limited commercial production would be possible at Truk and Ponape, 

 and it would be worthwhile to attempt increasing the abundance in 

 a number of localities such as Kusiae, Kapingamarangi, Ailinglaplap, 

 Majuro and Eniwetok. 



No specimens of the gold lip pearl oyster, Pinctada maxima , were 

 seen at any place visited. However, it is known that the Japanese 

 brought some live ones to Koror for their experiments in pearl culture 

 and it is quite likely that a more thorough investigation would re- 

 veal some in that vicinity. 



Pearl Culture .-Following the success of Mikimoto in commercializing 

 the culture of pearls in Japan, numerous attempts were made to establish 

 this industry in the mandated area, and also in the Philippines and 

 the Dutch East Indies. The main experiments were carried on in the 

 Palaus, where plantings were made as early as 1930, and at the time 

 the war began, four companies were engaged in pearl culture there. 

 There was also a planting on a smaller scale at Bbon in the Marshalls. 

 The total number of pearls produced, and their quality, is not known, 

 but Japanese reports for 1939 listed 17,783 pearls valued at 77,0-46 

 fen exported from the Palaus. However, pearls were shipped whenever 

 it was desired to do so, and the figure above does not necessarily 

 represent the actual production in 1939. 



The great advantage to culturing pearls in the Palaus and other 

 places in the ex-mandate was the presence there of the larger black 

 lip pearl oyster, and availability of the gold lip. Because of their 

 larger size they were not only easier to use as hosts for mother-of- 

 pearl blanks, but also the nacre was laid down at a more rapid rate, 

 so that pearls could be produced in two years rather than in the 3 

 to 5 required for the native Japanese pearl oyster, Pinctada martens! . 



A popular impression exists that a very minute speck of material 

 is used as a base for a cultured pearl. Actually, the blank is prac- 

 tically the size of the finished pearl. Blanks are graduated in 

 size, and because of the thinness of the nacre overlay, a large 

 pearl is produced as rapidly as a smaller one. Equipment, including 

 a slug, for culturing pearls is shown in figure 27. After' the slug 

 is inserted, the oysters are placed in wire baskets (figure 28) 

 holding 10, and are suspended off the bottom in depths from 5 to 

 25 fathoms. 



39 



