The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-05-28
FISHING FOR PEARLS.
How Great Industry is Carried on
In Ceylon.

Cclenll1S american.
Oriental pearls have always been
regarded as of the finest and most
brilliant jewels and have always oc-
cupied a high position, the demand
far exceeding the supply. The great
er part, and the most highly priced,
come from Ceylon. The pearl fishery
is one of the oldest industries in the
world. Scientific methods have moi
until recently entered into its devel-
opment. For over three thousand
years the pearl oyster harvest has re-
manned in the hands Of the natives:
whose skill in diving has been handed
down from one generation to another;
and despite the great advances that
have been made in the art their prim-
tive methods are still efficient, eco
nomical and productive.
For years the fishery constituted a
government monopoly yielding a
handsome revenue, but three years
ago it leased the work to a private
enterprise for the sum of $l25,0OO
per annum. The government was
probably prompted to adopt this
course from the speculative charac-
ter of the undertaking. Whereas for
merly bumper harvest was secured
one year, realizing possibly over a
million dollars, several years Of bar
renness followed, so that the average
! income became comparatively small.
The fishery is jealousy guarded,
the season is carefully regulated by
ordinances and the oyster beds are
kept under constant surveillance to
prevent illegal fishing or deteriora-
ton. On the average the season lasts
about month and provides occupa-
! tion for over $4,000 people. The
scene of operations is the estuary OF
the River Modragam in the Gulf of
Manaar on the northwest coast. Here
the banks or beds known as "paars'
are peculiarly adapted to the raising
Of the bivalve, which thrives album
dantly. The bed is a stretch Of shall
low water varying from eighteen to
sixty feet in depth and stretching
fifty miles along the coast and about
/ twenty miles out to sea. The sea
bed here is clean, hard sand, offering
but slight clinging security to the oys-
ters in inclement weather. Indeed
oyster propa cation is extremely de-
pendable upon the weather. For IN
stance a survey showed that over one
thousand million young were cling
inc to one bank, but the facilities OF
their adhering were so slight that a
second inspection a few weeks later
found that the greater part had been
swept away either by currents or the
monsoon and irretrievably lost. I'm
der such circumstances the industry
is one purely of chance.
The natural deficiencies in the sea
bed must be supplemented by artlfi-
cial remedies 50 that the oyster spat
may secure a firm hold against the
severest weather. To this end the
marine biological scientist, Prof.
Herdman, D. &c., F. R. S. is engaged
in scientific Investigations to improve
the conditions. In order to encour-
age the growth Of the pearl yielding
cestode it is only possible to use GER
tain materials for depositing or
"cluthching' upon the bank, to
which they may adhere. The most
suitable media have been found to be
clean broken tiles and bricks, but as
these ar very difficult to obtain en-
periments were made with native re-
fuse bv Prof. Herdman, but it was
found to possess insufficient gravity
to secure a desired deposit upon the
sandy sea bottom and was easily and
quickly swept away. The best results
are now obtained from a clacareouS
clutch consisting Of old, broken,
bleached corals and dead shells from
a beach. Prof. Herdman also advo-
Gates the utilization Of the dead oys-
ter shells themselves for this purpose.
The "clutching' Of the oyster beds
is being carried out upon these lines.
The material has the advantage of
being readily obtaineable in almost
inexhaustable quantities at very little
cost The area TO be covered by a
first installment Of cultching is twen-