The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-01-31

January Dill. so.


DEAR Sir la accordance with vorr
instructions | visited Wascamaw Lake
in July. 10 ascertain the number and
variety Of fish caught there. AMI 70
make collections Of the same. From
a short report made to You * that time
| extract the following notes relative
TO it:
il is 81 miles west OF Wilmington.
1t Is seven miles long and about five
miles wide. Though surrounded BY
swamps, | was assured by a resident
physician that there was no malaria
the water is fresh and fit for drinking.
except in mid summer. when IL has a
temperature OF So TO So Fahrenheit.
The only ~appreciable water supply is
from four creeks from the great
Green Swamp. whose increase or de
creas Of water vary with the rainfall.
On the north side there is quite a re-
spectacle bluff, a mile long and Is to
20 feet high. Underlying this is an
excellent quality Of mari and a large
stratum OF sheil-rock, the latter ex-
tendin entirely across the lake, | am
told. and forming a hard-pan. which
is hid by sand and mud above. Gen
tlcmen residing at the AXE assured me
that Jets Of very cold water burst
through at places, which they had de-
tected while bathing. The amount Of
water derived from this source cannot
well be estimated. The hard-pan,
which can be easily obtained, ought to
possess some value, for | was Informed
by Col. II. b. Short that it showed from
analysis 10 per cent. of lime, and. in
which were made with lime burned
close by.
The depth Of the lake in the central
portions is about 10 feet, and in one
locality about 20, decreasing towards
the shores. In an ordinary stage of
water you can walk entirely around
the lake on the sandy beach (Which is
very white, but the fall rains increase
the volume Is to 90 inches, and the
banks arc covered. Tie water is of a
champagne color, and is highly fav-
orable to plant growth Is well as that
Of fish. The common bonnet exists in
immense numbers, also "a tall grass,
and the button plant, besides other
varieties Of less size, furnishing count
less numbers of insects as food for
young fish.
The waters of the lake find an outlet
through Waccamaw river, which is
twenty to thirty feet wide and six to
ten feet deep. descended the stream
several miles and found the current
about two miles per hour, which is
under the average, l should think.
There is no reason why it may not be
made navigable; but its waters run
through an immense swamp far re-
moved from human habitation, in She
depths of solitude. Alligators and
snakes by hundreds indicate but slight
interference on the part OF a
This lake affords as good fishing as
any fresh water in the State. There
are eight excellent varieties existing
in abundance. The white perch (nsd-
one AmericdAa) is very abundant.
They bite SO freely at the hook that a
hundred may be caught in an hour.
The largest weigh two pounds and up
-,-..l. +l1,,-1 I'll III I'll
goggle-eye id~m6ioptiteS), though not 50
abundant, IS common, and quite equal
to the above in flavor. The blue Dream
ticthC{iS y and the yellow belly. red
breast, stone Dream. Monmouth perch,
II green bass or rou (BlicroDteruS
Hi9r{cdaS) exist by thousands. Besides
these, the fatal jack fish nowise comes
out behind in the struggle for exist
tence." The yellow perch (P. faras-
GEMS. called there the red fin. and else
where in this neighboring section
al inferior fish called the grindle or
black fish, and cats innumerable can
be found. There are ten other varie-
ties in the lake, including a number of
varieties of small minnows that swarm
by hundreds of thousands. and consti-
tute the food OF larger varieties.
The existent operations in the arti-
fetal propagation of fish in North
Carolina do not touch waters OF the
nature of the above. Thus far the
work has been confined 10 the shad and
Sacramento salmon for rivers. Since
the introduction of the art into North
Carolina, an almost universal interest
has sprung up, followed by inquiries
from many. relative to the construction
of private ponds and to stocking the