  whether 
  found 
  on 
  reefs 
  or 
  on 
  

   tonging 
  grounds, 
  are 
  usually 
  poor. 
  

  

  