150 PEARLS AND PEARLING 



in shells have some value, yet the very smallest pieces 

 which are not much larger than a grain of sand are not 

 of sufficient value to bother with. Many people spend 

 too much time in trying to separate these tiny pieces 

 from the meats. Searching for these smaller pieces is often 

 the cause of eye-strain, which is the cause of many dis- 

 eases of the nervous system. While it is not profitable to 

 collect the very smallest pieces, great care should be ex- 

 ercised to secure all pearls, baroques and slugs. 



The meats should be kept wet in order to find all the 

 pearl pieces easily. 



There is one very offensive method that consists of 

 placing meats in barrels and allowing them to decompose 

 in the sun. The mixture is usually stirred about once a 

 day until it is sufficiently rotten to be passed through a 

 seive, which holds the pearls, baroques or slugs that were 

 in the meats. The strong odor from the decayed mussels 

 is very loathsome. It is an old Oriental method which 

 should not have been introduced in the United States. 

 Fortunately, however, there are only a few who use the 

 system here. 



Of the various plans for opening shells, the most pop- 

 ular one is the "cooking out" method. 



