﻿OYSTER 
  INDU8TRY 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  CAROLINA. 
  283 
  

  

  per 
  hour 
  were 
  noted. 
  The 
  slight 
  rise 
  and 
  fall 
  of 
  the 
  tide 
  is 
  not 
  suffi- 
  

   cient 
  to 
  influence 
  the 
  currents 
  perceptibly. 
  

  

  Winslow 
  charted 
  12 
  productive 
  natural 
  oyster 
  beds 
  in 
  this 
  section, 
  

   which 
  he 
  numbered 
  from 
  26 
  to 
  37, 
  inclusive. 
  Such 
  of 
  these 
  as 
  covild 
  

   be 
  found 
  in 
  1899 
  and 
  1900 
  were 
  carefully 
  examined. 
  Those 
  located 
  

   inshore 
  (Nos. 
  29 
  to 
  37) 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  disappeared 
  entirely, 
  either 
  

   through 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  storms 
  or 
  because 
  of 
  overfishing-. 
  The 
  location 
  

   of 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  was 
  indicated 
  b}^ 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  scattered 
  shells 
  and 
  

   now 
  and 
  then 
  an 
  oyster, 
  but 
  nothing- 
  that 
  could 
  be 
  called 
  a 
  produc- 
  

   tive 
  natural 
  bed 
  was 
  found. 
  The 
  otishore 
  beds 
  (Nos. 
  26, 
  27, 
  and 
  28) 
  

   were 
  found 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  considerabl}^ 
  reduced 
  in 
  area. 
  The 
  03'sters 
  

   taken 
  from 
  them 
  in 
  December 
  by 
  the 
  o^^stermen 
  were 
  small, 
  ver}' 
  few 
  

   measuring- 
  more 
  than 
  3 
  inches 
  in 
  length. 
  These 
  beds 
  are 
  abundantl}^ 
  

   furnished 
  with 
  shells, 
  to 
  which 
  man}- 
  small 
  ovsters 
  and 
  spat 
  were 
  

   attached. 
  

  

  The 
  area 
  of 
  productive 
  beds 
  in 
  this 
  section 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  large 
  and 
  

   the 
  oystermen 
  that 
  have 
  f 
  I'equented 
  them 
  are 
  many. 
  None 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  

   is 
  in 
  water 
  having- 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  10 
  feet; 
  they 
  are 
  therefore 
  not 
  open 
  to 
  

   dredging, 
  but 
  are 
  set 
  aside 
  for 
  the 
  exclusive 
  use 
  of 
  tongmen. 
  There 
  

   were 
  dredge 
  boats 
  on 
  the 
  beds, 
  however, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  numerous 
  

   tongers 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  from 
  the 
  deck 
  of 
  the 
  I^l,sh 
  Hawk 
  in 
  December, 
  and 
  

   this 
  overfishing 
  is 
  probably 
  responsible 
  for 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  

   small 
  inshore 
  beds 
  and 
  the 
  reduction 
  of 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  ofishore 
  

   grounds. 
  

  

  Mussels, 
  which 
  are 
  so 
  abundant 
  in 
  section 
  16 
  and 
  which 
  constitute 
  

   the 
  most 
  serious 
  obstacle 
  to 
  ovster 
  culture 
  there, 
  are 
  not 
  numerous 
  in 
  

   section 
  10. 
  The 
  03'sters 
  have 
  no 
  natural 
  enemies 
  of 
  consequence. 
  

   Winslow's 
  opinion 
  that 
  almost 
  the 
  entire 
  bay 
  is 
  suitable 
  to 
  03\ster 
  cul- 
  

   tuse 
  was 
  borne 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  observations 
  of 
  the 
  J^ish 
  IIcnvl\ 
  It 
  was 
  

   very 
  evident 
  also 
  that 
  the 
  section 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  not 
  producing 
  one-tenth 
  

   the 
  quantit}^ 
  of 
  oysters 
  it 
  should 
  produce. 
  

  

  OYSTER 
  FOOD 
  IN 
  NORTH 
  CAROLINA 
  WATERS. 
  

  

  The 
  methods 
  used 
  in 
  stud3'ing- 
  the 
  oyster 
  food 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  North 
  

   Carolina 
  have 
  been 
  described 
  on 
  page 
  254, 
  and 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  are 
  

   given 
  in 
  tables 
  on 
  pag-es 
  267, 
  272, 
  289-90. 
  The 
  objects 
  were 
  to 
  deter- 
  

   mine 
  the 
  relative 
  value 
  of 
  difi'erent 
  localities 
  for 
  maintaining- 
  03'sters, 
  

   the 
  constituents 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  in 
  each 
  locality, 
  their 
  sources, 
  and 
  whether 
  

   the 
  supph^ 
  is 
  constant 
  in 
  quantity 
  and 
  quality 
  from 
  season 
  to 
  season 
  

   and 
  from 
  j^ear 
  to 
  year. 
  

  

  Some 
  who 
  have 
  hitherto 
  worked 
  on 
  this 
  problem 
  have 
  stated 
  that 
  

   minute 
  animals, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  plant 
  forms, 
  constitute 
  a 
  considerable 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  oyster's 
  diet. 
  M3' 
  observations, 
  however, 
  have 
  not 
  verified 
  this, 
  

   but 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  plants 
  alone 
  constitute 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  North 
  Carolina 
  

   oj^sters. 
  Fragments 
  of 
  small 
  ciustacea 
  and 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  certain 
  animals 
  

  

  