104 THE WEALTH OF THE SEA 



of pearls in the meleagrina oyster in 1894, develop- 

 ing the industry in a scientific manner at his sub- 

 marine gardens in the Bay of Gokasho, in the 

 Prefecture of Miye. According to Mikimoto's 

 process, a shred of pallial epithelium cut from one 

 oyster is wrapped deftly around a minute nucleus 

 of mother-of-pearl, thus forming a germinal pearl 

 sack, or "seed." A strong, sturdy pearl oyster is 

 opened and an incision made in its outer mantle. The 

 seed is then inserted through the aperture made by 

 the cut to a sufficient depth to insure that it will be 

 entirely enveloped by the subepidermal tissues of 

 the moUusk. The incision is then closed, and the 

 oyster is placed in a tray or cage, where it is pro- 

 tected for about seven years, during which the 

 meleagrina continues its growth. The oyster secretes 

 concentric pearl layers around the nucleus of mother- 

 of-pearl or seed, and eventually it produces a good- 

 sized pearl. 



Successful pearl-culture requires not only great 

 skill in the surgery of the oyster and the insertion of 

 the properly prepared nucleus, but also much knowl- 

 edge and experience in the culture of the meleagrina 

 or other species of pearl oysters. Mikimoto used 

 bamboo poles as spat collectors, on which the set 

 of meleagrina spat is obtained. When the oysters 

 are three years old, the nuclei are inserted and the 

 meleagrinse are placed in specially designed baskets, 

 which are coated with coal-tar to prevent corrosion 

 and the growth of algae. Seven of these trellised 

 trays are suspended vertically one below the other 

 by steel wires from rafts floated on cork buoys. 



