KENTUCKY RIVER AND ITS MUSSEL RESOURCES. 7 



PEARLS. 



The upper stretches of the Kentucky River are not rich in pearl 

 production. From the good quality of the nacre and the fine con- 

 dition of the predominating mussel, the mucket, together with the 

 general character of the streams, it would appear that the headwaters 

 should yield many valuable gems and an abundance of good baroques. 

 But such is not the case. 



These streams, like so many other rivers of the Mississippi Basin, 

 were doubtless visited long ago by the pioneers of the shell industry, 

 the pearl hunters. The output of pearls then was probably so small 

 and the ^ood finds so rare that the hunters left for other fields in 

 anticipation of more remunerative returns. They were interested 

 only in pearls and, though the beds were full of fine mussels, the 

 river was presumably pronounced of no value and was lost sight of 

 for commercial shells. 



Only two or three pearling expeditions were learned of and these 

 relate to local pearl hunters working at odd times in some of the 

 larger tributaries of North Fork. The best finds were evidently of 

 only a moderate character. No signs of recent pearl hunting were 

 seen. During the limited shelling seasons of 1919 and 1920 no par- 

 ticularly good finds were reported by those engaged in the mussel- 

 fishing industry. What was found was of small quantity and 

 mediocre quality. The baroques and slugs averaged as low as one- 

 eighth ounce per ton of shells. During the busy shelling season it is 

 hardly profitable for the shuckers to search diligently for slugs and 

 valuable pieces while separating the meats from the shells. 



METHODS OF MUSSEL FISHING. 



Notwithstanding the fact that the mussel beds of the Kentucky 

 are practically free from snags and serious hangups, the very hard 

 and often uneven surfaces are not suited to such appliances as the 

 crowfoot dredge, the dip net, tongs, or rake. The compactness of 

 the bottom so firmly and securely embeds the mussels that these im- 

 plements are quite useless to the sheller. The shell-fork, however, 

 can be employed on some of the softer bottoms. 



The method of giving the best results and the one generally 

 pursued on the headwaters is that of wadino; and taking the mussels 

 by hand. This method is, of course, dependent on low stages of the 

 water. A sheller's John boat is usually taken along side; besides 

 affording temporary holding equipment, it is used to deliver the catch 

 to the camps. About the only other equipment necessary is a shell- 

 fork and a bucket when collections are made at some distance from 

 the boat. With the exception of the juvenile shells, the mussels are, 

 as a rule, buried seven-eighths or more of their lengths in the hard 

 bottoms and are removed with difficulty. 



SUMMARY. 



The Kentucky River is approximately 400 miles long and contains 

 many valuable mussel beds. In the upper reaches of the stream these 

 number about two per mile of channel. They have well defined and 

 characteristic locations easily marked. 



