Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-11-03
ABOUT PEARLS.
ov,y,n and me way They Are
gbeif Gafhereds

gbeh Gathereds
Lori Il so associated with the
lbs ,hat Il sounds like geographical
onss an % read that the Tay pearl fish
bSuIss age opened with unusual prospects
sis pe LES Yet the theme Of SO many
surd the object Of SO much extrava-
~ has perhaps, been almost as long
sacs ' Cor In the Scottish rivers as in the
-. .ster seas Of the East.
lss - ,earI Of the fresh water mussel Is
In almost every river where the
.iasls in question can prosper, though
..sty snilen streams, with many un-
i', .,.bcd pools and muddy bottoms, are
favorable to fheir growth Hence
- saee pcarls from Sweden and Nor
= e. t,om the rivers OF Tyrone and Done
'H.nd from many Of the streams Of the
ss.haest OF England and Wales. Very
p.s-ecimens also come from the Mol
I'd Wottawa, in Bohemia, and for
Y fresh water pearl fishery has ex-
s.d IN the Iltz, in Bavaria, from which
times valuable specimens reach the
'.,tiuental jewelers..
rs however, mainly in Scotland that
= business is followed with anything
=. evstem. For ages the Tay, Doom,
nm Teith, Forth, Ythan, Spey, Ug.e
ri N Farm have proved more or less
..itful the dull seasons being compen-
s,sd for by those in which gem of
nore than ordinary value has been fished
In all the rivers, and in some of
taller importance, few people-gen-
.sllv old men, women and children
- engaged during the summer months
. 4 searchng for the mussels, buoyed up
d Z hope of fiuding in one out of fifty or
a,ty. the object they are eager to obtain.
indeed. ever since Mr.. Unger impaired
sstimulus to the business, some of the
mailer streams have been so overfished
!. 10 render Inc labor Of searching the
mud scarcely renumerative. In the river
Farm a tributary of the Tay. in some
nrts of the Tay itself, and in the Doom,
Isl however, still worth following,
musse gathering being among certain
hmilies not only trade, but their soc
means OF livelihood.
4 more agreeable pursuit of the manual
order can scarcely be imagined, SO long
the DAYS are long, and the sun is
warm, and the shady river lovely with
he outrageous foliage of midsummer and
early autumn. Pearl fishing in Scot
land has, moreover, much of the
rambling excitement attendant
n the pearl-diving Of the East, without
The injury to health and the imminent
danger from suffocation and sharks.
which mpart parlous emotion to that
icmfully suicidal calling as practiced off
the coast of Ceylon, in the Persian gulf.
and in the bay of Panama. As followed
IN the Earn or the Doom it is in point OF
TACT as pleasant as trout fishing during
hot day, infinitely more profitable in the
worst of times, and to the hardy folks
Of the North, accustomed to rough
weather, bare feet, and mountain streams
aying their legs, scarcely so risky to the
constitution as landing salmon is to
the wellcoddled citizen who is afraid of
the wind blowing on him for eleven
months In the year, and passes the twelfth
vading in the icy rivers north of the
Tweed. Pearl fishing is, moreover, a
profession which needs no apprentice
lhip. Like reading and writing to Dog
berry, it comes of nature" to the hum
bic hunters after fortune who have made
Unlo collecting their own. The art is
simplicity itself. Elaborate apparatus is
hot demanded: all the skill necessary
may be acquired in an hour; ana expe-
hence avails little where there are no
rules and scarcely any dogma to guide
the manipulation. All that is required is
70 search for the mussels nesting among
the mud aud sand, and seize them with
the hand if the water is not deep. or if
beyond reach, insert long stick between
their gaping valves, and then when the
shell closes, lift the obstinate mollusk to
me surface; or someti mes should there
oe considerable number collected on
one spot, by simply dropping split
ended pole among them, and taxing the
chances of one being wedged into this
ndey improvised trap. 1t is, however,
lsre to find many together. They must
Be sought for in ones and twos, and
then tossed ashore, until a heap worth
QIeaing is accumulated.
There IS, of course, no calculating
hen mussel will Or will not contain I
earl, Or when the pearl will be of sufi
sent value to return fair days wages
or what the gem.seekers considers a
an days work. About one in fifty or
gty is said to reward the toiler, but as
f0le, the pearls are small. dark, and
re only "seed pearls which fetch
CIV price in the market, where they are
ought chiefly for the purpose of placing
4 Me back or other concealed part of
onent pearl ornaments. Some of the
petter specimens, will. however, bring
non 10 to Goethe latter possessing a
S4sleasIng pink hue. which is permanent.
necklaces composed of this valued va