DEMONSTRATION OF DR. HERRICK'S FREE 

 PEARLS OF FORCED PRODUCTION 



Introduced by R. E. Coker 



Dr. W. P. Herrick, of New York, has kindly authorized 

 me to demonstrate to the Society a number of pearls pro- 

 duced as a result of artificial stimulation. These pearls, it 

 should be stated at the outset, are not perfect, valuable 

 jewels, but represent the successful achievement of a step, 

 and that a highly significant one, in the solution of a most 

 interesting problem. 



For some years Dr. Herrick has been engaged in experi- 

 ments with the view to determine if it were not possible 

 to cause the production of free, perfect pearls as the result 

 of artificial stimulation. 



This work was begun with local species at Quissett, Cape 

 Cod, and Woods Hole, Mass., where the common marine 

 oyster, the hard clam, and a thin-shelled fresh-water mussel 

 were easily available. At a little later stage, Dr. Herrick 

 obtained some pearly fresh-water mussels of the Mississippi 

 River through our station at Fairport; and, beginning with 

 last year, 1911, a good deal of experimentation with fresh- 

 water mussels has been done by him on the ground at Fair- 

 port. It may be added that, while we have not been able 

 to extend him any important facilities, and his work has 

 been conducted entirely with the aid of his own private 

 resources, we have viewed the investigation with a great 

 deal of interest. 



There were, as he recognized, two stages to be accom- 

 plished : ( 1 ) to demonstrate by experimentation a practi- 

 cable method of forcing the formation of free pearls, (2) 

 to make the method applicable to the production of com- 

 mercial pearls by the appropriate species. For accomplish- 

 ment of the first stage (the determination of methods) the 

 most common and easily procurable native species were 



