53° 



The National Geographic Magazine 







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From U. S. Bureau of Fisheries 



Culture Pearls, Natural Size 



altogether about ioo persons connected 

 in some way with pearl-oyster culture are 

 now living. Around and in the neigh- 

 borhood of this island a large area of sea 

 bottom, which with several large recent 

 additions now amounts to 1,000 acres, 

 has been leased by Mr Mikimoto. 



The breeding season of the pearl oyster 

 is July to August, and before this comes 

 round — namely, in May to June — stones 

 6 to 8 pounds in weight are placed over 

 the bottom of the spat-collecting grounds, 



which are generally in shallower parts, 

 penetrating deep into land. By August 

 tiny shells not more than 3 to 4 milli- 

 meters long are first discovered, attached 

 to these stones by their byssus, and the 

 number increases steadily with the sea- 

 son. An immense number of shells is 

 collected every year. They are allowed 

 to lie as they are until November, and 

 then those that are too near the shore are 

 removed with the stones on which they 

 are anchored into depths greater than 5 or 



