PROTECTION OF FRESH-WATER MUSSELS. 15 



Now, let US take a concrete illustration: Several counts of mussels 

 gathered by shellers in the A^^iite River near Clarendon, Ark., were 

 made in October, 1913 ; from these an average was taken that fairly 

 represents the catches being made at that time in that region. It was 

 found that GO i>er cent by number of the shells taken were of a size 

 less than 2 inches in greatest dimension; also that a ton of shells 

 comprised 20,500 pairs, of which 12,300 were less than 2 inches. Now, 

 it is evident that if these smaller shells were returned to the bed 

 we would be depleting the bed less than one-half as fast as at present. 

 This would be the substantial advantage that such a size limit would 

 have to the mussel beds ; and any advantage to the mussel beds is an 

 ultimate advantage to the fishermen, manufacturers, and all others 

 in any way dependent upon the perpetuation of the mussels. Under 

 the working of a 2-inch size limit, GO shells out of every 100 then 

 being taken on the niggerhead beds of that vicinity would have been 

 thrown back. This seems to be asking a good deal, but not so much 

 as at first appears, for the undersized shells constitute only 38 per 

 cent of the weight or selling value of the shells taken. 



On the other hand, both sheller and manufacturer would be saved 

 the trouble of handling over and over again an unnecessarily large 

 number of shells. A ton of shells (from the same locality) com- 

 prising only those above 2 inches in greatest dimension would con- 

 tain about 13,000 i>airs, or 37 per cent less than the number now 

 found in a ton (20,500), while these shells, the smallest ones being 

 eliminated, would produce at least 10 per cent more buttons of 

 corresponding sizes. 



SIZE LIMIT IN RELATION TO ECONOMY. 



The figures given above are, of course, based upon counts and com- 

 putations of shells from a particular locality and must not be as- 

 sumed to have any general application, but the facts and principles 

 derived do have a universal bearing. If such a size limit as 2 inches 

 is adopted, the saving to the mussel beds and to the future of all 

 interested parties is out of all proportion to the immediate loss to 

 any party ; and even the immediate loss is to some extent compensated 

 by the saving resulting from having to do with a lesser number of 

 shells that yield a greater number of buttons per ton. 



Undeniably some temporary sacrifice is entailed, but unless it be 

 admitted that temporary sacrifice will be accepted, it is useless to 

 consider any manner of restriction for ultimate benefit. 



There is one point that is brought out in the table on page l-t 

 that merits attention from the broad standpoint of economy. In all 

 shells there is a proportion of unavoidable waste, since the entire 

 weight of the shell can not be transformed into buttons. In very 

 small shells we may expect an undue waste, on account of the fact that 



