American Fisheries Society. 135 
The proprietor in question has patented a method of induc- 
ing an artificial growth of pearls in these mollusks, and has built 
up an exceedingly important business. He employes 100 people, 
has about 100 acres under active cultivation and many hundred 
acres on which to draw for his supply of mullusks for inocula- 
tion, and has about 144 million of pearl-bearing oysters on the 
beds all the time. 
The pearls thus produced have a fine luster, and are mark- 
eted in all parts of the world. Of ten pearl-oysters which I was 

BOAT-LOAD OF EXPERT DIVERS. 
permitted to take at random from one of the planted beds, seven 
contained merchantable pearls. 
A fishery station in the southern part of Shikoku, where [ 
spent several delightful and profitable days, was built two years 
ago by the local government for the special purpose of develop- 
ing new methods of fishing and of preserving fishery products. 
Its working staff consists of a director, eight assistants and thirty 
fishermen. A noteworthy feature of this station is that it is lo- 
eated.on a tract of ground bought by the commercial fishermen 
