40 



MUSSELS OF CUMBEELAND EIVER AND TEIBUTAEIES. 



From Nashville to Clarksville the mucket is not relatively as 

 abundant, and is consequently surpassed in value by the Ohio River 

 pigtoe {Q. obliqua). 



From Clarksville to the mouth of the river the honors are divided 

 between the pigtoe and the niggerhead {Q. ehena). There are other 

 shells all along the river which possess a high intrinsic value but are 

 not found in sufficient quantities to equal the ones just mentioned. 

 The most important of these are the yellow sand-shell (L. anodon- 

 toides), the most valuable of all our fresh-water species, the butterfly 

 (P. securis), Lampsilis orhiculata, a shell of very high value and 

 desirable for propagation, and the ^lissouri niggerhead (0. ellipsis). 

 The Cumberland pigtoe (Q. cooperiana) and the long niggerhead (Q, 

 subrotunda) are also much esteemed by the button manufacturers. 

 Samples of shells from the upper portions of the river were carefully 

 weighed, measured, and appraised by Mr. Boepple, with the results 

 indicated in the following table : 



Commercial Valui 



OF Mussel Shells Taken from the Cumberland River in 

 October and November, 1910. 



A good idea of the extent of clamming operations on the river 

 below Nashville may be obtauied from the following data, contributed 

 by various shell buyers at Paducah, Ky. : On some of the beds 

 mussel fishing has been conducted for at least 10 years. One mussel 

 firm, with headquarters at Paducah, had 300 boats operating from 

 Paducah to Nashville. In 1907 this company obtained 1,783 tons 

 of shells from this part of the Cumberland River; in 1908, 1,400 tons; 

 in 1909, 1,100 tons; in 1910, 1,125 tons. In consequence of a sudden 

 drop in the price of shells this company was not working the river 

 during: 1911. 



