﻿MUSSEL 
  RESOURCES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS 
  RIVER. 
  31 
  

  

  the 
  hooks 
  thereon 
  to 
  be 
  at 
  least 
  4 
  inches 
  apart. 
  Nonresidents 
  must 
  

   have 
  a 
  license 
  costing 
  $50 
  for 
  each 
  boat. 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  threatened 
  depletion 
  of 
  the 
  mussel 
  beds 
  on 
  the 
  Illi- 
  

   nois, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  suggested 
  by 
  mussel 
  fishermen 
  and 
  others 
  interested 
  

   in 
  the 
  industry 
  that 
  there 
  should 
  be 
  a 
  closed 
  season 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  mussel- 
  

   bearing 
  rivers 
  or 
  parts 
  thereof, 
  extending 
  over 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  three 
  to 
  five 
  

   years; 
  the 
  rivers 
  or 
  the 
  parts 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  arranged 
  in 
  series 
  that 
  some 
  

   (sufficient 
  to 
  maintain 
  the 
  button 
  industry) 
  would 
  be 
  left 
  open 
  during 
  

   the 
  ordinary 
  shelling 
  season. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  this 
  view 
  would 
  prove 
  

   satisfactory, 
  provided 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  uniformity 
  of 
  laws 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  

   States, 
  or 
  that 
  the 
  mussel 
  fishing 
  was 
  under 
  Federal 
  control. 
  

  

  THE 
  PEARLS 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS. 
  

  

  Very 
  little 
  pearhng 
  was 
  done 
  on 
  the 
  lUinois 
  previous 
  to 
  1892, 
  

   although 
  some 
  years 
  before 
  this 
  date 
  occasional 
  pearl 
  hunters 
  made 
  

   frequent 
  trips 
  and 
  extended 
  investigations 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  over 
  the 
  

   greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  During 
  the 
  earlier 
  period 
  pearls 
  alone 
  were 
  

   the 
  object 
  of 
  the 
  search, 
  there 
  being 
  no 
  particular 
  demand 
  for 
  the 
  

   shells, 
  and, 
  besides, 
  the 
  pearler 
  of 
  that 
  day 
  had 
  neither 
  time 
  nor 
  in- 
  

   clination 
  to 
  save 
  them; 
  they 
  were 
  left 
  after 
  examination, 
  usually 
  in 
  

   small 
  piles 
  along 
  the 
  shore 
  as 
  a 
  waste 
  product. 
  If 
  a 
  locality 
  in 
  which 
  

   he 
  was 
  working 
  did 
  not 
  show 
  immediate 
  results 
  he 
  would 
  move 
  far- 
  

   ther 
  along, 
  always 
  hoping 
  and 
  expecting 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  mussel 
  bed 
  which 
  

   would 
  produce 
  a 
  pearl 
  of 
  considerable 
  value, 
  thus 
  amply 
  repa^'ing 
  

   him 
  for 
  his 
  time 
  and 
  outfit. 
  The 
  pearl 
  hunters 
  are 
  indeed 
  the 
  pioneers 
  

   of 
  the 
  mussel 
  industry, 
  and 
  in 
  their 
  extensive 
  search 
  for 
  the 
  elusive 
  

   gems 
  they 
  have 
  usually 
  found 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  best 
  mussel 
  streams 
  of 
  the 
  

   country 
  but 
  the 
  best 
  beds 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  productive 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  

   rivers 
  as 
  well. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  said 
  tliat 
  the 
  pearls 
  and 
  slugs 
  are 
  

   of 
  secondary 
  consideration 
  and 
  when 
  found 
  are 
  regarded 
  by 
  the 
  mus- 
  

   sel 
  fishermen 
  as 
  so 
  much 
  clear 
  profit. 
  The 
  sale 
  of 
  slugs 
  is 
  generally 
  

   sufficient 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  actual 
  running 
  expenses 
  of 
  the 
  camp 
  and 
  a 
  

   pearl 
  is 
  considered 
  as 
  so 
  much 
  extra. 
  

  

  Beardstown, 
  111., 
  is 
  a 
  center 
  for 
  pearl 
  buyers, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  shell- 
  

   ing 
  season 
  buyers 
  are 
  there 
  from 
  Paris, 
  New 
  York, 
  and 
  other 
  places, 
  

   besides 
  the 
  local 
  dealers. 
  One 
  man 
  claimed 
  to 
  have 
  bought 
  $20,000 
  

   worth 
  of 
  pearls 
  and 
  slugs 
  along 
  this 
  river 
  in 
  20 
  days." 
  

  

  No 
  particular 
  work 
  was 
  done 
  during 
  the 
  present 
  survey 
  toward 
  the 
  

   study 
  of 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  pearls; 
  however, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  distomids 
  and 
  

   cyst-forming 
  parasites 
  were 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  meats 
  of 
  the 
  mussels. 
  

   The 
  lUinois 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  river 
  on 
  which 
  to 
  carry 
  on 
  scientific 
  pearl 
  inves- 
  

   tigations, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  rich 
  in 
  pearl 
  mussels 
  and 
  affords 
  many 
  retired 
  places 
  

  

  oThe 
  writer 
  is 
  indebted 
  to 
  Messrs. 
  J. 
  H. 
  Garner 
  and 
  Otto 
  H. 
  Fischer, 
  of 
  Beardstown, 
  wlio 
  furnished 
  

   much 
  information 
  concerning 
  the 
  pearls 
  and 
  slugs 
  of 
  Illinois. 
  

  

  