The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-19
MUSSEL BEDS IN DANGER.
NEED or RrSrRICTtNG 4 MISSISSIPPI
RIpER INDTSTRI

the Pearl Button Factories that ~.
Pearly Mussci- May i'econc E>tiu,t ia
Certain ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Sugg..,.I
Within the last two years 50 great have h,o,
the depredatiOns upon the mugsrl beds nf it.
Mississippi River in the States uf Iowa aud m..
nois to supply the pearl buttonacturics thai Thor.
is now grave danger that the IEHtly, muisScIS win
become extinct III those waters, and thus AN in,
dustry which gives employment to several hun
dred fishermen and 10 more than A thousand f,o.
tory hands in that region viii dic oui NJ IN.
request Of persons interested In the pearl pu,nn
business, the United States Fish Cumnussi,,
made AN investigation and It's trlstl written
by Hugh NJ Smith, has been ISSUED The t,n,r,
advises restrictive measures toward tlc musse,
fisheries and shows that already IN many pntA
Of the river where the bivalvcS NoutishcI pIrnti.
fully few years ago they are now rare Az
IL takes ten years for the pcarly t,usssi
TO attain a growth suitable Tor commercial MIR.
poses, the beds rrcupcratc very slowly after 10
plctos.
In 1891. the pearl button industry took IL, s,,,,
in the States II Iowa and Illinois At frs, |.
employed few fishermen but the numbers fapdl.
increased Not only did boatncn and Fishermen,
Of the river take ii up. but fhrmhand, saw.mtn
hands and odd job workers found It al oc, lpa,on
which partook Of the nathrr Of sport since III,
haul was always matter Of chance aud at which
they could make from $40 to $40 a week, arrotd.
ing to their luck. In 1893. II Is estimated that
there were about one thousand mus,rl divyets
wandering about the river between Fort Madison
and SHbula, In the first SIN months II that
year. 1850 tons II pcarly nusscls valued m
about $50 900 wcht taken from the uycr and
sold Ia the button factories The species NJ
shell mostly dealt IN were M" uiggethcad
which IN 1898 guo.cd at 80 81 ton. the
sand shell at SIG 30 and the mucEri AZ 81 So
Miscellaneous prarly shells IN which category
are included many If the rarci and finer varieties
brought Si25o n ton
III" apparatus used IN iShi,n- is ~ various
kinds the hand rake, the tunr, II faAc hauled
by wndaSs the steam drcdg" and III bar With
dangling hooks Whether the steam dtcdg.
which IL an expensive outfit. can bc ma he 10 pay
in the present depleted condition Of thu muSs"
crop had not been demonstrated at the ulre Mr.
smith report was issued The ordinarr rshes
tongs and hook bars cost only few dollar.. AID
the rake with WndaSs costs abput S25 me
men fish from huht~ worth from 80 to $50. CNccNr.
~ lh ease 81 house boats when may run ~
500 but these answer rs home for hshrrmha
and his family IN which he lives through the
fishing S.aSon. drifting from place To- place 10
search nf prolific muss,l ieds Almost any
man with n few dollars or friend Ia stake him
can become a mlsscl fisherman and may nv sheer
luck strike paying claim at tho firsi Trial Will.
expenses The best Tine Is late in tn" summer
when the water Is low aud the season MAS former
" from August to September but within tho
last two ycars many digccrs have piled the,
drcdgcs ana rakcS the year round, fishing through
the ice alter tuC rivcf freezes The shells taken
IN cold weather ore IN better condition for the
manufacturer than Those taken in summer as
they are less brittle
Spots ar" sometimes found where the muSsels
are remarkably thick, this being particularly
True OF nsgofhcads and mu, kcis. Occasion
ally the nlggerheads arc found several Layers
deep over a considerable area and in depressions
IN the sandy bottom thick piles arc found sevrrnl
bushels perhaps. blng taken from one or these
hoeS y lev years ago bed ~ niggcrheod
mnckets and some sani shells. one and "
miles long Sy NY rods vide vas found in the
about ten thousa d tons Of shells. representing
about n. hun trl mil ~ musstls. rrrc taken
and muckets near Muscaunr. H. two .U\es long
and aquartcro Of mile wide, y'rde Ave hundred
tons OF i shell IheSc two great beds have been
Practically destroyed and only few spec.
sct q he dcpicton d the beis and It's ' esuaS
Mr Smith believes that there is considerable las
from changes IA the rivtr and shifting sandbanLa'
when bury hedS Of milSS"ls For these evila
destruction are the fault II the fishermen them
selves and can bc done away with. He writes
81, tn" history Of M iSh.ry up 70 this line shows
he disregard Tor the future which has come 10
be regarded as Characteristic Of fishermen No,
only nave large quantities uf mussels hcen taken
So inSnSsant That no opportunity has been AFFORDED
the beds I" rrcupcrat" The shoalness Of the
WdPT has maze ~ possible To thoroughly SrouF
almost every loot Of gruund. Tn faiiu Ne of the
fishermen 10 suspend ihclr operations Immediately
pror 10 and dnnng. the spawning season az tho
PRINCIPAL SPECIES II musSrls has Undoubtedly
had a serious effect on tho supply p,nd
many hshcrmcn and manufacturers expresA d
ths view uia, zee hShing is unduly Destructive.
muss'is some as small a. one inch in diamcter--
arc brought up and left on the ice 10 frteze and
he thrown back as the catch is removed from tho
takes or longs OF when the boats are cleaned.
Not the least in!uriulls feature OF the fishery
Is inc gaihering OF small musscls for market and
the incidental destruction u small shells that are
not utilized but left on the banks or the ice 10 die
The testimony OF thc button manufacturers and
the evidence afforded by their she'll heaps ind
cate nHl there ar comparatively large quaint
ties OF immature msScls taken. This practice
depends 10 some extent on the depletion al the
grounds Of the larger muSscls, ntC, ssitat!ng the
ga!herng OF NE smaller ones to make fair cat h.
but also on the Indifference Of the fishermen 10
INC great injury thus done the musscl supply.
the manufacturers ar Of course. equally in
shells and few of Them refuse To- do So hut il is
generally not feasible 10 exclude the small shells
, m,ed h WIZ ne larger ONES The desire h.t
iacturers"
Mr.. Smith makes the following recommends
lions u preserve the mussels:
The gathering Of small mussels should b
p5Gnh sb. and boa m legal SIC for zach i'm
Immediately prtor 10 and ring their spawo-
ing season me principal species should he unmn-
W.
- Provision should be made for the preycn-
ton Of damage 10 the beds by sewage and refuse
~ In order tina, local industries may Re fos-
tered and the catch OF musscis made no larger
than can be utilized by tho factories in the vicinity
the matter Of prohibiting the shipment Of shells
10 distant States should be considered.
o. Bution ma nufacturers should exercise & ea,er
care in utilizing their shells in order 10 reduce
the waste Of raw material"
,No, mention is made Of the finding Of pearls
OF value In these mussels though hivalves found
In other rivers in the central part Of this country
occasionally yield pearls Of fine quality. Mr..
smith suggests that by product Of value might
be found in the meat Of Tie nusscls which Is
boiled out 81 the shells. II is worthless as food
hut might, MI Smith believes, lie salt,d and sold
for bait 10 cod Fishermen in Massachusetts where
csh water mussCls, sailed. have rur Cht as high
as So a barrel 81 200 pounds. The Fish Commits
sion has issued also a pamphlet hy Charies T.
Simpson on the habits, enemies and diseases Of
the pea Fly fresh water musscls Of The ncd StaitA
Farmer Armour's Acorn Deal.
From the Cincinnati, Enquirer.
CHICAGO, Nov, LIP, u, Armour late in