﻿OYSTER 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  CAROLINA. 
  )i\)b 
  

  

  03'ster 
  culture 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Atlantic 
  States, 
  and 
  not 
  until 
  the 
  

   question 
  had 
  been 
  thoroughly 
  invest! 
  jJi^ated 
  were 
  the^' 
  willing 
  to 
  allow 
  

   the 
  subject 
  to 
  be 
  dropped 
  and 
  the 
  effort 
  oiyen 
  up. 
  It 
  was 
  therefore 
  

   decided, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  a 
  o-eneral 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  conditions 
  prevailing 
  on 
  

   both 
  natural 
  and 
  planted 
  beds, 
  to 
  begin 
  some 
  experiments 
  in 
  Beaufort 
  

   waters, 
  various 
  methods 
  of 
  preparing 
  the 
  bottom 
  to 
  be 
  tried 
  before 
  

   planting 
  the 
  oysters. 
  Accordingly, 
  when 
  the 
  steamer 
  I^Ish 
  Ilmnh 
  left 
  

   Pamlico 
  Sound 
  in 
  March, 
  1900, 
  the 
  writer 
  was 
  directed 
  to 
  go 
  to 
  Beau- 
  

   fort, 
  get 
  together 
  an 
  equipment 
  suitable 
  for 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  planting- 
  

   shells 
  and 
  oysters, 
  and 
  begin 
  operations. 
  The 
  outfit 
  secured 
  was 
  such 
  

   as 
  is 
  owned 
  by 
  the 
  local 
  oystermen 
  and 
  fishermen 
  — 
  namely, 
  a 
  small 
  one- 
  

   mast 
  sharpy, 
  skiff, 
  oj^ster 
  tongs, 
  shovels, 
  buckets, 
  and 
  an 
  ax. 
  One 
  

   laborer 
  was 
  hired 
  to 
  assist 
  in 
  the 
  work. 
  

  

  Rece7it 
  experiments. 
  — 
  In 
  selecting 
  grounds 
  for 
  the 
  planting 
  experi- 
  

   ments 
  care 
  was 
  taken 
  that 
  they 
  shoidd 
  include 
  no 
  natural 
  oyster 
  beds. 
  

   Two 
  beds 
  were 
  surve3'ed 
  and 
  marked 
  with 
  stakes 
  before 
  the 
  Fish 
  

   Hcnvk 
  left 
  the 
  Beaufort 
  region 
  — 
  one 
  in 
  Newport 
  River, 
  containing 
  5 
  

   acres, 
  the 
  other 
  in 
  North 
  River, 
  containing 
  lo. 
  On 
  the 
  Newport 
  bed, 
  

   situated 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Harlow 
  Creek 
  (see 
  map), 
  the 
  bottom 
  

   has 
  all 
  the 
  conditions 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  entire 
  river 
  bottoms, 
  from 
  

   hard 
  white 
  sand 
  to 
  ver}" 
  soft 
  deep 
  mud. 
  The 
  depth 
  of 
  water 
  over 
  it 
  

   varies, 
  at 
  Idw 
  tide, 
  from 
  Ih 
  to 
  4 
  feet. 
  The 
  currents 
  are 
  tidal 
  in 
  origin 
  

   and 
  at 
  this 
  point 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  they 
  sometimes 
  attain 
  a 
  velocity 
  of 
  nearly 
  

   three-fourths 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  per 
  hour. 
  The 
  North 
  River 
  experimental 
  bed 
  

   is 
  situated 
  off' 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Roberts 
  Bay 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  joins 
  the 
  oys- 
  

   ter 
  garden 
  belonging 
  to 
  Mr. 
  M. 
  E. 
  Fiver. 
  The 
  bottom 
  is 
  composed 
  

   wholly 
  of 
  deep, 
  soft 
  mud. 
  At 
  low 
  tide 
  the 
  water 
  over 
  it 
  is 
  from 
  3i 
  

   to 
  5 
  feet 
  in 
  depth. 
  As 
  in 
  Newport, 
  the 
  currents 
  in 
  North 
  River 
  are 
  

   mainly 
  tidal, 
  and 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  before 
  low 
  or 
  high 
  water 
  a 
  velocity 
  of 
  

   one-third 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  per 
  hour 
  is 
  reached 
  in 
  the 
  vicinit}^ 
  of 
  the 
  bed. 
  In 
  

   order 
  that 
  the 
  experiments 
  in 
  both 
  rivers 
  should 
  be 
  conducted 
  on 
  bot- 
  

   toms 
  of 
  different 
  kinds, 
  Mr. 
  Elias 
  Fiver 
  very 
  kindly 
  allowed 
  us 
  to 
  

   make 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  hard 
  sandy 
  part 
  of 
  his 
  garden, 
  on 
  which 
  one 
  planting 
  

   w'as 
  made. 
  

  

  As 
  far 
  as 
  was 
  possible 
  the 
  work 
  in 
  these 
  rivers 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  

   the 
  same 
  way, 
  each 
  planting 
  in 
  the 
  one 
  being 
  duplicated 
  in 
  the 
  other. 
  

   It 
  was 
  the 
  intention 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  as 
  regularly 
  

   as 
  the 
  densit}^, 
  but 
  this 
  was 
  neglected 
  so 
  often, 
  the 
  thermometer 
  being 
  

   in 
  use 
  elsewhere, 
  that 
  the 
  records 
  are 
  too 
  incomplete 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  much 
  

   value. 
  During 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  June, 
  July, 
  August, 
  and 
  September, 
  

   when 
  low 
  water 
  occurred 
  during 
  the 
  middle 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  da}', 
  the 
  tem- 
  

   perature 
  over 
  tile 
  beds 
  often 
  rose 
  as 
  high 
  as 
  90° 
  F., 
  but 
  the 
  usual 
  sum- 
  

   mer 
  temperature 
  is 
  about 
  80 
  . 
  During 
  the 
  winter 
  months 
  ice 
  often 
  

   forms 
  over 
  the 
  beds. 
  

  

  The 
  climatic 
  conditions 
  which 
  prevailed 
  during 
  the 
  three 
  years 
  cov- 
  

  

  