304 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
Operations were began December 23, 1890, in the neighborhood of Winyah Bay, 
in the northeastern part of the State. The creeks in that vicinity had already been 
examined by Mr. Battle in the interest of an oyster company, and the privilege of 
using his results being obtained, but little time was spent there. The steamer then 
proceeded to the Savannah River and worked thence northward to the northern part 
of Bull Bay, near Cape Domain, completing the survey March 30, 1891. 
The coast region of South Carolina consists chiefly of very low land, marshy to a 
great extent, which in many places extends inland a considerable distance. It is 
indented or cut through by a number of sounds, bays, and river mouths, which are 
connected by an intricate system of winding creeks and rivers, separating the sea 
islands from one another and from the mainland. Oysters are found in most of the 
creeks and rivers which are suited to their growth, but they occur mainly as fringing 
jedges along the borders between the levels of high and low tide. In only a few locali- 
ties do they grow naturally in the stream bed, and then' cultivation or improvement 
by transplanting has not lutherto been attempted, except upon a very limited scale. 
The water that circulates through these oyster-bearing channels is derived from 
several sources, the sea on the one side, the rivers from the interior, neighboring springs, 
and land seepage on the other. That coming from the sea has the high salinity or 
density of the ocean, while the rest is fresh. As is naturally to be expected from the 
positions and relations of these numerous bodies, their contents, resulting from the 
mixture of different waters, present a great diversity as regards their saltness, and 
the density in each is subject to great and frequent variations through the tides and 
seasonal changes. Moreover, the larger rivers bring down an immense quantity of 
sediment, which, becoming widely disseminated, fills many of the channels with highly 
discolored water, especially during times of freshets. From this source and probably 
from others also the channels have derived, over a large part of their extent, a very 
soft, muddy bottom, not capable of supporting heavy objects of any character. 
The reason for the peculiar distribution of the oysters, above referred to, which 
obtains also in Georgia, in some parts of North Carolina, and on the outer coast of 
Virginia, has not positively been determined, but the most plausible explanation yet 
given to account for it would make it dependent upon the high specific gravity of the 
water. The heavy sediment and the soft character of the bottom may also have some 
influence in that respect. The solution of this question is of great practical importance, 
as the result will have much weight in determining the methods of oyster-culture 
best suited to the State, and it is proposed to give further attention to the matter at 
the first convenient opportunity. The problem involved is as to whether the spat 
derived from mature oysters planted on the bottom will attach themselves in similar 
situations; in fact, as to whether such beds would be self-sustaining, as they are in 
all the principal oyster regions farther north. The present indications are that, in the 
South Carolina waters whose salinity is above a certain standard, the spat or embryos, 
which are free-swimming during the earlier part of their existence, float only at the 
surface, and, therefore, have the means of attaching themselves only between the 
levels of high and low tide. In any case, however, a very simple and effective means 
of cultivation is presented in the transplanting of the raccoon oysters from the tide 
ledges to suitable bottoms in deeper water, where they rapidly attain a better shape 
and quality. The raccoon ledges are a source of seed, which, if properly protected, 
can be made the basis of an extensive industry, and one probably of great profit. 
