Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1914-05-09
MAKING OF PEARLS
BNalVe Breeding Is Latest Ven
ture of Uncle Sam.
Government Fisheries Bureau Is Now
Producing Gems by Artificial
Means - Muskrat's Body Is
Host of Minute Worm.

Washington.-Uncle Sam is going
Into pearl farming on large scale
As d result pearls may become so
cheap that everyone will wear them
Also, fresh water streams of the coun.
try now of little value will be seats
Of a profitable industry.
In the Cumberland valley, where
oighty-five OF the 600 species of fresh
water mussels of the United States
are found. the Government Fisheries
bureau is now breeding pearl bivalves
by artificial means.
In adding to the supply of pearls
the government is imposing on the
muskrats OF the country for the musk
rats body is the host of the minute
worm which later in the flesh OF the
mussel becomes a pearls nucleus
The eggs of a mussel are Matched
in pouches in the outer gills OF little
fishes, from which they are finally
discharged to the bottom of the
stream to become swimming larvae.
Each larvae possesses a pair of hooks
like tOngs with which it grasps pass
ing fish Those that fail TO catch hold
die
The bureau takes broad packets of
eggs from ripe mussels and places
them into tubs with little sunfish and
perch The fishes become so heavily
loaded with larvae that they some
times scarcely can swim.
The fishes are then placed in
streams. At the end of seventy days
the tiny parasites drop off and then
grow to adult form. Only by this
cuckoo method can a new generation
of mussels come into being
OF the many species of pearl mus
sells, most are worthless, because their
shells are too thin TO furnish good
mOther-of-pearl buttons.
Among the most valuable CONNER
cially are the pigtoe, butterfly and mig
gerhead, as the Kentucky and Tennes-
See fishers call them.
Pearls at present are accidents in
mussels. The pearl-making worm
bores into the flesh of the mollusk
and sets up an irritation, which causes
the bivalve to protect itself by cover
ing the unwelcome visitor with layer
after layer of the same material as
its lining. A muskrat comes along,
dives and eats the flesh of the mus
sells.
The muskrat then swallows the
lox 81
muskrat, and these eventually find
their way into the water, where they
are Matched and let forth host of lit
tie worms of new generation to at
tack any mussels they come across,
and in their flesh become centers of
new pearls.
Only few mussel beds are infected
with the parasites. To obtain a yield
of fine pearls one must find a bed of
good colored mussels and infect it,
The pearl is the same color as the
mother-of-pearl of the infected mus
sell
Muskrats will be carefully protected
along pearl streams. Their coats are
valuable, but this will be a minor
matter compared with the worth of
the pearls.
Even under present haphazard meth
DDS many persons live by the pearl
industry. Recently at Goodall island
100000 worth of pearls were obtained
in week from a single bed
A sky blue pearl from Caney Fork,
Tenn, sold for $4,000, and merchant
at Carthage who buys $4,000 annu-
ally in pearls has paid as high as ST.
500 for a single specimen.
The Indians of the Scioto and Miami
valleys had big collections of pearls.
Pearls are found in mounds with skei-
etons of dead chieftains.