﻿MUSSEL 
  RESOUECES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS 
  RIVER. 
  21- 
  

  

  conditions 
  at 
  this 
  point 
  are: 
  Slow 
  current; 
  8 
  to 
  15 
  feet 
  deep; 
  and 
  

   bottom 
  of 
  clay, 
  mud, 
  and 
  sand. 
  The 
  pocketbooks, 
  pig- 
  toes, 
  and 
  

   purple 
  warty-hacks 
  were 
  somewhat 
  more 
  abundant 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  pre- 
  

   ceding 
  beds. 
  It 
  was 
  stated 
  that 
  some 
  years 
  ago 
  the 
  niggerheads, 
  

   yellow 
  sand 
  shells, 
  and 
  muckets 
  were 
  plentiful. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  large 
  

   percentage 
  of 
  lady- 
  fingers, 
  which 
  when 
  caught 
  are 
  generally 
  thrown 
  

   back 
  into 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  At 
  Meredosia 
  the 
  mussel 
  fishermen 
  were 
  discouraged 
  and 
  stated 
  

   that 
  "the 
  river 
  is 
  playing 
  out." 
  Several 
  camps 
  were 
  considering 
  

   the 
  advisabiUty 
  of 
  moving 
  to 
  more 
  favorable 
  localities, 
  either 
  on 
  the 
  

   Illinois 
  or 
  Mississippi. 
  Although 
  the 
  output 
  — 
  200 
  to 
  300 
  pounds 
  of 
  

   shells 
  per 
  day 
  — 
  was 
  small, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  good 
  pearl 
  finds 
  afforded 
  

   considerable 
  stimulation 
  to 
  the 
  work. 
  During 
  1909 
  there 
  were 
  200 
  

   men 
  at 
  work 
  between 
  Meredosia 
  and 
  Naples, 
  and 
  they 
  gathered 
  100 
  

   carloads, 
  the 
  price 
  being 
  $25 
  a 
  ton,<^ 
  while 
  in 
  1912 
  there 
  were 
  but 
  25 
  

   to 
  35 
  men 
  gathering 
  15 
  carloads 
  at 
  $13 
  per 
  ton. 
  There 
  were 
  about 
  

   400 
  tons 
  in 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  the 
  buyers 
  and 
  250 
  tons 
  at 
  the 
  two 
  button 
  

   factories. 
  In 
  this 
  stretch 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  the 
  niggerheads 
  and 
  muckets 
  

   are 
  scarce, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  lady-fingers. 
  The 
  wash- 
  

   boards 
  here, 
  being 
  clear 
  of 
  spots, 
  are 
  the 
  best 
  button 
  material, 
  and 
  

   the 
  next 
  best 
  are 
  the 
  blue 
  points 
  and 
  warty-backs. 
  The 
  few 
  nigger- 
  

   heads 
  found 
  are 
  thin. 
  

  

  At 
  Valley 
  City 
  there 
  were 
  10 
  to 
  12 
  men 
  working 
  on 
  the 
  local 
  beds, 
  

   the 
  output 
  not 
  exceeding 
  300 
  pounds. 
  It 
  was 
  stated 
  that 
  there 
  

   were 
  many 
  boats 
  employed 
  here 
  last 
  summer. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  

   bed, 
  300 
  to 
  400 
  yards 
  long, 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  left 
  bank, 
  one-eighth 
  

   mile 
  above 
  the 
  railroad 
  bridge. 
  This 
  bed 
  is 
  covered 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   with 
  trash 
  and 
  hang-ups, 
  thereby 
  making 
  it 
  remarkably 
  interesting, 
  

   in 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  practically 
  in 
  its 
  native 
  state. 
  It 
  contains 
  18 
  species 
  of 
  

   commercial 
  shells, 
  including 
  a 
  fair 
  percentage 
  of 
  niggerheads, 
  pocket- 
  

   books, 
  and 
  muckets. 
  

  

  Although 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  season, 
  40 
  men 
  were 
  fishing 
  on 
  the 
  mussel 
  

   beds 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Florence, 
  while 
  but 
  9 
  were 
  engaged 
  in 
  July. 
  

   Forty 
  tons 
  of 
  1912 
  shells 
  had 
  already 
  been 
  shipped 
  and 
  half 
  that 
  

   amount 
  were 
  on 
  shore. 
  The 
  following 
  percentages 
  were 
  determined 
  

   from 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  hauls 
  made 
  at 
  Florence, 
  two 
  bars 
  of 
  100 
  hooks 
  each 
  

   being 
  used; 
  the 
  bottom, 
  sand 
  and 
  mud 
  with 
  brush 
  and 
  dead 
  shells. 
  

  

  Per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Blue 
  point 
  - 
  24 
  

  

  Washboard 
  20 
  

  

  Warty-back 
  18 
  

  

  Pig-toe 
  ^ 
  

  

  Others 
  21 
  

  

  Noncommercial 
  8 
  

  

  a 
  Kappel 
  Bros., 
  Meredosia, 
  111. 
  

  

  