2 i 8 The National Geographic Magazine 



single proprietor, who employs most of 

 the divers. The supply of pearl oysters 

 having been greatly reduced through 

 overfishing during the years following 

 the restoration, the cultivation of the 

 species was taken up experimentally at 

 the suggestion of Professor Mitsukuri, 

 and has been carried to a very success- 

 ful issue, the method being essentially 

 that followed by the oyster-growers of 

 New York and Connecticut. 



ARTIFICIAL CULTIVATION OF PEARLS 



Another interesting cultural enter- 

 prise has been started — also at Professor 

 Mitsukuri' s suggestion — consisting of 

 the production of pearls by stimulat- 

 ing the mollusks artificially. This is 

 brought about by inserting between the 

 animal and its shell a small spherical 

 nucleus of mother of pearl. This pearl- 

 oyster farm in the Bay of Ago, not far 

 from the famous shrines of Ise, now 

 yields millions of pearl oysters and hun- 

 dreds of thousands of natural and cult- 

 ural pearls annually. Each year 250,000 

 to 300,000 pearl oysters are treated and 

 then returned to the beds, where they 

 are left for four years, so that at all 

 times there are on hand upwards of one 

 and a quarter millions of pearl-bearing 

 oysters. The pearls thus produced are 

 of fine form and beautiful luster, and 

 are marketed in all parts of the world ; 

 their only defect is that they are broadly 

 attached to one of the valves, and are 

 thus only half pearls. 



LARGE RETURNS FROM SEAWEEDS 



A branch of the fisheries in which 

 Japan far surpasses all other countries 

 as regards both extent and ingenuity of 

 method is the seaweed industry. In 

 the United States, notwithstanding our 

 long coast line and seaweed resources, 

 not inferior to Japan's, the annual crop 

 of marine vegetables is worth only 

 $40,000, whereas in Japan these prod- 

 ucts are worth not less than $2,000,000, 

 and are exceeded in value by only four 



animal products of the fisheries. Many 

 kinds of algae are gathered and many 

 uses are made of them. The local con- 

 sumption is enormous, and large quan- 

 tities of prepared seaweeds are exported 

 to China, Europe, and elsewhere. 



Among the most valuable kinds of 

 seaweeds are the kelps (Eaminaria), 

 which are taken in immense quantities 

 on the more northern coasts, particu- 

 larly in Hokkaido. The fishermen go 

 out in small boats and gather the weeds 

 from the rocks by means of long-han- 

 dled wooden hooks or heavily weighted 

 drags. The plants are spread flat on 

 the beach to dry, and when thoroughly 

 cured are packed in bundles and sent to 

 manufacturers in various parts of the 

 Empire, by whom they are prepared for 

 market in a great variety of ways, under 

 the general name of kombu. Kombu is 

 one of the staple foods of the country, 

 entering into the dietary of almost every 

 family and being eaten alone as a veg- 

 etable or as a seasoning for meats, fish, 

 stews, etc. This business has been car- 

 ried on since about 1730, employs thou- 

 sands of men, women, and children, and 

 is worth from $500,000 to $1,000,000 a 

 year. 



Various algae with soft pulpy fronds 

 are dried by the fishermen and sold to 

 dealers for manufacture into a kind of 

 glue. The weeds are soaked in fresh 

 water, made into thin, loose- meshed 

 sheets, and rolled like Japanese matting. 

 When ready for use such sheets are 

 boiled in fresh water, and the pasty mess 

 resulting is employed as a starch for 

 clothing, in stiffening fabrics, in cement- 

 ing walls and tiles, and in other ways. 

 This business dates from about 1670, 

 and is now conducted in over too estab- 

 lishments. 



A very valuable seaweed product, and 

 the one with which Americans and Eu- 

 ropeans are most interested, is vegeta- 

 ble isinglass or agar-agar. It is made 

 from weeds rich in gelatin by boiling 

 them in fresh water and straining the 



