426 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
Prices paid sawyers: 26 line, 10 cents per gross, sawing whole shell ; 26 line, 11 cents per gross, 
sawing butts ; 24 line, 8f cents per gross, sawing whole shell ; 24 line, 9f cents per gross, sawing butts ; 
22 line, 7f cents per gross, sawing whole shell ; 20 line, 7 cents per gross, sawing whole shell; 18 line, 
6 cents per gross, sawing whole shell ; 16 line, 5f cents per gross-, sawing whole shell. 
By whole shell reference is made to sawing all the 26-line blanks there are in the shell. A gross 
is 14 dozen. The extra 2 dozen are to make up for the imperfect blanks or buttons, and these are all 
counted by weight. By butts are meant two different lines of blanks cut from 1 shell. 
Prices paid grinders: 1 cent facing on grinder; If cents grinding one side, per gross, all sizes. 
Prices paid turners: 24 and 26 line, 4 cents per gross; 20 and 22 line, 3f cents; 16 and 18 line, 3 
cents; scratch center, 2 cents per gross; ring center, If cents. 
Prices paid drillers: 3f cents per gross 4-hole, all sizes ; 2 cents per gross 2-hole, all sizes. 
Carding: 5 cents per gross. 
The capacity of a 10-saw factory is from 800 to 1,000 gross per week. The 
Muscatine buttons now bring a better price than the eastern goods. 
Several button companies are now fully organized, and are producing large 
amounts of material. 
Iu view of the button industry, even more than of the occasional yield of pearls, 
the question begins to arise as to the artificial culture of Unios. Between “ pearling” 
and dredging for button-factories, the supply, however abundant, must soon be 
greatly reduced, if not exhausted altogether, unless some means can be found for 
increasing and maintaining it. For this purpose it would seem that Unio “ farming” 
might yet become desirable and practicable as a source of industry and of profit, 
more especially if carried on in connection with the insertion of figures, flags, and 
other forms that might find a ready sale. 
