﻿296 
  REFORT 
  OF 
  COIvIMISSIOWER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  ered 
  by 
  the 
  experiments 
  were 
  fortunately 
  very 
  different. 
  The 
  tirst 
  

   season 
  was 
  ver}'' 
  dr}', 
  especially 
  the 
  latter 
  part. 
  From 
  Aj^ril 
  to 
  Sep- 
  

   tember 
  the 
  average 
  density 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  over 
  the 
  Newport 
  bed 
  was 
  

   1.0189; 
  over 
  the 
  North 
  River 
  bed, 
  1.0202. 
  The 
  second 
  season 
  was 
  

   very 
  wet, 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  fresh 
  water 
  being 
  noticeable 
  even 
  to 
  Beau- 
  

   fort 
  Inlet. 
  From 
  May 
  until 
  September 
  the 
  average 
  density 
  was 
  1.0103 
  

   and 
  1.0129 
  in 
  Newport 
  and 
  North 
  rivers, 
  respectively. 
  During 
  

   the 
  season 
  of 
  1902, 
  from 
  June 
  until 
  September, 
  the 
  average 
  density 
  

   over 
  the 
  Newport 
  bed 
  was 
  1.0202; 
  over 
  the 
  North 
  River 
  bed 
  it 
  was 
  

   1.0221. 
  From 
  the 
  last 
  tigures 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  that 
  a 
  greater 
  drought 
  

   prevailed 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Beaufort 
  in 
  1902 
  than 
  in 
  1900, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  

   explained 
  b}" 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  work 
  in 
  1900 
  covered 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  

   April 
  and 
  May, 
  when 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  spring 
  rains 
  were 
  j^et 
  notice- 
  

   able, 
  while 
  in 
  1902 
  the 
  wo:k 
  began 
  with 
  June, 
  when 
  the 
  fresh 
  water 
  

   which 
  had 
  fallen 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  had 
  become 
  well 
  drained 
  off'. 
  The 
  

   density 
  for 
  each 
  month 
  is 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  food 
  tables 
  on 
  pages 
  289-90. 
  

  

  It 
  having 
  been 
  ascertained 
  that 
  Newport 
  and 
  North 
  River 
  03"sters 
  

   are 
  in 
  spawning 
  condition 
  as 
  ea,v\y 
  as 
  March 
  and 
  continue 
  to 
  spawn 
  

   until 
  late 
  in 
  December 
  (see 
  page 
  2To), 
  it 
  was 
  decided 
  that 
  plantings 
  

   should 
  be 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  summer, 
  and 
  fall, 
  in 
  the 
  hope 
  thus 
  to 
  

   find 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  time 
  for 
  exposing 
  spat 
  collectors. 
  Expensive 
  

   and 
  time-consuming 
  methods 
  of 
  planting 
  were 
  avoided 
  as 
  wholly 
  

   impracticable 
  for 
  the 
  North 
  Carolina 
  oyster 
  industry. 
  In 
  Europe, 
  

   where 
  large 
  single 
  oysters 
  often 
  sell 
  for 
  5 
  cents 
  each, 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  

   construct 
  expensive 
  claires 
  for 
  fattening 
  the 
  oysters, 
  to 
  expose 
  tiles 
  

   coated 
  with 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  lime 
  for 
  collecting 
  spat, 
  to 
  take 
  up 
  the 
  exposed 
  

   tiles 
  and 
  painstakingly 
  scale 
  oft' 
  the 
  small 
  oysters, 
  to 
  plant 
  these 
  in 
  

   baskets 
  constructed 
  especially 
  for 
  this 
  purpose, 
  and 
  to 
  variousl}^ 
  elab- 
  

   orate 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  culture; 
  but 
  in 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  where 
  the 
  price 
  

   is 
  frequently 
  as 
  low 
  as 
  15 
  cents 
  per 
  bushel 
  and 
  seldom 
  reaches 
  a 
  price 
  

   higher 
  than 
  4.5 
  cents 
  per 
  bushel, 
  such 
  refined 
  processes 
  are 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   question. 
  

  

  The 
  liberation 
  of 
  artificially 
  fertilized 
  oyster 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  has 
  

   been 
  suggested 
  as 
  a 
  method 
  of 
  increasing 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  oyster 
  fry 
  in 
  

   certain 
  localities, 
  but 
  after 
  repeated 
  trials 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  proved 
  successful, 
  

   and 
  no 
  attempt 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  follow 
  it 
  here. 
  In 
  North 
  Carolina 
  the 
  

   operation 
  is 
  expensive, 
  not 
  only 
  from 
  a 
  practical 
  dollars-and-cents 
  

   standpoint, 
  but 
  from 
  the 
  biological 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  as 
  well. 
  FnWj 
  one- 
  

   third 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  taken 
  at 
  any 
  one 
  time 
  from 
  a 
  spawning 
  

   female 
  oyster 
  are 
  unripe, 
  are 
  therefore 
  incapable 
  of 
  fertilization, 
  and 
  

   are 
  lost. 
  Moreover, 
  in 
  taking 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  sperms 
  the 
  adults 
  are 
  sacri- 
  

   ficed; 
  and 
  practice 
  has 
  shown 
  that 
  the 
  young 
  oysters 
  that 
  develop 
  

   from 
  eggs 
  confined 
  in 
  hatching 
  dishes 
  or 
  troughs 
  all 
  die 
  before 
  they 
  

   attain 
  the 
  settling 
  or 
  attaching 
  stage, 
  probabl}^ 
  from 
  lack 
  of 
  proper 
  

   food. 
  Young 
  attached 
  oysters 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  procured 
  from 
  eggs 
  

  

  