﻿OYSTER 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  CAROLINA. 
  311 
  

  

  living 
  oj^sters 
  are 
  included.) 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  and 
  third 
  sea- 
  

   sons 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  spat 
  and 
  ojsters 
  on 
  each 
  hundred 
  shells 
  was 
  IGS 
  

   and 
  87, 
  respectively. 
  The 
  shells 
  planted 
  in 
  ridges 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  cur- 
  

   rents 
  caught 
  fewer 
  spat 
  than 
  those 
  planted 
  in 
  ridges 
  making 
  a 
  right 
  

   angle 
  with 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  flow, 
  but 
  under 
  both 
  conditions 
  too 
  much 
  

   spat 
  was 
  caught 
  and 
  coony 
  oysters 
  w^ere 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  the 
  result. 
  The 
  

   average 
  catch 
  of 
  spat 
  on 
  each 
  hundred 
  shells 
  on 
  the 
  parallel 
  ridges 
  for 
  

   the 
  first, 
  second, 
  and 
  third 
  seasons 
  was 
  221, 
  150, 
  and 
  61, 
  respectivcl}'. 
  

   The 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  which 
  caught 
  to 
  the 
  shells 
  was 
  remarkably 
  

   rapid, 
  as 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  from 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  on 
  which 
  no 
  

   seed 
  were 
  planted, 
  oysters 
  were 
  available 
  for 
  use 
  toward 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  

   the 
  season 
  of 
  1902. 
  

  

  From 
  April 
  to 
  September 
  in 
  1900 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  spat 
  became 
  

   attached 
  to 
  shells 
  whenever 
  and 
  wherever 
  planted, 
  but 
  the 
  tabulated 
  

   results 
  of 
  the 
  examinations 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  conditions 
  for 
  their 
  attach- 
  

   ment 
  and 
  growth 
  were 
  more 
  favorable 
  in 
  Newport 
  than 
  in 
  North 
  

   River. 
  The 
  shells 
  on 
  both 
  experimental 
  beds 
  became 
  the 
  home 
  also 
  

   of 
  innumerable 
  barnacles, 
  crabs, 
  worms, 
  polyzoa, 
  ascidians, 
  sponges, 
  

   anemones, 
  leptogordias, 
  mussels, 
  and 
  various 
  alga?. 
  During 
  the 
  sec- 
  

   ond 
  3'ear, 
  however, 
  the 
  water 
  became 
  brackish, 
  and 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  animals 
  

   w^ere 
  killed 
  except 
  the 
  barnacles, 
  crabs, 
  and 
  mussels, 
  which, 
  like 
  the 
  

   oyster, 
  are 
  adapted 
  to 
  such 
  conditions. 
  The 
  freshness 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  

   had 
  a 
  decided 
  effect 
  upon 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  spat 
  also, 
  the 
  number 
  that 
  

   became 
  attached 
  in 
  Newport 
  River 
  l)eing 
  much 
  smaller 
  than 
  during 
  

   the 
  previous 
  3'ear, 
  while 
  in 
  North 
  River 
  exactlj' 
  the 
  opposite 
  occurred. 
  

   From 
  this 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  conditions 
  for 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  

   oj^ster 
  larva> 
  and 
  their 
  attachment 
  are 
  brought 
  about 
  in 
  North 
  River 
  

   during 
  a 
  wet 
  season 
  and 
  in 
  Newport 
  River 
  during 
  a 
  drought. 
  This 
  

   conclusion 
  is 
  borne 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  results 
  during 
  the 
  following 
  dry 
  season 
  

   of 
  1902, 
  when 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  oysters 
  that 
  attached 
  to 
  shells 
  on 
  the 
  

   Newport 
  River 
  bed 
  was 
  much 
  greater 
  than 
  in 
  1901, 
  while 
  in 
  North 
  

   River 
  it 
  fell 
  far 
  short. 
  

  

  CONCLUSIONS. 
  

  

  The 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  experiments 
  are, 
  on 
  the 
  w^hole, 
  satisfactory. 
  Sev- 
  

   eral 
  important 
  facts 
  have 
  been 
  demonstrated 
  which 
  can 
  not 
  fail 
  to 
  

   have 
  a 
  bearing 
  upon 
  an}' 
  future 
  operations 
  in 
  oyster 
  culture 
  in 
  North 
  

   Carolina. 
  The 
  lower 
  parts 
  of 
  Newport 
  and 
  North 
  rivers 
  are 
  not 
  

   adap.ted 
  to 
  oyster 
  culture. 
  03^sters 
  grow 
  there 
  in 
  abundance 
  when 
  

   supported 
  above 
  the 
  mud, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  too 
  much 
  uncertainty 
  connected 
  

   with 
  the 
  crop 
  to 
  justify 
  practical 
  planting 
  operations. 
  When 
  the 
  time 
  

   comes 
  to 
  place 
  the 
  oysters 
  on 
  the 
  market 
  they 
  are 
  too 
  often 
  not 
  in 
  

   salable 
  condition. 
  This 
  is 
  traceable 
  to 
  the 
  high 
  density 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  

   of 
  these 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  rivers. 
  Should 
  the 
  industry 
  in 
  Pamlico 
  

   Sound 
  ever 
  be 
  developed 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  as 
  to 
  create 
  a 
  demand 
  for 
  

   seed 
  oysters, 
  however, 
  the 
  ground 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  parts 
  of 
  these 
  rivers 
  

  

  