acre8 producing 5 million pearl oysters, yet in another article refers 
to 285 places engaged in pearl culture, using 13,000 acres and employing 
36,216,000 mother shells. 57/ 
The industry in Japan proper centers chiefly in the Inland Sea and 
on inlets of the ocean coasts of southern prefectures. Principal farms 
were situated on Omura Bay, Nagasaki Prefecture; along the coast of Saga 
Prefecture; in Heijo, Ago, Kata, Matoya and Mikimoto hays of Mie Pre¬ 
fecture; and Nagao Bay of Ishikawa Prefecture. 
Pearl culture has two phases: the rearing of the pearl oyster 
( akuya-gai) spats; and the rearing of the shell after the insertion of 
the nucleus. Formerly both phases were conducted by every party but in 
recent years some pearl culturlsts purchased mother shells ready for 
insertion of nuclei. Spats were collected by placing stones in wire 
baskets along the coast during the laying season, (June and July). 
The stones with spats were shifted to suitable shallow water sites and 
after three years rearing were picked up by dredgers or diving girls. 
Pearl culturlsts purchased these mother shells, inserted the nuclei and 
far several years the shells were hung in the sea in fine wire baskets 
suspended from rafts. They were periodically inspected and tended until 
maturity when they were collected and opened. 58/ About 60 percent of 
the treated oysters produced pearls of which only a small percentage 
were of commercial quality. Pearl shell was a by-product of the industry. 
57/ The first set of figures given here may refer to Mikimoto holdings, 
including the farm in the South Sea Mandated Islands. 
58/ The entire process from spats to maturity usually required 6 to 7 
years. 
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ia-03l P'142 *>u 
