﻿OYSTER 
  TNDUSTRV 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  CAROLINA. 
  293 
  

  

  CONCLUSIONS 
  BASED 
  UPON 
  THE 
  WORK 
  OF 
  THE 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  Productive 
  natural 
  oyster 
  beds 
  in 
  Newport 
  and 
  North 
  rivers 
  are 
  

   confined 
  to 
  the 
  upper 
  waters, 
  and 
  have 
  been 
  materially 
  reduced 
  in 
  

   area 
  since 
  1887, 
  the 
  reduction 
  caused 
  by 
  overfishincr 
  to 
  supply 
  the 
  

   oyster 
  canneries 
  at 
  Beaufort. 
  In 
  Pamlico 
  Sound 
  the 
  decrease 
  in 
  pro- 
  

   ductiveness 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  grounds 
  since 
  that 
  date 
  is 
  still 
  more 
  marked, 
  

   many 
  of 
  the 
  then 
  extensive 
  beds 
  being 
  almost 
  entirely 
  depleted, 
  

   and 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  this 
  region 
  continues 
  season 
  after 
  season 
  to 
  yield 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  quantity 
  of 
  03^sters 
  should 
  not 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  supposition 
  

   that 
  the 
  supply 
  is 
  inexhaustible. 
  The 
  survey 
  of 
  sections 
  10 
  and 
  16 
  

   showed 
  that 
  the 
  oystermen 
  have 
  discovered 
  man}^ 
  new 
  grounds 
  to 
  

   which 
  they 
  could 
  turn 
  when 
  the 
  older 
  ones 
  ceased 
  to 
  be 
  productive, 
  

   but 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  unknown 
  grounds 
  is 
  not 
  unlimited, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  near 
  

   future 
  new 
  beds 
  will 
  no 
  longer 
  be 
  discoverable. 
  Now 
  is 
  the 
  time 
  to 
  

   apply 
  the 
  remedy, 
  and 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  check 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  

   beds 
  in 
  Pamlico 
  Sound 
  either 
  a 
  cull 
  law 
  should 
  be 
  enforced 
  or 
  shells 
  

   from 
  the 
  canneries 
  and 
  raw 
  houses 
  should 
  be 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  beds 
  an- 
  

   nually 
  during 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  May 
  and 
  June, 
  carefull}^ 
  and 
  evenlj^ 
  

   scattered 
  over 
  the 
  depleted 
  areas, 
  about 
  2,000 
  bushels 
  per 
  acre. 
  

  

  The 
  physical 
  and 
  biological 
  conditions 
  existing 
  in 
  Newport 
  and 
  

   North 
  rivers 
  are 
  very 
  favorable 
  to 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  young 
  oysters, 
  but 
  

   are 
  not 
  so 
  well 
  suited 
  to 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  large 
  marketable 
  stock. 
  

   The 
  supply 
  of 
  available 
  oyster 
  food 
  is 
  abundant 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  fairly 
  

   constant 
  during 
  three 
  seasons. 
  The 
  currents 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  are 
  such 
  as 
  

   to 
  insure 
  a 
  good 
  circulation 
  of 
  pure 
  water 
  over 
  the 
  beds 
  and 
  a 
  constant 
  

   suppl}^ 
  of 
  food 
  to 
  each 
  oyster. 
  The 
  amount 
  of 
  lime 
  salts 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  

   is 
  also 
  adequate 
  to 
  their 
  needs. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  density 
  is 
  

   usually 
  too 
  high 
  and 
  the 
  bottom 
  outside 
  the 
  natural 
  beds 
  is 
  too 
  soft. 
  

  

  The 
  conditions 
  in 
  Pamlico 
  Sound 
  are 
  very 
  different 
  from 
  those 
  in 
  

   section 
  24, 
  and, 
  on 
  the 
  whole, 
  are 
  better 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  

   oysters. 
  There 
  are 
  extensive 
  areas 
  where 
  the 
  density 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  

   perfectly 
  suited 
  to 
  the 
  needs 
  of 
  the 
  animal. 
  The 
  currents 
  are 
  a 
  trifle 
  

   too 
  sluggish, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  times 
  during 
  very 
  calm 
  weather 
  when 
  the 
  

   circulation 
  over 
  the 
  beds 
  is 
  not 
  as 
  rapid 
  as 
  is 
  desirable, 
  but 
  food 
  is 
  

   very 
  abundant 
  and 
  the 
  bottom 
  has 
  the 
  necessary 
  firmness, 
  though 
  it 
  

   is 
  mainly 
  composed 
  of 
  sand, 
  and 
  in 
  exposed 
  areas 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  shifted 
  

   during 
  high 
  winds. 
  

  

  Oyster 
  planting 
  has 
  been 
  unsuccessful 
  both 
  in 
  section 
  24 
  and 
  in 
  Pam- 
  

   lico 
  Sound. 
  The 
  failures, 
  however, 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  due 
  to 
  insurmount- 
  

   able 
  difficulties 
  existing 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  localities, 
  but 
  to 
  lack 
  of 
  

   experience 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  planters 
  or 
  to 
  a 
  belief 
  that 
  an 
  experience 
  

   in 
  planting 
  03'sters 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  is 
  an 
  adequate 
  preparation 
  for 
  plant- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  an 
  entirely 
  different 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  where 
  the 
  conditions 
  

   are 
  very 
  different. 
  Each 
  oyster-producing 
  section 
  has 
  an 
  oyster 
  ques- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  its 
  own 
  entirely 
  separate 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  other 
  localities, 
  and 
  a 
  

  

  