﻿270 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  third 
  are, 
  in 
  my 
  judgment, 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  the 
  planted 
  beds 
  in 
  

   places 
  where 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  almost 
  universally 
  more 
  dense 
  than 
  is 
  favor- 
  

   able 
  to 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  salable 
  03^sters, 
  and 
  can 
  also 
  be 
  eliminated 
  to 
  a 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  extent 
  in 
  future 
  plantings, 
  if 
  it 
  be 
  made 
  possible 
  bj^law 
  to 
  pre- 
  

   empt 
  the 
  areas 
  not 
  occupied 
  b}- 
  oysters 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  

   beds. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  necessary, 
  hitherto, 
  for 
  the 
  planters, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  avoid 
  

   litigation 
  and 
  to 
  receive 
  legal 
  protection, 
  not 
  only 
  to 
  take 
  up 
  no 
  natural 
  

   oj^ster 
  bed, 
  but 
  to 
  keep 
  far 
  from 
  such 
  grounds. 
  The 
  result 
  has 
  been 
  

   that 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  planted 
  beds 
  in 
  both 
  rivers 
  have 
  been 
  located 
  below 
  

   the 
  lines 
  marking 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  natural 
  beds 
  regularly 
  producing 
  sal- 
  

   able 
  oysters, 
  and 
  w^iere 
  the 
  conditions 
  are 
  too 
  seldom 
  favorable 
  to 
  

   make 
  planted 
  oj^sters 
  a 
  profitable 
  investment. 
  

  

  The 
  conditions 
  on 
  the 
  areas 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  planted 
  beds 
  are, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  sometimes 
  favorable 
  to 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  good 
  oysters. 
  In 
  1809 
  

   the 
  o3^sters 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  abandoned 
  b}" 
  Mr. 
  Gand}' 
  became 
  fat, 
  and 
  fur- 
  

   nished 
  employment 
  for 
  several 
  tongers 
  throughout 
  the 
  season. 
  It 
  was 
  

   estimated 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  enough 
  oysters 
  removed 
  from 
  his 
  beds 
  at 
  

   this 
  time 
  to 
  have 
  repaid 
  Mr. 
  Gandy 
  for 
  all 
  the 
  expense 
  incurred 
  in 
  

   planting, 
  for 
  the 
  oysters 
  were 
  large 
  and 
  in 
  excellent 
  condition, 
  bring- 
  

   ing 
  from 
  40 
  to 
  60 
  cents 
  per 
  bushel. 
  In 
  1895 
  and 
  1896 
  planted 
  oysters 
  

   in 
  North 
  River 
  were 
  valuable, 
  and 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  other 
  years 
  when 
  

   it 
  was 
  profitable 
  to 
  take 
  them 
  up. 
  

  

  That 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  oyster 
  planting 
  in 
  these 
  waters 
  is 
  not 
  due 
  to 
  a 
  

   lack 
  of 
  proper 
  food 
  was 
  demonstrated 
  b}' 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  

   collected 
  simultaneously 
  from 
  natural 
  and 
  planted 
  beds. 
  The 
  results 
  of 
  

   this 
  examination 
  are 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  food 
  tables 
  on 
  pages 
  272 
  and 
  289. 
  ** 
  

  

  The 
  enemies 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  of 
  North 
  Carolina 
  are 
  not 
  numerous 
  

   w 
  hen 
  compared 
  to 
  those 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  oysters 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  have 
  to 
  

   contend. 
  Starfish 
  do 
  not 
  visit 
  the 
  beds 
  at 
  all 
  and 
  "drills" 
  do 
  no 
  

   appreciable 
  damage. 
  There 
  is, 
  however, 
  a 
  parasitic 
  worm 
  {Bucephahis 
  

   cuculus) 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  oysters 
  on 
  both 
  the 
  natural 
  and 
  planted 
  beds 
  

   in 
  the 
  Beaufort 
  region, 
  which 
  may 
  possiblj^ 
  have 
  been 
  accountable 
  for 
  

   the 
  high 
  death 
  rate 
  among 
  planted 
  oysters 
  during 
  certain 
  years. 
  It 
  is 
  

   not 
  a 
  parasite 
  peculiar 
  to 
  the 
  03^sters 
  of 
  Beaufort, 
  but 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  

   oysters 
  from 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  Pamlico 
  Sound, 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay, 
  and 
  South 
  

   Carolina 
  waters. 
  ^ 
  The 
  exact 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  oysters 
  is 
  not 
  known 
  and 
  is 
  

   a 
  subject 
  which 
  merits 
  investigation. 
  The 
  way 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  oysters 
  

   become 
  infected 
  with 
  the 
  worm 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  subject 
  about 
  which 
  YQxy 
  

   little 
  is 
  known, 
  but 
  this 
  probably 
  occurs 
  when 
  the 
  oj^ster 
  is 
  feeding, 
  

   the 
  larvfe 
  coming 
  into 
  the 
  shell 
  with 
  the 
  stream 
  of 
  water 
  drawn 
  in 
  b}- 
  

   the 
  gills, 
  and 
  fastening 
  themselves 
  to 
  the 
  soft 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  oyster. 
  

   Once 
  attached, 
  the 
  parasite 
  grows 
  rapidly, 
  soon 
  filling 
  the 
  bod}^ 
  of 
  the 
  

   oj^ster 
  with 
  its 
  offspring 
  and 
  completeh^ 
  riddling 
  the 
  tissues 
  with 
  

   holes. 
  It 
  seems 
  also 
  to 
  spread 
  from 
  one 
  03'ster 
  to 
  another— 
  at 
  least, 
  

  

  aSee 
  also 
  page 
  292. 
  bl 
  am 
  indebted 
  to 
  Dr. 
  D. 
  H. 
  Tennent 
  for 
  this 
  iuformation. 
  

  

  