﻿MUSSELS 
  OF 
  CENTRAL 
  AND 
  NORTHERN 
  MINNESOTA. 
  9 
  

  

  No 
  comment 
  upon 
  the 
  famia 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  four 
  lakes 
  is 
  needed 
  save 
  

   the 
  sijigle 
  statement 
  that 
  the 
  muckets 
  in 
  Forest 
  Lake 
  are 
  all 
  dwarfed 
  

   and 
  thin-shelled. 
  The 
  other 
  two 
  lakes 
  and 
  Snake 
  River 
  are 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  system, 
  for 
  the 
  river 
  flows 
  through 
  the 
  entire 
  length 
  of 
  

   Pokegama 
  Lake 
  and 
  across 
  Cross 
  Lake 
  nearly 
  at 
  its 
  center. 
  Both 
  of 
  

   the 
  lakes 
  and 
  the 
  river 
  are 
  shallow, 
  and 
  consequently 
  the 
  mussels 
  are 
  

   gathered 
  with 
  a 
  rake 
  or 
  by 
  wading. 
  No 
  crowfoot 
  dredges 
  were 
  seen. 
  

  

  QUALITY 
  OF 
  SHELLS. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  mussel 
  here 
  is 
  the 
  fat 
  mucket, 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  dwarfed, 
  

   as 
  is 
  usual 
  in 
  a 
  lake, 
  but 
  retains 
  its 
  full 
  size. 
  Furthermore, 
  the 
  shell 
  

   is 
  exceptionally 
  thick 
  and 
  heavy, 
  and 
  maintains 
  this 
  thickness 
  to 
  the 
  

   extreme 
  tips, 
  maldng 
  every 
  portion 
  of 
  it 
  available 
  for 
  buttons. 
  The 
  

   shells 
  have 
  a 
  fine 
  luster, 
  show 
  no 
  discoloration, 
  and 
  will 
  cut 
  from 
  700 
  

   to 
  720 
  gross 
  of 
  blanks 
  (20-line) 
  to 
  the 
  ton. 
  In 
  Pokegama 
  Lake 
  these 
  

   muckets 
  form 
  75 
  to 
  85 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  catch; 
  in 
  the 
  Snake 
  

   River 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  lakes, 
  60 
  per 
  cent, 
  and 
  in 
  Cross 
  Lake 
  from 
  40 
  

   to 
  50 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  other 
  shells, 
  the 
  maple-leaves 
  and 
  blue-points 
  are 
  also 
  ex- 
  

   ceptionally 
  thick, 
  of 
  large 
  size, 
  unspotted, 
  and 
  in 
  every 
  way 
  first-grade 
  

   button 
  shells. 
  The 
  three-ridges, 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  are 
  badly 
  spotted, 
  

   have 
  a 
  poor 
  luster 
  and 
  are 
  only 
  second 
  or 
  third 
  quality. 
  The 
  culls 
  

   are 
  nearly 
  all 
  heel-spUtters 
  and 
  Anodontas. 
  In 
  Cross 
  Lake 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  is 
  sandy 
  next 
  to 
  the 
  shore, 
  and 
  then 
  becomes 
  covered 
  with 
  

   mud, 
  while 
  in 
  Pokegama 
  Lake 
  it 
  is 
  hard 
  sand 
  throughout. 
  Hence 
  

   there 
  are 
  more 
  three-ridges, 
  black 
  sand-shells, 
  blue-points, 
  and 
  

   floaters 
  in 
  Cross 
  Lake, 
  and 
  the 
  shells 
  are 
  not 
  quite 
  as 
  thick 
  as 
  those 
  

   in 
  Pokegama 
  Lake. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  time 
  these 
  lakes 
  were 
  examined 
  (July) 
  there 
  were 
  fully 
  two 
  

   carloads 
  of 
  shells 
  scattered 
  along 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Cross 
  Lake 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  

   side, 
  and 
  as 
  many 
  more 
  at 
  the 
  upper 
  end 
  of 
  Pokegama 
  Lake, 
  gathered 
  

   within 
  a 
  space 
  of 
  400 
  or 
  500 
  feet. 
  The 
  fishermen 
  said 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  

   offered 
  S23.50 
  per 
  ton 
  for 
  these 
  Pokegama 
  shells. 
  

  

  PEARLS. 
  

  

  The 
  best 
  pearl 
  found 
  in 
  this 
  vicinity 
  was 
  obtained 
  from 
  a 
  fat 
  

   mucket 
  in 
  Cross 
  Lake 
  several 
  years 
  ago, 
  and 
  was 
  held 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  

   at 
  S4,000. 
  The 
  price 
  then 
  gradually 
  dropped 
  to 
  $3,000, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  

   finally 
  sold 
  for 
  $2,300. 
  Of 
  those 
  found 
  in 
  1912 
  one 
  brought 
  $1,800, 
  

   another 
  $1,200, 
  a 
  third 
  $900, 
  two 
  were 
  sold 
  for 
  $500 
  each, 
  and 
  six 
  or 
  

   eight 
  reached 
  $100 
  or 
  over. 
  In 
  consequence 
  of 
  these 
  exceptional 
  

   finds 
  everyone 
  in 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  caught 
  the 
  pearl 
  fever, 
  and 
  they 
  

   were 
  all 
  — 
  men, 
  women, 
  and 
  children 
  — 
  fishing 
  for 
  pearls 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  

   our 
  visit, 
  the 
  mucket 
  being 
  the 
  favorite 
  shell 
  for 
  them. 
  But 
  they 
  

  

  