﻿OYSTER 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  CRAOLINA. 
  

  

  267 
  

  

  side 
  the 
  regular 
  tonging 
  beds. 
  The 
  oysters 
  are 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  numer- 
  

   ous 
  on 
  this 
  area 
  to 
  be 
  tonged 
  in 
  the 
  ordinary 
  way, 
  but 
  during 
  ver}" 
  

   cahn 
  weather 
  when 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  perfectly 
  clear, 
  the 
  03^stermen 
  pole 
  

   their 
  boats 
  about 
  over 
  the 
  bottom, 
  picking 
  up 
  the 
  03"sters 
  one 
  by 
  one 
  

   as 
  they 
  see 
  them, 
  using 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  tongs 
  with 
  ver}' 
  narrow 
  heads, 
  

   localljMvnown 
  as 
  "nippers." 
  The 
  supply 
  of 
  oysters 
  on 
  this 
  area 
  is 
  

   very 
  limited, 
  and 
  they 
  bring 
  from 
  4:0 
  to 
  75 
  cents 
  per 
  bushel. 
  In 
  New- 
  

   port 
  River 
  single 
  oysters 
  are 
  found 
  onl}^ 
  on 
  the 
  tonging 
  gronnds, 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  between 
  the 
  beds 
  being 
  too 
  soft 
  to 
  support 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  tonging 
  grounds 
  of 
  both 
  rivers 
  produce 
  clams 
  in 
  abundance, 
  

   and 
  when 
  the 
  03'ster 
  season 
  is 
  over 
  or 
  when 
  tonging 
  for 
  03'sters 
  

   becomes 
  unprofitable, 
  the 
  beds 
  continue 
  to 
  be 
  worked 
  for 
  clams. 
  Mud 
  

   crabs, 
  barnacles, 
  worms, 
  snails, 
  and 
  boring 
  sponges 
  are 
  also 
  found, 
  

   with 
  the 
  oysters, 
  but 
  the3^ 
  are 
  not 
  usually 
  in 
  sufficient 
  abundance 
  to 
  

   be 
  detrimental. 
  

  

  The 
  qualit3^ 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  produced 
  on 
  the 
  tonging 
  l)eds 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  

   same 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  year, 
  but 
  varies 
  with 
  the 
  climatic 
  conditions, 
  which 
  

   affect 
  the 
  two 
  rivers 
  differently. 
  For 
  a 
  few 
  3^ears 
  previous 
  to 
  the 
  

   surve3' 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  North 
  River 
  had 
  the 
  reputation 
  of 
  producing 
  

   03^sters 
  much 
  finer 
  than 
  those 
  grown 
  in 
  Newport, 
  but 
  this 
  was 
  reversed 
  

   in 
  1899, 
  since 
  which 
  time 
  the 
  Newport 
  oysters 
  have 
  been 
  considered 
  

   the 
  best 
  in 
  every 
  particular. 
  During 
  this 
  period 
  the 
  food 
  supplv 
  in 
  

   Newport 
  has 
  been 
  richer 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  North 
  River, 
  and 
  the 
  difference 
  

   has 
  been 
  enough 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  difference 
  in 
  result. 
  

  

  The 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  on 
  the 
  Sunden 
  Rock 
  beds 
  and 
  the 
  richness 
  

   of 
  the 
  food 
  suppl3' 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  over 
  them, 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  exami- 
  

   nations 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1900, 
  is 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  table 
  which 
  

   follows.*^ 
  

  

  Food 
  found 
  i)i 
  thf 
  Kioiiiarli 
  of 
  an 
  oyi^U'r 
  3i 
  indies 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  liter 
  {about 
  1 
  qnart) 
  

  

  of 
  water. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  survey 
  (November 
  23 
  to 
  January 
  6, 
  1900) 
  the 
  density 
  

   of 
  the 
  water 
  over 
  these 
  beds 
  averaged 
  1.0189 
  at 
  surface 
  and 
  1.019 
  at 
  

   bottom, 
  high 
  tide; 
  at 
  low 
  tide, 
  the 
  reading 
  was 
  1.0163 
  at 
  both 
  surface 
  

   and 
  bottom. 
  During 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1900 
  the 
  average 
  was 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  Density 
  over 
  Sunken 
  Rock 
  beds. 
  

  

  a 
  This 
  table 
  should 
  be 
  compared 
  with 
  that 
  for 
  the 
  Cross 
  Rock 
  Beds, 
  on 
  page 
  289. 
  

  

  