﻿OYSTER 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  CAROLINA. 
  297 
  

  

  SO 
  kept. 
  Doubtless 
  if, 
  instead 
  of 
  keeping 
  the 
  eggs 
  in 
  hatching 
  dishes 
  

   for 
  any 
  considerable 
  time 
  after 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  fertilized, 
  they 
  should 
  

   be 
  deposited 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  near 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  desired 
  to 
  estab- 
  

   lish 
  a 
  bed, 
  they 
  would 
  pass 
  through 
  their 
  dev^elopment 
  normally, 
  pro- 
  

   vided 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  encounter 
  adverse 
  climatic 
  conditions, 
  such 
  as 
  a 
  cold 
  

   rain. 
  This 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  fatal 
  to 
  free-swimming 
  03^ster 
  fry. 
  

   In 
  order 
  that 
  the 
  fry 
  resulting 
  from 
  the 
  deposited 
  eggs 
  shall 
  be 
  secured 
  

   in 
  the 
  desired 
  localities, 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  that 
  the 
  tides 
  and 
  river 
  currents 
  

   be 
  such 
  that 
  the 
  free-swimming 
  oysters 
  shall 
  be 
  carried 
  over 
  the 
  

   exposed 
  cultch 
  at 
  just 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  the}^ 
  are 
  ready 
  to 
  settle 
  and 
  

   become 
  attached, 
  and 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  possible 
  to 
  calculate 
  when 
  the 
  attach- 
  

   ing 
  stage 
  will 
  be 
  reached, 
  the 
  chances 
  are 
  that 
  none 
  of 
  any 
  one 
  lot 
  will 
  

   fix 
  themselves 
  to 
  cultch 
  exposed 
  to 
  receive 
  them. 
  

  

  If, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  oysters 
  are 
  allowed 
  to 
  remain 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  

   and 
  spawn 
  normally, 
  the 
  least 
  amount 
  of 
  loss 
  of 
  spawn 
  takes 
  place, 
  and 
  

   there 
  is 
  the 
  greatest 
  possible 
  chance 
  of 
  securing 
  a 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  

   resulting 
  young 
  oysters. 
  So 
  many 
  spawning 
  oysters 
  live 
  together 
  on 
  

   a 
  bed 
  that 
  the 
  chances 
  of 
  a 
  failure 
  of 
  ripe 
  eggs 
  to 
  meet 
  with 
  sperms 
  

   are 
  few. 
  The 
  spawning 
  of 
  an 
  individual 
  oyster 
  probably 
  covers 
  a, 
  

   considerable 
  period 
  of 
  time 
  (six 
  to 
  ten 
  weeks), 
  the 
  reproductive 
  ele^ 
  

   ments 
  being 
  given 
  out 
  a 
  few 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  as 
  they 
  mature. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  

   none 
  are 
  lost, 
  but 
  every 
  eg^ 
  has 
  a 
  chance 
  to 
  develop, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  

   breeding 
  season 
  there 
  is 
  probabh^ 
  not 
  a 
  time 
  when 
  there 
  is 
  not 
  present 
  

   in 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  every 
  locality 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  oyster 
  beds 
  a 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  number 
  of 
  fry 
  in 
  all 
  stages 
  of 
  development. 
  Thus 
  a 
  bed 
  may 
  be 
  

   established 
  at 
  any 
  desired 
  point 
  l)v 
  simply 
  exposing 
  the 
  proper 
  cultch 
  

   in 
  the 
  proper 
  way. 
  

  

  Spawning 
  03^sters 
  may 
  be 
  deposited 
  in 
  localities 
  where 
  natural 
  beds 
  

   are 
  wanting, 
  but 
  in 
  North 
  Carolina 
  the 
  reefs 
  furnish 
  an 
  abundant 
  sup- 
  

   ply 
  of 
  spawn. 
  My 
  experiments 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  difficulty 
  

   in 
  securing 
  a 
  good 
  set 
  of 
  spat 
  on 
  planted 
  shells; 
  in 
  fact, 
  the 
  difficulties 
  

   seem 
  to 
  lie 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  direction 
  — 
  in 
  limiting 
  the 
  number 
  which 
  may 
  

   be 
  secured. 
  The 
  work 
  undertaken, 
  therefore, 
  aimed 
  at 
  a 
  simple 
  

   method 
  of 
  utilizing 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  fry 
  already 
  present 
  in 
  the 
  water. 
  

  

  Since 
  oyster 
  shells 
  arc 
  available 
  in 
  immense 
  quantities 
  at 
  very 
  little 
  

   cost 
  at 
  many 
  points 
  on 
  the 
  North 
  Carolina 
  coast, 
  they 
  were 
  used 
  in 
  

   the 
  experiments 
  not 
  only 
  as 
  spat 
  collectors 
  but 
  for 
  hardening 
  the 
  bot- 
  

   toms 
  of 
  such 
  beds 
  as 
  were 
  to 
  receive 
  the 
  seed 
  oysters. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  

   Beaufort 
  oystermen 
  who 
  professed 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  experience 
  in 
  shell 
  

   planting 
  advised 
  against 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  steamed 
  shells, 
  giving 
  as 
  their 
  

   reason 
  that 
  3"oung 
  oysters 
  will 
  not 
  attach 
  to 
  shells 
  which 
  have 
  passed 
  

   through 
  the 
  steaming 
  process. 
  After 
  exposing 
  both 
  raw 
  opened 
  and 
  

   steamed 
  shells 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  conditions, 
  however, 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  found 
  that 
  

   oyster 
  spat 
  have 
  any 
  preference. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  shells, 
  bundles 
  of 
  pine 
  brush 
  were 
  tried 
  as 
  spat 
  col' 
  

  

  