THE DIP NET AND ITS USE 133 



The pearl hunter who uses the smallest engine cannot 

 go so fast or gather so many shells as the ones who use 

 large engines, yet he may be the lucky one and bring up 

 a shell which contains a very valuable pearl. 



There is a slight difference in the points of the steel 

 teeth. Some have round points, while other are flat. 

 Some men prefer the flat pointed teeth and say the shells 

 do not become wedged between the teeth so much as 

 when the points are round. The style of the points does 

 not make any difference in the cost of the work. The 

 cost of the dip nets depends upon the size needed. The 

 steel frames with three-inch teeth, cost about $2.50 for 

 the fourteen-inch size. The eighteen-inch frames, with 

 three-inch teeth, cost about $3.25. The twenty-four-inch 

 frames, with three-inch teeth, cost about $4.00. The 

 thirty-inch frames, with three-inch teeth, cost about $4.50. 

 Any of these sizes can be made with six-inch teeth by 

 adding fifty cents to the prices mentioned. 



A photograph of the dip net in use is shown in Fig. 

 33, and was very kindly loaned by Mr. and Mrs. John 

 Stockfleth, of Peoria, Illinois. The man who is guiding 

 the boat is Mr. George Stockfleth, and Mr. C. J. Ragan 

 is holding the dip net. Both men live in Peoria. 



This view shows how the dip net is used. The net is 

 connected with the bow of the boat by a strong rope. In 

 this case the rope is long enough to reach to the back of 

 the boat and is to be set on the bottom of the river direct- 

 ly back of the boat, while the outfit is intended to run in 

 a line directly over and following the mussel bed. When 

 pearl hunters know the position of the mussel beds thor- 



