﻿OYSTER 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  CAROLINA. 
  

  

  281 
  

  

  in^ 
  a 
  larger 
  proportion 
  of 
  them 
  than 
  before. 
  The 
  food 
  of 
  oysters 
  and 
  

   mussels 
  is 
  the 
  same, 
  and 
  there 
  can 
  hardly 
  be 
  enough 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  over 
  

   the 
  beds 
  to 
  supply 
  the 
  enormous 
  number 
  of 
  both 
  these 
  animals 
  that 
  

   live 
  on 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  section 
  IG. 
  

  

  The 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  this 
  section, 
  on 
  which 
  o3\sters 
  of 
  good 
  

   shape 
  and 
  condition 
  are 
  found, 
  and 
  which 
  underlies 
  practically 
  all 
  of 
  

   the 
  natural 
  beds, 
  is 
  invariablj^ 
  one 
  of 
  hard 
  sand 
  with 
  a 
  thin 
  laj'er 
  of 
  

   soft 
  organic 
  sediment 
  covering 
  it. 
  The 
  oysters 
  found 
  on 
  mudd}- 
  bot- 
  

   toms 
  are 
  of 
  ill 
  shape 
  and 
  are 
  usually 
  poor. 
  In 
  the 
  Beaufort 
  region 
  

   the 
  conditions 
  indicated 
  that 
  bottoms 
  composed 
  of 
  hard 
  sand 
  are 
  not 
  

   adapted 
  to 
  growing 
  oysters, 
  but 
  the 
  Pamlico 
  natural 
  beds 
  produce 
  a 
  

   finer 
  grade 
  of 
  oysters 
  than 
  do 
  the 
  mud 
  bottoms 
  of 
  section 
  24. 
  A 
  sandy 
  

   bottom, 
  however, 
  is 
  liable 
  to 
  be 
  shifted 
  and 
  torn 
  to 
  pieces 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  

   of 
  the 
  waves 
  unless 
  it 
  is 
  located 
  in 
  a 
  sheltered 
  place 
  or 
  is 
  held 
  together 
  

   by 
  grass 
  roots. 
  To 
  this 
  fact 
  is 
  probably 
  due 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  nat- 
  

   ural 
  reefs 
  of 
  Pamlico 
  Sound, 
  to 
  which 
  reference 
  has 
  been 
  made. 
  The 
  

   beds 
  are 
  disturbed 
  too 
  often 
  to 
  give 
  opportunit}^ 
  for 
  the 
  accunuilation 
  

   of 
  a 
  thick 
  layer 
  of 
  shells. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  table, 
  based 
  on 
  observations 
  made 
  during 
  January 
  

   and 
  Februarj^, 
  1899, 
  gives 
  the 
  average 
  density 
  of 
  -the 
  water 
  at 
  various 
  

   localities 
  in 
  the 
  section, 
  and 
  for 
  comparison 
  the 
  densities 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  

   localities, 
  as 
  reported 
  by 
  Winslow 
  in 
  1887, 
  are 
  reprinted. 
  During 
  the 
  

   months 
  of 
  November 
  and 
  December, 
  1900, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  observations 
  

   on 
  the 
  density 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  were 
  made 
  at 
  station 
  2, 
  and 
  the 
  average 
  

   during 
  that 
  period 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  1.0162. 
  

  

  Average 
  dettffitieft 
  of 
  iratcr 
  in 
  Swan 
  Quarter 
  Bay. 
  

  

  The 
  currents 
  in 
  section 
  16 
  var}" 
  greath^, 
  and 
  observations 
  show 
  that 
  

   their 
  direction 
  and 
  velocit}^ 
  are 
  governed 
  almost 
  wholly 
  b}^ 
  the 
  wind^ 
  

   there 
  being 
  little 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  tides. 
  The 
  measure- 
  

   ments 
  taken 
  varied 
  from 
  an 
  almost 
  imperceptible 
  "set" 
  to 
  a 
  maximum 
  

   of 
  one-half 
  mile 
  per 
  hour. 
  During 
  the 
  stay 
  of 
  the 
  Fish 
  JIawk 
  in 
  the 
  

   section 
  there 
  were 
  yqyj 
  few 
  daj^s 
  when 
  there 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  constant 
  change 
  

   of 
  water 
  taking 
  place 
  over 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds. 
  

  

  The 
  notes 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  food 
  resources 
  of 
  this 
  section 
  are 
  given 
  on 
  

   page 
  286 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  table, 
  page 
  290. 
  Animals 
  that 
  live 
  with 
  the 
  

  

  