44 



CEYLON PEAKL OYSTER REPORT. 



Regarding the 40,000 oysters from the South Cheval Paar washed for comparison, 

 half by hand and half by Mr. Dixon in his machine, Mr. Hornell reports that " the 

 half washed by hand gave a valuation of Rs. 24.65 per 1000 oysters as against 

 Rs. 16.79 in the case of the machine-washed. The weight of pearls from the machine- 

 washed oysters was also markedly inferior, being but 7 manchadi per 1000 as against 

 a weight of a little over 11 ^j manchadi in the case of the hand-washed." 



Mr. Hornell adds : " Lest it should be thought that the two lots might have been 

 taken from different localities, I wish to state that the whole 40,000 oysters were 

 lifted on the same days and from the same parts of the bank. They were originally 

 all piled on the deck of the inspection vessel, bagged under my supervision, and sent 

 ashore in one lot. The final division after being landed was carried out by 

 Mr. Saunders, Assistant Government Agent, Manaar, and by Mr. G. G. Dixon 

 conjointly, I not being present." 



Fishery Prospects and Recommendations. 



As the result of this inspection in November, 1904, Mr. Hornell reports that at 

 the present time there are available for fishing the following oysters, all yielding a 

 pearl valuation above Rs. 10 per 1000, the minimum at which it is considered 

 profitable to fish a bank, viz. : 



The highest recorded number of oysters landed at any one fishery has been 

 44,311,441 in 1891. At the utmost we could not hope to lift above 50,000,000 at 

 the next fishery and this would therefore leave rather more than half the number to 

 fish in 1906. Thus the number of fishable oysters appears amply sufficient to give 

 two large fisheries in 1905 and 1906 respectively and possibly a small one in 1907. 

 This can probably be brought about, if a careful watch be kept upon the banks and if 

 we take note of the various biological contingencies likely to menace the different 

 beds of oysters during the next 18 months. Mr. Hornell recommends that the 

 order in which the banks should be fished be as follows, provided the inspection of 



