El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-11-26
RENE BACHE'S BUDGET
UNCLE SANS PEARL FACTORY
PLANT SET UP NOW TURNING OUT AOUATI
GEMS TO ORDER
Pearls Likely Before Long to Be Much Cheaper solu
ton of Curious Problem in Bioiogy-How the
Work of Producing Natural Pearls by Artifi-
Gals Means Is to Be Carried on

Fairport, Iowa. Nov. 26.-The new
| station of the government fisheries
! bureau near Fairport will soon be in
! full operation. An extensive system
of artificia,. ponds has been estab-
lished for Matching and rearing pearly
mussels, and for the Incidental pro-
| duction of natural pearls on a large
scaae-this being the novel purpose
! to which the work OF the station is
to be devoted.
Later on large numbers of basses
and sunfshes will be propagated, but
merely for Horticultural purposes.
For il should be understood that the
pearl-producing mussels can exist
only where there are fshes-the BIZ
valves being actually parasites of the
latter during infancy. When newly
Matched. they are free-swimming crea-
lures Oike oysters and clams), and
their prospect Of survival depends en-
tirely upon the rather remote chance
of getting hold of a finny nurse.
The Baby MusseI.
The baby mussel is provided by ma
ture with a pair of hooks, somewhat
resembling ice tongs in shape. With
these it graspS the giIls on fin of a
passing fish and hangs on like grim
death. Its presence produces an irri-
tation which causes the fish to build
around ii a sort of capsule. just as,
for the same purpose of self-prOtec-
ton, an oak leaf covers up the egg OF
a gall insect that has been laid in it.
In this way a cast is formed alright
and waterproof, in which the infant
mollusk is safely carried for about 20
avs. 1t then drops off and falls to
the bottom, having assumed the form
OF an adult mussel, though still very
tiny.
The adult mussel. when grown 10
maturity, produces eggs which are
Matched inside of its shell-that is to
say in broodpOuches in the outer gill.
Eventually it throws out into the wa
ter a, dozen or more triangular packets,
each OF them half an inch long and
containing several thousand young
These brood packets look like little
pieces of pearl. After lying on the
bottom for while. they go TO pieces,
hberating the young larvae, which !
swim about and seek an opportunity /
TO attach themselves to passing fishes. /
Fish to be InOcuIated.
Such is the life history of the pearly I
mussel 1t win be understood. there !
fore. why the work of the Fairport !
station will involve the incidental |
rearing of sunfishes and basses. These
fishes will be placed in ponds. contain
ing beds Of muSsels, at the season
when the latter are spawning, and
VIII thus become ''inoculated" with
The mussel larvae. Trials have already
shown that by such means fishes may
be so heavily loaded with the larvae
hat they can hardly swim. The water
m the immediate neighborhoed of the
bed at such a time is full of the baby
Oivalves great numbers of which at
o0l, {
IF single fish.
The principal object of the work at
Eairport will be to stock streams and
axes in various parts of the country
With pearly mussels. Evidently the
easiest way to accomplish this will be
o inoculate fishes in the manner above
described, and to ship them by rail
" otherwise to any desired point-just
Is nowadays the fisheries bureau ships
lsh of many kinds for hundreds and
wen thousands of miles Once ar
lived and deposited in new waters,
With the fnny hosts that carry them,
he parasitic mussel larvae Will at
end to the business of planting them
elves and starting beds of mussels.
Button Indutry Threatened.
The pearl button making industry
f this country, which is worth S.
90 600 per annum. is threatened with |
omplete ruin through the exhaustion
the natural beds of pearly mussels
hitch are relied upon to furnish the
aw material. Thus the work Of the
airport station will be of much i'm :
ortance from a commercial stand
oint- Incidentally, it opens up a new
nd profitable industry in the way OF
-ater farming There is. and always :
ill be. a large demand for pearly !
80 I
aking and for certain other branches