Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-07
NOLLUsKs OF THE FUTURE.
Some Specimens. Valuable Abroad. whic
Are Worth INTRODUCING Over Here.

SoWe Spectmeons valuable Abroad. which
Are Worth Introducing Over Here.
'Mussels are . variety Of shell nsh, the great
value of which for food purposes 10 not at all
recognized on this side Of the Atlantic" said .
naturalist to . SrAR reporter. .'This Is GER
| tainly very unfortunate. inasmuch - they
contain, weight for weight nearly 20 much Of
the heterogeneous matter which goes 10 make
the muscles Of the human body 90 il found in
the egg. In London l.oO0, 900 quarts Of mussels
are consumed each year, by the poor chiefly.
the market price being 1 penny quart. The
shell mounds found on various parts Of the
coast Of England indicate that the prehistoric
inhabitants Of that country were even more
alive than their descendants Of today TO the
usefulness of mussels and other shell fsh de-
spised by Americans as an article Of diet
Nobody in this country ever thinks Of eas-
ing periwinkles, whslks and cookies. though in
England there is q great market for all three
and they have an important place in the FISH
cries industry. In London S,60o, 900 quarts Of
pcriwinkles at q penny quart are consumed
annually likewise 2, SOC, 600 quarts of whelks
and 10000 quarts Of cookies. This is in the
metropolis alone. A single cookie fishery in
Morecambs bay 10 valued at s100, 900 yearly.
The best cookies come from Stinkey, in Nor
folk, and are known commonly as real strkey.
The cookie feeds on the lowest forms of micro
scopic alge, which it obtains by eating the
sand, its digestive organs being adapted TO
separate and absorb all the organic matter and
to expel the inorganic, Just as many species OF
worms Go. II multiplies with marvellous ra-
pidity.
THE PKRrwINKLK.
''The periwinkle is perhaps the best known
the world over Of all edible mollusks. II feeds
upon aige and is sometimes employed by oyster
growers in England 10 keep the beds clear of
sea weeds. 1t is also serviceable for cleaning
aquariums. Whelks are cheapest Of all sea
foods, retailing four quarts for penny, whereas
lively dear. They are hawked about the
poorer quarters Of London by costermongers.
and a large trade in them is done in public
houses by vendors, who supply their customers
with the use of a small saucer and ssasonings Of
vinegar and pepper.
There are few stretches of our coast line
where the cultivation of such edible mollusks
as these could not be carried on, but if such
farming is to become Q successful industry,
people must 90 in for II on lines parallel to
those adopted by the agriculturist. When man
extends the same care and attention TO the
shores and bed of the sea as he does to land, he
may expect commensurate results. II has been
proved IN England that an acre Of shore Guilt
rated with N lssels As an arabic farm will Weld
scmewhas more than $3.50 a year. Mussels
under cultivation should be fit for use at two
years old or less. Any one going into the bust
ness would 10 veil to keep an aquarium. in
whicE ne could carry on experiments and con-
duct Investigations. A person whose tastes lie
In this direction, and who is fond Of outdoor
exercise, will find such water farming a congo
NAL occupation. Most IF the operations con-
nected with the cultivation may be carried or
IN hight, fat-bottomed boats, or men with high
sea boots oan attend to the beds 1t is neces-
sary that the mussel farmer shall have his pro-
duce always covered with water, and for this
purpose he must select a site where, by inclos-
ing an area with a low embankment, tho said
Enclosure will retain about foot of water at
low tide. The place chosen should be very fat,
sheltered, and with rs narrow an opening 10
the sea as possible.
ENEMIES TO MussELs.
"Mussels find destructive foes in sea gulls
and crows. The latter birds seize the shell fish
and, flying up into the air, drop them upon the
rocks and so break the shell and get at the
meat. Other sea birds swallow the bivalve
whole and eject the shell after the meat has
been digested. Some serious cases of even
fatal poisoning have resulted from the eating
OF mussels which are supposed TO have been
unhealthy fed. on sewage or on the spawn Of
the starfish, which is poisonous. The starfish
Is very fond of mussels. II first grasps the vic
tim with its five fingers, and. when the latter
opens slightly to breathe. it inserts its stomach
into the body Of the mussel and absorbs the
contents Of the she'll Even rats attack mussels
Before it will be worth while for any one to
go into mussel culture on the American coasts
It will be necessary that people in this country
shall be educated to like these mollusks and APP
preciate their value as food. The same is to be
said of the periwinkle, cookie and whelk But
it is worth while TO communicate knowledge on
this subject as widely as may be- particularly at
this time, when methods for farming the water
as well as the land are being developed and
when man is beginning TO look forward TO a
time in the not distant future at which he will
derive sustenance moro from fishing than from
agriculture"