﻿MUSSEL 
  RESOURCES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS 
  RIVER. 
  17 
  

  

  The 
  shells 
  grouped 
  under 
  'AH 
  others" 
  hiclude 
  white 
  heel 
  splitters,, 
  

   slough 
  sand 
  shells, 
  etc. 
  

  

  The 
  bed 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  upper 
  bridge 
  at 
  Peoria 
  was 
  examined. 
  

   On 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  not 
  bemg 
  suitable 
  for 
  the 
  dip 
  net, 
  the 
  

   ordinary 
  bars 
  were 
  used. 
  Thirty 
  species 
  were 
  found, 
  the 
  percentages 
  

   of 
  commercial 
  shells 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  Per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Blue 
  point 
  50 
  

  

  Three-ridge 
  8 
  

  

  Mucket 
  10 
  

  

  Fat 
  mucket 
  10 
  

  

  Washboard 
  10 
  

  

  Pig-toe 
  5 
  

  

  All 
  others 
  7 
  

  

  A 
  day's 
  work, 
  including 
  cookmg, 
  will 
  produce 
  700 
  pounds 
  of 
  sheik 
  

   from 
  this 
  bed. 
  Wlien 
  the 
  dip 
  net 
  and 
  a 
  good 
  gasoline 
  boat 
  are 
  used 
  

   on 
  favorable 
  bottoms 
  much 
  better 
  results 
  are 
  obtained. 
  

  

  Lower 
  river. 
  — 
  That 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Illinois 
  from 
  Peoria 
  to 
  Grafton 
  may, 
  

   for 
  the 
  purposes 
  of 
  this 
  discussion, 
  be 
  designated 
  as 
  the 
  lower 
  river, 
  

   which 
  is 
  conveniently 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  sections, 
  the 
  first 
  from 
  Peoria 
  

   to 
  Kampsville 
  and 
  the 
  second 
  from 
  the 
  latter 
  place 
  to 
  the 
  mouth. 
  

  

  First 
  section: 
  Between 
  Peoria 
  and 
  the 
  Government 
  Locks 
  at 
  

   Kampsville, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  128 
  miles, 
  the 
  mussel 
  supply 
  is 
  very 
  poor 
  

   as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  output 
  of 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  years 
  ago. 
  Although 
  

   many 
  tons 
  of 
  good 
  shells 
  are 
  still 
  being 
  taken, 
  the 
  river 
  shows 
  marks 
  

   of 
  depletion. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  five 
  tolerably 
  well-estabUshed 
  beds 
  between 
  Peoria 
  and 
  

   Pekin, 
  but 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  worked 
  to 
  any 
  extent 
  during 
  the 
  present 
  

   season, 
  probably 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  nearness 
  of 
  Peoria 
  Lake 
  and 
  the 
  

   better 
  results 
  obtained 
  in 
  that 
  region, 
  where 
  the 
  dip 
  net 
  is 
  used 
  to 
  

   good 
  advantage. 
  In 
  1910 
  there 
  were 
  25 
  shellers 
  at 
  work 
  on 
  these 
  

   beds, 
  10 
  in 
  1911, 
  and 
  but 
  1 
  or 
  2 
  in 
  1912. 
  The 
  first 
  bed 
  below 
  

   Peoria 
  extends 
  from 
  Kickapoo 
  Point 
  to 
  Wesley; 
  the 
  second 
  from 
  

   Willow 
  Pomt 
  to 
  within 
  one-half 
  mile 
  above 
  Seven-Mile 
  Island; 
  the 
  

   third 
  from 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  tliis 
  island 
  and 
  extending 
  down 
  IJ 
  miles; 
  the 
  

   fourth 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  road 
  to 
  within 
  three-quarters 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  of 
  the 
  

   bridge 
  at 
  Pekin; 
  and 
  the 
  fifth 
  from 
  the 
  "day 
  mark" 
  to 
  the 
  bridge 
  at 
  

   Pekin, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  one-half 
  mile.<^ 
  During 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  

   season 
  (1912), 
  Mr. 
  Lemm 
  gathered 
  from 
  these 
  beds 
  about 
  10 
  tons 
  of 
  

   good 
  shells, 
  of 
  which 
  60 
  per 
  cent 
  were 
  blue 
  points, 
  25 
  per 
  cent 
  wash- 
  

   boards, 
  10 
  per 
  cent 
  three-ridges, 
  and 
  all 
  others 
  5 
  per 
  cent. 
  The 
  

   washboards 
  were 
  exceptionally 
  good. 
  

  

  Although 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  good 
  mussel 
  beds 
  between 
  Pekin 
  and 
  

   Havana, 
  but 
  little 
  shelling 
  has 
  been 
  done. 
  The 
  bottom 
  is 
  composed 
  

  

  • 
  Mr. 
  Herman 
  Lenyn, 
  of 
  Pekin, 
  111., 
  furnished 
  the 
  information 
  concerning 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  these 
  b«ds. 
  

  

  