12 MUSSELS OF CUMBERLAND RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES. 



There are also small beds containing a limited number of market- 

 able species at the following localities: Just below Lock No. 1, along 

 the north bank of the river, badly depopulated by^sand dredges; near 

 the Tennessee Central Railroad bridge, also along the north bank; at 

 Whites Creek Bar, considerably dug up by sand dredging; along the 

 mouth of Indian Creek, 20 miles below Nashville; below Lock A on 

 the south bank of the river; at Betsytown on a very rough and rocky 

 bottom; at Davis Riffle extending diagonally across the river; oppo- 

 site the pumping station of the Clarlisville waterworks ; at Kentucky 

 Landing and Red Rock Landing, the latter bed nearly worked out; 

 at Palmyra Island along the west bank of the river; at Cumberland 

 City just below the steamboat landing; and at WeUs Island, 2 miles 

 farther down the river. 



Thus the third section of the river contains a larger number of 

 mussel beds than any of the other sections, and the beds are richer 

 both in numbers and species of mussels. It is the section of the pig- 

 toe and niggerhead mussels, and those species are the most abundant 

 button shells. There has also been a marked increase in the yellow 

 sand-shell and the monkey-face. 



This portion of the river, however, is also the nearest to the center 

 of demand, and consequently its beds have been worked longer and 

 harder than any of the others. The most of them do not show any 

 signs of depletion but remain as rich as when the work first began. 

 The most important beds are, for the conchologist, the one at Half 

 Pone Bar, where the smaller and rarer species are specially abundant, 

 and for the button man the one at Guisers Bar, which has yielded 

 rich returns through a long series of years; in fact, from the very 

 beginning of work here on the river. 



Fourth section, Dover to Smitliland, Ky., 85 miles. — While this 

 section is not as well known as the preceding, and has not been 

 worked as much, it probably contains as many and as valuable 

 mussels. 



The center of demand was still the blank factory at Clarksville, 

 to which all the shells have to be transported up the river. But a 

 sort of secondary center has been established at Dover, Tenn., where 

 Mr. Walter, one of the leading merchants of the town, purchased 

 most of the local shells and hired most of the clammers. Further- 

 more, the business in this part of the river was conducted in the most 

 approved and up-to-date manner. The boats were towed to and from 

 the mussel beds by small launches, the mussels themselves were con 

 vcyed from the boats up the steep river bank by steam power, and 

 were finally cleaned by steam conveyed to the pans in a pipe from the 

 engine. 



