Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-20
should the one stream be more favored thar
the other9

| the other?
Mine miles below waynesville, upon the
same river, is the famous landmark known
as Fort Ancient, the most remarkable and
extensive of the known works of the mound.
building races In some of the tombs that
have been opened there have been founo,
among other articles for use and ornament,
q number OF pearls, similar to those now
being taken from the river. A curious EVIL
dence, this, of the antiquity of these beds.
Curious, that perhaps at about the time
that Caesar was being tempted to INVADE
Britain by the wonderful stories OF the
pearls to be obtained from its rivers, this
ancient race in our land was testifying Its
appreciation of the same gems by placing
them among the greatest treasures in their
tombs
Curiosity has also been excited by the
great heaps of mussel shells still to be found
at certain points to the south, upon the
Ohio. Scientific investigators have thought
it impossible that the vast bulk which was
comprised within these shells should have
been used as food, even were the former
dwellers there bivalve-eating people.
Is it not at least open to conjecture that
the pearl was so highly valued by them that
the search was regularly continued for ages
and ages. and that these shell heaps are the
landmarks OF their industry?
Fresh water pearl fishing is not peculiar
to America.
Tacitus wrote of: 'sPearls not very
orient, but pale and wan." as being among
the indigenous products of conquered
Britain; and half thousand years ago
Scottish pearls were referred to in the trade
charter of the Paris Goldsmiths Since
then there have been various spasmodic re-
vlvals of the search in northern rivers, the
last of which to assume any proportions oc-
Cured in 1865, when it is said upward of
e12, 900 worth oil gems were found.
ARTIFICIAL PEARLS.
The rivers o! Bohemia, Sweden and Sax
ony also contain pearls, and the search is
carried on methodicallv under Government
inspection.
The people are not allowed to carry the
hshlng to such an excess as would interfere
with the permanent supply OF mussels. The
mel, margaritafera, the proper "pearl
oyster, - is found in great many places
where the pearls have not been discovered.
This is probably due to variations in the
constituent of the soil and water Of their
habitat
The pearl is formed by the deposit of sue
cessive layers of nacre or mother-of-pea
the lrridescent, pearl-like inner layer of the
shell, forming about nucleus Of foreign
d
sand) which has been accidentally taken
into the shell. This formation may be read
lily seen by cutting pearl open, the LAYERS
resembling the wrappings of an onion. This
process appearing so simple, it has often been
suggested that the production of pearls might
be carried on without limit by artifcially
introducing the nucleus. Linnaus the
famous naturalist, even went so lar as to
announce this as an important discovery.
and it was for this that be received the order
of nobility from his Government, and not
because of his genuine scientific attain
ments, as is generally supposed. 1t is not
believed, however, that perfect pearl can
be produced in this manner. The Chinese,
for couple of thousand years, have been
familiar with this "secret," and availed
themselves of it to as full an extent as has
been found practicable. They insert small
matrlxes, sometimes little images of Buddha,
within the lips of the mollusk and leave
them for two or three years, by which time
they are sufficiently coated with nacre to re-
semble mother-of-pearl ornaments.
But while the artificial production of
pearls:is probably beyond our reach, it GER
tainly would seem to be within the province
of our Government to protect and further
develop such fisheries as we have. Occasional
pearls of some value have been found in
various streams throughout the country,
and the recent discoveries in the Duchein
river, in Wisconsin, have awakened new in
terest in the subject.
As the number of pearls to be obtained is
dependent in the first place upon the num-
Der Of mussels, pearl fishing should be
wholly prohibited during the spawning sea-
son; and as some years are evidently re-
quired for the formation of a pearl of any
size, certain portions of the fishing grounds
should be alternately protected for term
of years. The policy of annihilation is
poor one to pursue in an industry which,
under proper fostering, could be made so ex-
tremely valuable. JAMES K. REEVE.