﻿MUSSEL 
  RESOURCES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS 
  RIVER. 
  2^ 
  

  

  ■washboards 
  are 
  very 
  small 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  fewer 
  culls, 
  such 
  as 
  lady- 
  

   fingers. 
  

  

  At 
  Twelve-mile 
  Island 
  there 
  were 
  four 
  camps 
  in 
  operation, 
  two 
  on 
  

   each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  the 
  average 
  daily 
  yield 
  being 
  from 
  400 
  to 
  600 
  

   pounds 
  per 
  man. 
  Early 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  upper 
  camp 
  of 
  the 
  right 
  

   chute 
  took 
  1,200 
  to 
  1,800 
  pounds 
  per 
  day, 
  which 
  was 
  very 
  good 
  work 
  

   indeed 
  with 
  the 
  mussel 
  bar 
  and 
  crow-foot 
  hooks. 
  The 
  lower 
  camps, 
  

   during 
  the 
  earher 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  were 
  overflowed, 
  and 
  work 
  

   accordingly 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  carried 
  on; 
  however, 
  when 
  the 
  conditions 
  

   became 
  more 
  favorable, 
  two 
  men 
  gathered 
  30 
  tons 
  of 
  good 
  market- 
  

   able 
  shells 
  in 
  eight 
  weeks. 
  The 
  mussel 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  this 
  

   island 
  produce 
  about 
  65 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  washboards, 
  20 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  

   three-ridge 
  type, 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  ])ercentage 
  of 
  niggerheads, 
  and 
  a 
  

   sufficient 
  quantity 
  of 
  yellow 
  sand-shells 
  to 
  be 
  sorted 
  out 
  and 
  sold 
  

   separately 
  at 
  an 
  advanced 
  price 
  of 
  from 
  $50 
  to 
  $60 
  per 
  ton. 
  The 
  

   lady-fingers 
  and 
  other 
  noncommercial 
  shells 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  plentiful 
  

   in 
  this 
  district. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  last 
  productive 
  stretch 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  there 
  are 
  10 
  to 
  15 
  mussel 
  

   camps 
  in 
  operation, 
  the 
  daily 
  output 
  being 
  500 
  to 
  600 
  pounds, 
  which 
  

   is 
  somewhat 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  immediate 
  shelhng 
  districts 
  above. 
  The 
  

   shells 
  of 
  the 
  three-ridge 
  type 
  are 
  more 
  abundant, 
  though 
  there 
  are 
  

   fewer 
  warty-backs; 
  the 
  washboards 
  have 
  again 
  become 
  a 
  trifle 
  larger 
  

   than 
  at 
  Hardin, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  quite 
  so 
  good 
  from 
  a 
  commercial 
  

   standpoint, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  inclined 
  to 
  be 
  spotted. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  comparison 
  of 
  the 
  IlHnois 
  River 
  product 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   Mississippi, 
  the 
  percentages 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  brief 
  table 
  below 
  were 
  made 
  

   from 
  a 
  2-ton 
  pile 
  of 
  recently 
  gathered 
  shells 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  

   at 
  Grafton, 
  just 
  below 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Illinois. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  observed 
  

   that 
  the 
  niggerheads 
  are 
  relatively 
  abundant 
  and 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  fair 
  

   amount 
  of 
  yellow 
  sand-shells. 
  

  

  Per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Niggerhead 
  32 
  

  

  Blue 
  point. 
  20 
  

  

  Washboard 
  15 
  

  

  Yellow 
  sand-shell 
  7 
  

  

  Warty 
  -back 
  3 
  

  

  Butterfly 
  3 
  

  

  Maple-leaf 
  3 
  

  

  Others, 
  including 
  culls, 
  etc 
  17 
  

  

  Tributaries. 
  — 
  The 
  tributaries 
  of 
  the 
  Ilhnois, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  produce 
  a 
  

   superior 
  grade 
  of 
  shells 
  and 
  a 
  larger 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  pearls 
  and 
  slugs 
  than 
  

   the 
  main 
  stream. 
  A 
  serious 
  disadvantage, 
  however, 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  

   rivers 
  is 
  that, 
  especially 
  during 
  the 
  low 
  water 
  of 
  summer, 
  the 
  mussel 
  

   beds 
  are 
  liable 
  to 
  be 
  almost 
  completely 
  depleted 
  by 
  wadere, 
  either 
  

   pearlers 
  or 
  sheUers. 
  

  

  Spoon 
  River. 
  — 
  No 
  extended 
  investigations 
  were 
  conducted 
  on 
  the 
  

   Spoon 
  River 
  during 
  the 
  present 
  survey; 
  however, 
  a 
  short 
  trip 
  was 
  

  

  