Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-08-31

undeveloped stage. About $500, 900
worth Of pearls are annually taken
from the streams Of this country and
this is only fraction Of what the pearl
crop might be made to be every year,
for where there are clam or mussel
shells there are pearls. To make this
statement is easy, but to convince peo-
pie living along a stream not known to
have produced pearls is a difficult mat
orally little honor in its own country.
What! Pearls in our own home
river?' I am asked whenever | go to
new stream to set the industry in mo-
ton. Then the incredulous often add:
Well, it'll be time enough to believe
that when I can dig gold out Of the gar
dem
'EThe only way in which people can
be convinced that pearl fishing will
prove practical and profitable pursuit
is that which [ invariably follow I
first hire three OF four young men by
the day, paying them good wages.
Then I instruct them how to gather
and open the shells and find the pearls.
'|By close calculation I have dis
covered that there is one pearl to about
every thousand shells and one pearl OF
exceptional value in 10000 shells. This
ratio may be fairly relied upon. It is
not SO difficult for man to gather and
open 1000 shells day, and this means
that the pearl fishers seldom average
under So day and many run as high
as SIS daily for the season. A small
boat is used in gathering shells. The
men wade beside the boat and use only
their hands in picking UP the shells
and loading them. Opening the shells
is hard on the hands, but it is done
with great rapidity 10y those who are
experienced A small knifeblade is in
serted between the halves at the two
tendons connecting the shells. AS
these are severed the parts open and a
quick pressure of the thumb at the
points just inside the outer rim, where
the pearls are sure to be found if they
are there, is all that is needed Just as
soon as one good pearl, worth $50 to
$780, is found [ know there is no longer
any need of missionary work in that
place and the industry will take.care Of
itself 7 have held to the policy of
paying fair prices for pearls with the
selfish idea that would rather make a
fair profit on a thousand pearls than
a large profit ON one. The market is
still large, and all that encourages the
ind ,ty-rr1 hop
GA series of long and careful scien-
tific experiments in the growing Of
pearls has been conducted by Vane
Simmons OF Charles Clty, Iowa. I
visited his place and learned much
from him. He has demonstrated that
a tiny, hard, globular particIeimplanted
just within the she'll of a clam will pro-
duce a pearl in about two years, but
his experiments have not tended to
show that the culture can be made
profitable The life of a clam is five
to eight years, but the growing period
is not over three years.
at is interesting to know that the
aborigines of this country appreciated
the beauty Of pearls quite as much as
do the most cultivated Americans of
today. w. E. Myer of Carthage, Tenn,
opened an Indian burial place and
found 'gorget' Or necklace Of scallops
strung with pearls. The latter were Of
remarkable size, but long burial and
contact with the earth had rendered
them chalky and valueless. Professor
Warren K. Moorehead Of the Ohio
State university and Professor G. w.
Putnam Of Harvard university opened
a sacrifcial mound near the great Ser
pent mound in Ohio and took from it
two bushels Of pearls. All were ruined
and bore evidence Of having been sub
iected to a hot fire at the time they
were offered in sacrifce-probably to
stay the ravages of plague or the in
vasion Of an enemy"
In his private collection Mr.. Myer
has a necklace made for a member OF
the household Of Napoleon and long
the property Of an old New York fam
lily. II is one Of the most remarkable
examples of artistic pearl grouping
known and required the aDor of four