﻿20 
  MUSSEL 
  KESOUECES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS 
  RIVER. 
  

  

  Matanzas 
  Bay, 
  above 
  Bath, 
  is 
  being 
  worked 
  with 
  dip 
  nets. 
  Ninety 
  

   per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  commercial 
  shells 
  are 
  blue-points. 
  There 
  are, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  many 
  paper-shells 
  and 
  Anodontas, 
  and 
  many 
  dead 
  shells. 
  

  

  The 
  beds 
  at 
  Beardstown 
  have 
  been 
  extensively 
  worked, 
  and 
  though 
  

   fairly 
  productive, 
  500 
  pounds 
  of 
  shells 
  per 
  day 
  of 
  10 
  hours' 
  labor 
  with 
  

   a 
  gasohne 
  boat 
  is 
  considered 
  a 
  good 
  catcli. 
  Fifteen 
  to 
  twenty 
  boats 
  

   were 
  working 
  there, 
  and 
  the 
  five 
  button 
  factories 
  use 
  tlie 
  sheUs 
  of 
  the 
  

   locahty. 
  Although 
  tlie 
  output 
  is 
  not 
  good, 
  there 
  are 
  three 
  reasons 
  

   why 
  these 
  beds 
  are 
  being 
  so 
  heavily 
  worked, 
  namely, 
  the 
  fair 
  amount 
  

   of 
  pearl 
  finds, 
  the 
  nearness 
  to 
  home, 
  and 
  the 
  ready 
  market. 
  

  

  An 
  estimation 
  of 
  percentages 
  from 
  a 
  25-ton 
  pile 
  of 
  freshly 
  dug 
  

   shells 
  shows 
  washboards, 
  35 
  per 
  cent; 
  blue-points, 
  24 
  per 
  cent; 
  warty- 
  

   backs, 
  18 
  per 
  cent; 
  three-ridges, 
  8 
  per 
  cent; 
  all 
  others, 
  15 
  per 
  cent. 
  

   Though 
  smaller 
  than 
  the 
  same 
  species 
  above 
  Beardstown, 
  the 
  wash- 
  

   boards 
  are 
  exceptionally 
  good 
  in 
  this 
  pile. 
  

  

  A 
  series 
  of 
  test 
  liauls 
  of 
  200 
  yards 
  each 
  were 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  mussel 
  

   bar 
  on 
  the 
  5-mLle 
  bed 
  at 
  Beardstown, 
  beginning 
  above 
  the 
  railroad 
  

   bridge 
  and 
  extending 
  1 
  mile 
  below. 
  The 
  bottom 
  is 
  sand 
  and 
  mud; 
  

   the 
  depth 
  in 
  channel, 
  10 
  to 
  20 
  feet; 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  2-mile 
  current, 
  and 
  the 
  

   banks 
  are 
  low. 
  This 
  bed 
  has 
  washboards, 
  25 
  per 
  cent; 
  warty-backs, 
  

   19 
  per 
  cent; 
  blue-points, 
  11 
  per 
  cent; 
  pig-toes, 
  10 
  per 
  cent; 
  others, 
  

   12 
  per 
  cent; 
  and 
  noncommercial 
  shells, 
  23 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  right 
  bank 
  below 
  the 
  bridge 
  the 
  washboards 
  are 
  more 
  abun- 
  

   dant, 
  but, 
  owing 
  to 
  so 
  many 
  snags 
  and 
  hang-ups, 
  it 
  is 
  deemed 
  inadvis- 
  

   able 
  to 
  work 
  at 
  that 
  point. 
  The 
  niggerheads 
  are 
  scarce, 
  though 
  they 
  

   are 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  plentiful 
  some 
  years 
  ago. 
  The 
  spikes 
  or 
  

   lady-fingers 
  are 
  abundant. 
  The 
  washboards 
  are 
  but 
  Httle 
  spotted 
  

   and 
  are 
  good 
  button 
  shells. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  bay 
  above 
  Beardstown 
  the 
  washboards 
  are 
  more 
  spotted 
  

   and 
  not 
  so 
  desirable 
  for 
  commercial 
  purposes. 
  

  

  Three 
  miles 
  above 
  La 
  Grange 
  Locks 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  bed, 
  one-half 
  

   mile 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  practically 
  as 
  wide 
  as 
  the 
  river, 
  excepting 
  in 
  the 
  

   channel. 
  The 
  river 
  conditions 
  are 
  as 
  follows: 
  Current, 
  1 
  mile; 
  8 
  to 
  

   12 
  feet 
  deep; 
  mud 
  bottom. 
  On 
  this 
  bed 
  the 
  washboards 
  are 
  nearer 
  

   to 
  the 
  shore, 
  while 
  the 
  smaller 
  shells 
  are 
  farther 
  out. 
  Tliis 
  and 
  the 
  

   two 
  beds 
  just 
  below 
  yield 
  about 
  200 
  pounds 
  per 
  day, 
  with 
  bar. 
  Very 
  

   few 
  pearls 
  and 
  slugs 
  are 
  found. 
  The 
  percentages 
  of 
  commercial 
  

   species 
  of 
  these 
  beds 
  were 
  determined 
  from 
  camps 
  situated 
  3, 
  2, 
  

   and 
  1 
  miles 
  respectively, 
  above 
  the 
  locks: 
  washboards, 
  50 
  per 
  

   cent; 
  blue 
  points, 
  20 
  per 
  cent; 
  three-ridges, 
  10 
  per 
  cent; 
  warty- 
  

   backs, 
  10 
  per 
  cent; 
  and 
  others, 
  10 
  per 
  cent. 
  The 
  washboards 
  are 
  very 
  

   good. 
  

  

  A 
  bed 
  beginning 
  a 
  little 
  below 
  the 
  locks 
  and 
  extending 
  to 
  Meredosia, 
  

   although 
  fairly 
  productive, 
  was 
  being 
  fished 
  but 
  very 
  little. 
  The 
  

   shells 
  are 
  pretty 
  well 
  distributed, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  channel. 
  The 
  river 
  

  

  