﻿MUSSEL 
  EESOURCES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS 
  RIVER. 
  19 
  

  

  The 
  bed 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Quiver 
  Lake 
  showed 
  that 
  fully 
  90 
  per 
  cent 
  

   of 
  the 
  shells 
  were 
  dead. 
  The 
  only 
  live 
  ones 
  found 
  were 
  of 
  the 
  three- 
  

   ridge 
  type 
  and 
  small 
  washboards, 
  2 
  to 
  2^ 
  inches 
  in 
  length. 
  It 
  is 
  diffi- 
  

   cult 
  to 
  state 
  jUst 
  what 
  has 
  killed 
  the 
  shells 
  at 
  this 
  point, 
  although 
  the 
  

   young 
  washboards, 
  2 
  to 
  3 
  years 
  old, 
  were 
  strong 
  and 
  vigorous, 
  indi- 
  

   cating 
  that 
  more 
  favorable 
  conditions 
  exist 
  at 
  present. 
  The 
  east 
  

   shore, 
  especially 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  lake, 
  is 
  sandy, 
  and 
  on 
  dig- 
  

   ging 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  into 
  the 
  sand 
  clear, 
  cold 
  water 
  was 
  found, 
  coming 
  

   from 
  the 
  uplands. 
  The 
  west 
  shore 
  is 
  low, 
  and 
  since 
  the 
  building 
  of 
  

   the 
  drainage 
  canal 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  timber 
  on 
  overflowed 
  lands 
  — 
  acres 
  upon 
  

   acres 
  — 
  have 
  been 
  killed, 
  due 
  to 
  high 
  water 
  the 
  entire 
  year. 
  

  

  A 
  small 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  three-ridge 
  and 
  floater 
  types 
  extends 
  from 
  Cooks 
  

   Island 
  to 
  the 
  railroad 
  piers. 
  The 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  8 
  to 
  20 
  feet 
  

   and 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  fair 
  current. 
  This 
  bed, 
  especially 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  end, 
  has 
  

   a 
  very 
  poor 
  output. 
  

  

  Formerly 
  the 
  mussel 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Bath 
  were 
  perhaps 
  the 
  

   most 
  productive 
  ones 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  river. 
  Hundreds 
  of 
  tons 
  of 
  good 
  

   shells 
  were 
  gathered 
  and 
  shipped 
  from 
  there. 
  The 
  industry, 
  however, 
  

   has 
  dwindled 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  there 
  are 
  

   only 
  six 
  camps 
  in 
  operation, 
  with 
  about 
  50 
  tons 
  on 
  shore. 
  

  

  The 
  beds 
  above 
  Grand 
  Island, 
  though 
  fairly 
  productive, 
  could 
  be 
  

   restored 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  extent 
  by 
  propagation. 
  The 
  bottom 
  is 
  of 
  

   hard 
  mud, 
  the 
  current 
  is 
  fair, 
  and 
  the 
  shores 
  are 
  low 
  mud 
  banks 
  

   covered 
  more 
  ol" 
  less 
  with 
  timber. 
  In 
  testing 
  these 
  beds, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   those 
  down 
  the 
  right 
  chute 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  two 
  bars 
  of 
  90 
  hooks 
  each, 
  

   were 
  used. 
  These 
  beds 
  gave 
  the 
  following 
  percentages 
  of 
  shells: 
  

  

  Per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Warly-back 
  31 
  

  

  Blue 
  point 
  19 
  

  

  Maple-leaf 
  10 
  

  

  Washboard 
  9 
  

  

  Others 
  17 
  

  

  Noncommercial 
  1-1 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  right 
  chute, 
  the 
  conditions 
  are 
  somewhat 
  better, 
  though 
  

   there 
  are 
  more 
  trash, 
  hang-ups, 
  and 
  dead 
  shells. 
  About 
  halfway 
  

   down, 
  the 
  bottom 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  is 
  mostly 
  sand 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  con- 
  

   sequence 
  the 
  epidermis 
  of 
  the 
  shells 
  is 
  inclined 
  to 
  be 
  yellowish. 
  A 
  

   washboard, 
  conspicuous 
  by 
  having 
  a 
  pronounced 
  ridge 
  and 
  valley 
  

   running 
  diagonally 
  from 
  the 
  umbone 
  toward 
  the 
  posterior 
  end 
  was 
  

   taken 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  hauls. 
  On 
  opening 
  the 
  shell, 
  the 
  mantle 
  at 
  the 
  

   tip 
  contained 
  a 
  10-grain 
  hightop 
  pearl 
  of 
  good 
  luster, 
  but 
  badly 
  

   discolored 
  on 
  the 
  base. 
  These 
  beds 
  had 
  warty-backs, 
  ,38 
  per 
  cent; 
  

   blue 
  point, 
  16 
  per 
  cent; 
  washboards, 
  11 
  per 
  cent; 
  other 
  commercial 
  

   shells, 
  15 
  per 
  cent; 
  and 
  noncommercial 
  shells, 
  20 
  per 
  cent. 
  

   22889°— 
  14 
  32 
  

  

  