New-York tribune., 1909-05-09
By w. A. Du Puy

facturers called upon Congress, and thdt
body called upon the Bureau of Fisheries Tor
an investigation George NJ Bowers com
missioner of Fisheries, instituted scientlnc
investigation which disclosed many OF the
traits Of the mussel IN the privacy OF It's home
life and with reference to the bringing up OF It's
family.
Career of Mussel
THE Young mussel begins its life as an egg
This egg Is a helpless thing 1t floats tor
awhile about in the water, and then SINKS 20 the
bottom. Here 1t drifts about IN the sllt anu
sediment and If one particular thing does not
happen 1t dies This one particular thing IS the
appearance of the fish nurse Ii the hSh
comes lolling along stirring up things with us
fins and feeding from the water through us
qills. that IS the opportunity OF the embryonic
musse to save its life 1t grabs It's SAVIOR ana
attaches itself good and strong In tact II
drills hole into the skin OF the tlsh and gets IN
under. IL
The musseI Is a very small creature at TINS
stage OF its existence and 50 causes the Sh little
or no inconvenience Many fishes not more
than SIX inches long were examined and fouhd
to be harboring five hundred OF the Young mus
sells and still not inconvenience. i ne parasite
clings to its host for thirty sixty days, IN the
meantime developing its organism At the end
of that time it IS a complete muSSel though no
larger than at the beginning 1t bids IT'S nurse
goodbv. turns loose. and starts out on a lie OF
its own To be sure, II IS IN the mud at the Dot-
tom OF stream. DuL lJH lJIAlAASt A4Aeif
adorn the gown Of a Queen Anyway, 1t IS IN
dependent and self supporting
Solving the Problem
TT WAS the discovery Of this particular part
the fish PLAYS IN the life OF the mussel that was
the solution Of the problem OF supply All
through the country the Government IS mann
tanning fish hatCherles for the purpose OF keep
ing up the supply OF desirable tsh IN the
streams Each wear hundreds Of thousands OF
fishes are liberated into the streams for that
purpose Why not inoculate each tlsh and con-
vert 1t INTO plant for the propagation OF mus
sells and for the distribution OF the maturer
forrnl Why not load each OF these tSh with
FIVE hundred mussels 10 be Sown on the bed OF
whatever stream the FISH happens TO 1nhabIt
month hence or at whatever time the parasite
becomes mature. Certainly the clam was 50
liberal with its eggs that there were plenty and
to spare for all fishes IN the business ana these
had only TO be introduced INTO the tanks Just
previous to the liberation of the fish
Last wear the Bureau of Fisheries did Just
this thing to the extent of InOCulatlng twenty
five thousand fishes recovered from beng
stranded bv overflow streams These were ma
ture FISH and able TO carry one thousand OF the
little parasites each, or an aggregate OF twenty
FIVE million The streams IN which they were
liberated later showed great numbers ot the
Young musselS, and the experiment was pro-
claimed highly successful.
\ station 70 be utilized for further replen1sh-
ing the Upper Mississippi with musSelS has al
ready been established at Fairport, Iowa, and
another such station Is authorized Through
the coming season many hundreds OF thousands
of fishes will be turned loose with their Cargoes
of parasites and viii 60 about sowing them IN
profusion There seems no question but any
desired quantity of clans may be planted. and
the button makers have only to wait until the
crop natures which will be in from three to
five wears ANYBODY who owns a mud bot
toned lagoon IS invited TO sow 1t with ruuSsels
and 90 into button farming as a business