﻿OYSTER 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  CAROLINA. 
  

  

  269 
  

  

  Total, 
  828 
  beds, 
  aggregating 
  7,848 
  acres. 
  

  

  Of 
  this 
  total, 
  107 
  beds 
  were 
  located 
  in 
  Newport 
  River, 
  and 
  even 
  a 
  

   larger 
  number 
  in 
  North 
  River. 
  Nearly 
  every 
  farmer, 
  oysterman, 
  

   fisherman, 
  and 
  business 
  man 
  living- 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  these 
  waters 
  has 
  

   at 
  some 
  time 
  made 
  an 
  entry 
  of 
  ground 
  and 
  planted 
  some 
  oysters. 
  In 
  

   1899, 
  however, 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  Newport 
  River 
  had 
  all 
  been 
  abandoned, 
  and 
  

   in 
  North 
  River 
  there 
  were 
  only 
  about 
  30 
  beds 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  taxes 
  had 
  

   been 
  paid. 
  In 
  the 
  entire 
  county 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  beds 
  held 
  at 
  that 
  

   time 
  was 
  130, 
  covering- 
  1,099 
  acres. 
  

  

  The 
  failure 
  of 
  the 
  attempts 
  at 
  03^ster 
  culture 
  thus 
  far 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  

   attributed 
  wholly 
  to 
  inexperience 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  planters, 
  for 
  the 
  

   most 
  extensive 
  efforts 
  in 
  Newport 
  and 
  North 
  rivers 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  

   work 
  of 
  men 
  from 
  the 
  North 
  who 
  had 
  had 
  experience 
  in 
  oyster 
  plant- 
  

   ing. 
  The 
  methods 
  suited 
  to 
  conditions 
  in 
  the 
  North, 
  however, 
  may 
  

   not 
  have 
  been 
  adapted 
  to 
  those 
  in 
  North 
  Carolina. 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  N. 
  Ives, 
  

   from 
  New 
  Jersey, 
  planted 
  extensively 
  in 
  Newport 
  River 
  in 
  1875 
  and 
  

   in 
  North 
  River 
  in 
  1891. 
  The 
  oysters 
  in 
  North 
  River 
  lived, 
  but 
  were 
  

   not 
  superior 
  to 
  those 
  raised 
  on 
  the 
  natural 
  beds. 
  Oystermen 
  took 
  up 
  

   the 
  oysters 
  from 
  his 
  beds 
  the 
  second 
  season 
  after 
  they 
  were 
  planted 
  

   and 
  sold 
  them 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Ives, 
  Avho 
  was 
  then 
  operating 
  a 
  raw 
  house 
  in 
  

   Newbern. 
  The 
  oysters 
  on 
  his 
  Newport 
  bed 
  thrived 
  for 
  one 
  season, 
  

   but 
  died 
  in 
  great 
  numbers 
  during 
  the 
  second. 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  L. 
  Gandy, 
  

   also 
  from 
  New 
  Jersey, 
  made 
  an 
  extensive 
  plant 
  in 
  Newport 
  River, 
  

   but 
  the 
  oysters 
  remained 
  poor 
  and 
  unsalable 
  year 
  after 
  year, 
  and 
  

   he 
  finally 
  abandoned 
  the 
  bed. 
  The 
  ground 
  selected 
  was 
  excellently 
  

   adapted 
  to 
  growing- 
  oysters, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Gandy 
  attributed 
  his 
  failure 
  to 
  too 
  

   great 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  density 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  He 
  also 
  thinks 
  there 
  are 
  

   more 
  oj^sters 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  than 
  can 
  obtain 
  a 
  sufiicient 
  amount 
  of 
  food. 
  

  

  Various 
  reasons 
  are 
  given 
  by 
  the 
  oystermen 
  for 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  planted 
  

   oysters, 
  most 
  important 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  following: 
  

  

  (1) 
  Insecurity 
  of 
  title, 
  depriving 
  the 
  owners 
  of 
  protection 
  against 
  

   trespass. 
  

  

  (2) 
  A 
  high 
  rate 
  of 
  mortality 
  among 
  planted 
  o^^sters. 
  

  

  (3) 
  Failure 
  of 
  the 
  planted 
  oysters 
  to 
  become 
  fat 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  

   when 
  they 
  should 
  be 
  marketed. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  of 
  these> 
  difliculties 
  can 
  be 
  eliminated 
  by 
  the 
  enactment 
  and 
  

   enforcement 
  of 
  laws 
  more 
  favorable 
  to 
  oyster 
  culture. 
  The 
  second 
  and 
  

  

  