60TH CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. S REPORT ' No. P16: TO ESTABLISH A BIOLOGICAL AND FISH-CULTURAL STATION IN THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. Marcu 6, 1908.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed. Mr. Witson, of Illinois, from the Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries, submitted the following RE Oa T. [To accompany H. R. 13659. ] The Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 13659) to establish a biological and fish- cultural station in the Second Congressional district of the State of Iowa, having considered the same, respectfully report with the recom- mendation that it do pass with the following amendments, to wit: Amend the title of the bill so as to read: ‘‘A bill to establish a biological and fish-cultural station in the upper Mississippi Valley.” Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu thereof the following: .That the Secretary of Commerce and Labor is hereby authorized and directed to establish and equip a biological and fish-cultural station for the propagation of fresh-water mussels in the Upper Mississippi River Valley at some suitable point to be selected by the Secretary of Commerce and Labor; the cost of establishing the same, including purchase of site, construction of buildings and ponds, and equip- ne not to exceed the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars. The purpose of this bill is to make possible the perpetuation of the supply of raw material for the growing American industry of manu- facturing pearl buttons from the shells of fresh-water mussels and the industries collateral to it. By reason of the growth and development of this industry the supply of mussel shells is threatened with exhaus- tion. By establishing the station proposed in this bill it is believed that the question of artificial propagation will be completely solved, and that the supply of these shells will be perpetuated by propagation which can henceforth be carried on without material additional expense to the Government. In the last session of Congress an additional appropriation of money for scientific investigation under the United States Fish Commission was granted for the purpose of making an investigation of, the fresh- water mussels of the United States in their relation to the pearl-button Mig ai Sh : »€ , ig - So > > i SEE CM c, NS Sng ae eee A \ } d < nS ,? %, WO VITSST WSEAS 9 TQ x ; 19 iY, oe FISH-CULTURAL STATION IN UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. industry. This investigation was ordered by the Secretary of Com- merce and Labor on a showing made to him that this American indus- try of manufacturing pearl buttons from the shells of fresh-water mussels had grown to considerable proportions during the past few years, and that the rapidity with which these shells were being taken from the streams of the United States threatened the extinction of these mussels, thereby cutting off the source of the raw material for this industry and the consequent doom of the industry. It was found that comparatively little knowledge had been obtained by scientists and investigators regarding the life history of our fresh-water mussels. and so a commission was created under the supervision of Prof. Paul Bartsch, an eminent biological authority. This commission made an examination of many of the principal streamsof the country where the fresh-water mussels abound and secured much valuable information on the subject. The work of this commission has been carried forward by Professors Lefevre and Curtis, of the University of Missouri, who, by the way, have been conducting these investigations without com. pensation. ‘They have determined the mode of development of fresh- water mussels, and it has been found to differ from what occurs in any of their marine relatives. This difference lies in the fact that the embryo lives for a time as a parasite upon fresh-water fishes and can only develop in this parasitic condition. With this fact established, careful experiments have been made in inoculating fishes with these embryo clams. These experiments have been conducted by Professors Lefevre and Curtis, and the results thereof indicate that the infection of fishes on a large scale is entirely possible, and that there is ample reason to believe in the success of such work in building up the supply of mussels. It is clearly pointed out that the steady decline of the beds demands some such remedial measures if the supply is to be maintained for more than a very few years. There are still many fundamental scien- tific facts relating to the subject which are yet to be determined. For example, we do not know the exact breeding seasons of any one of the button mussels. We do not know what fish are best adapted to carry- ing the glochidia of each species, nor what are the best methods for work ona large scale. These facts can be ascertained if proper facili- ties for work are provided, and they must be ascertained before the process of artificial propagation can be established on a sound basis: but since many of them can only be learned by the actual experience of attempting artificial propagation on a large scale the investigation and the propagation must go hand in hand. To carry on such work properly, there is necessary a station, properly equipped, for the whole- sale collecting and transporting of fish and mussels to the tanks and ponds of the station, where the infections are to be performed. In this way there could be liberated hundreds of thousands of fishes loaded with these embryo clams, and thus sow these clams broadcast in our rivers. It may be added that this process of propagation is in no way harmful to the fish. The establishment of such a station as is provided for in this bill is recommended by the United States Commissioner of Fisheries. The following statement of the principal facts in the life history of our fresh-water mussels and the means proposed for increasing the supply was written by Professors Lefevre and Curtis, who have been and are now conducting experiments under the direction of the United RA AR Ys PLE n vs 24.1903 Nes ot D, ; Ww = jX fo , eH CEG 2 sf FISH-CULTURAL STATION IN UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. | 5 States Fish Commission. ‘This statement is made a part of the report and will be found most interesting: The fresh-water clams or mussels of the United States and similar forms from other parts of the world exhibit a mode of development which differs from what occurs in any of their marine relatives. This difference lies in the fact that the embryo lives for a time as a parasite upon the gills or fins of fresh-water fishes, and can only develop in this parasitic condition, the life history being, briefly, as follows: The eggs of the female clam are fertilized by the sperm of the male, which enters the body of the female in the water current that brings the clam its food. These eggs begin development within the female, where they are contained in sacks formed by the animal’s gill. Development proceeds as far as a stage known as the glochidium (Pl. ia), which has the two halves of a miniature shell and looks much like a gaping clam shell, but which has none of the internal organs necessary for the life which the adult clam leads in the mud of the bottom. The glochidia are shed out of the parent as they become ripe and they fall to the bottom, where, having no power of locomotion, they remain motionless unless washed about by the currents. Experiments prove that they will die before many days when leit in this condition. If, however, the glochidium chances to come in contact with the fins or gills of a fish, which brushes against the silt of the bottom, it fastens itself, and within twenty-four hours has caused the skin of the fish to grow over it, so that the young mussel is completely imbedded within the living tissue of the fish. In this condition it rests securely, receiving its food from the blood of its host, and leading a truly parasitic existence for some months. During this period the glo- chidium changes until all the organs of the adult are developed, though it has not increased in size. At the end of its parasitic existence, when the organs are fully formed, the young clam effects the tissue of the fish in such a way that the skin opens and the young clam drops to the bottom, where it begins the life which it will lead throughout the remainder of its existence. The attachment to a fish is entirely a matter of chance, but where mussels and fish are abundant it must often occur under natural conditions, as is seen from the exami- nation of fish taken in nature. Still the fishes thus infected will almost never be found carrying as many of the parasites as they can without serious injury. If the fish are taken and placed in a tub or bucket of water containing large numbers of glochidia, which have been obtained from removing them from the ripe mussel, it is possible to cause the attachment of hundreds of the parasites for every one that would be found there by the chance of nature. A fish under 6 inches in length may thus be rhade to carry several hundred glochidia, and thus a thousand fish artificially infected may do the work of several hundred thousand in a state of nature. Experiments with small numbers of fish under observation in the laboratory indicate that their infection on a large scale is entirely possible, and the experiment now in progress at La Crosse, in w hich over 25,000 young fish have thus been infected, gives every indication that such work may be ‘begun even with the scanty know ledge we now possess. While there is ample reason to believe in fhe eventual success of such work in keeping up the supply of mussels, and while the steady decline of the beds demands some such remedial measures, if the supply is to be maintained for more than a very few years, we are not yet in a position to proceed safely with this work, because we are still ignorant of many fundamental scientific facts. For example, we do not know the exact breeding seasons of any one of the button mussels. Wedo not know what fish are best adapted to carrying the glochidia of each species, nor what are the best methods for work ona large scale. These facts can be ascertained if proper facilities for work are provided, and they must be ascertained before the process of artificial propagation can be established on a sound basis. But since many of them can only be learned by the actual experience of attempting artificial propagation on a large scale, the investigation and propagation must go hand in hand. To carry on such work properly, there is necessary a station properly equipped with boats and a steamer for the wholesale collecting and transporting of fish and mussels alive to the tanks and ponds of the station where the infection could be performed. Nature is prodigal with the supply of glochidia, but so great is the chance against any ever fastening themselves upon the fish and against any ever dropping from the fish to a place on the bottom where they can succeed in the struggle for life that, with the added destruction of hundreds of millions of shells each year for com- mercial purposes, we may easily exterminate before many vears the forms upon which the button industry depends. If we can discover the places in the life history where the waste is greatest and aid the species at those critical stages, there is every reason to hope that the supply of mussels can be made to equal if not surpass the numbers existing when the first button was cut. 4 FISH-CULTURAL STATION IN UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. Legislation against fishing must also be made use of as soon as we know enough of the habits and breeding seasons to propose measures that are likely to be a real pro- tection. Until then all such laws should be discouraged, however strong may be the wishes of the manufacturers or others to preserve any local supply. We are as likely to do harm as good in the making of such laws without adequate knowledge, and the revision of bad laws would probably be more diffieult than the passage of new ones. In conclusion, we may say that the parasitism on the fish makes the propagation of mussels go hand in hand with the propagation of our fresh-water fishes, since the fish is in no wise injured by the presence of the parasites. When we liberate a hun- dred fish each loaded with its hundreds of glochidia we not only sow the clams broadcast on the bottom but we are also distributing fish which, when their work for the clams is done, are just as useful as though they had never known such an experience. Wholesale infection gives every promise of success, but the means must be provided at once for work on a large scale, and unless something radical is soon accomplished the making of buttons from our fresh-water shells is doomed. As indicating the size of the pearl-button industry in the United States and the large number of wage-earners engaged in such manu- facture, the following table, taken from the report of the Census of Manufacturers for 1905, gives a comparative summary of the industry by Sgates for the years 1905 and 1900: : Comparative summary—Fresh-water pearl buttons and button blanks, by States: 1905 and 1900. a Aaa er i So Vitaceneth a S| he ae Fai | Salari a j (3 | pa | Wage-earners | [2x Ces zal nd wages 8 | a ages. : eo Al ete. | ; | Miscel- | Goat of a Cen-|9 2) aa: | laneous ek Value of State. sus. |x | Capital el | ae as j material | products. | 3a | i) Vee DEUSES aM ec ae ei g |Salaries.| 5’ | Wages. eyo = | ee tat | a) Z| a | aes | aie ae ch eae | F « United States.) 1905 150 $3,234,379 | 385 $276, 491 5,085 $1, 621, 669 |$319,593 $1,911, 187 |1h4, 926, 458 1900 122 | 1,109,572 | 117 | 85,646 | 3,574 | 1,147,252 | 89,414 | 940,838 | 2, 766, 053 Illinois .....-... 1905 13 148,313 | 16| 8,580 | 259 95,486 | 14,280 | 54,353 209, 500 | 1900/10} 37,643 | 11! 6,172! 237) 85,071] 2,616 | 42,382 181, 704 Indiana? ....... 11905; 31 67,901| 4! 3,460} 139 39,459 | 4,035 14, 042 69, 068 TGwale cee aie | 1905 | 51 | 1,173,866.) 116 | 74,685 | 1,936 | 653,520 | 92,530) 533,917 | 1,500, 945 ' 1900 | 50 314, 685 | 38 | 488,168 | 36,853 185, 257 822,478 bo pes ~I ao nr = ot} w or | | 7 2 Massachusetts?.| 1900 | 3 270,597| 10| 19,200 388| 141,200| 12,783 72, 188 304, 400 Missouri........ | 1905} 8} 126,968] 16] 5,671| 180 55,314 | 7,588 | 34,185 136, 994 }1900| 8| 26,995! 1| 300 64 17, 821 962 12,525 34, 529 New Jersey..... 1905 | 11 | 273,215 | 22] 29,584| 330] 140,311 | 36,491} 199,114 480, 765 | 1900 | 11 77,550 | 9 | 9,500 | 198 75,679 | 4,323} 129,569 310, 954 New York ...... | 1905 | 27 | 904,447 | 163 | 122/300! 1,461! 406,837 | 96,952! 818,679 | 1,844, 432 | 1900 | 15 | 155,834] 28| 16,613 906| 254,027 | 19,35! 366,040 771, 482 Ohion = See 1905'| 3) 59,008} 5{ 2,589| 66] 16,224] 4,002| 23,796 50, 216 | 1900) 3] 48120/ 6] 4,086] 66] 17,188] 5,487| 19,962 56, 008 Pennsylvania ..| 1905 | & | 303,830} 25 19,826| 397) 117,568] 47,020| 185,019 333, 732 / 1900 | 6 | 110,299 |. 4)! 2,404) pogh] | 7geoaral= 93,875 | | 87, 607, 193, 823 Wisconsin ...... | 1905/17] 113,340/ 11| 5,420! 187] 58,700] 10,510) 58,064 164, 229 11900] 9} 34499) 4] 1,495| 96] 82108|~ 1,880| 18,761 63, 125 All other states./11905 | 9} 63,491| 7/| 4,476 | 1380) 38,250| 6,185| 40, 068 136, 577 3900 | 7 | -33:350| 61 1:170| 66 | 12,7938 | 1,380 | 6,517 27, 550 | ] | ! | 1 Includes $556,217 worth of ocean pear! buttons. 2 No establishments reported in 1900. ®Tncluded in ‘‘ all other Stasts’’ in 1905. 2 4Includes establishments distributed as follows: Arkansas, 3; Massachusetts, 2; Minnesota, 1; Mis sissippi, 1; Nebraska, 1; Tennessee, 1. ‘Includes establishments distributed as follows: Arkansas, 1; California, 2; Minnesota, 2; Ne- braska, 2. FISH-CULTURAL STATION IN UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 5 An unofficial statement of the fresh-water pearl button industry for the year 1906 is also submitted herewith. This report furnishes additional information regarding the industry and is as follows: Fresh-water pearl button industry report, 1906. BUSINESS AND INVESTMENT, Amount of money invested in plant, machinery, etc ........----.-.----- $1, 488, 200 Amount of business done.during year 1906... . . 5-..-- <2. s26.2ss2s5-% 5, 650, 000 Number of gross manufactured during yéar 1906.............-...------ 25, 200, 000 Averige price'ol button, 21% cents per STOss . : --. 52-4 senses cee las 5, 481, 000 Amount of crushed shell waste material used for chicken feed, 30,726 TOUS Tati pO OO PEL LOU easels a sea a sees oe ee sclsanie se os sess atone 169, 000 Expended for paper boxes, cards, silver foil, etc......-.---.----.-----. 335, 000 AEBOUMOL MONGY, PAIG INUWAGES: . 2.6 c.222\o0- oe eine aes cit coca s 3, 450, 000 AmoOMMp Gl Money, paid 10n SNES. 625.2 Soe slo sec ean ae dacwaeae nah 737, 280 HELP AND WAGES. * 3, 000 cutters (male), $14 average wages per week.-.......------.-------- 42, 000 1, 800 operators (female) $8 average wages per week ......-.--.--------- 14, 200 600 employed as foremen, $18 average wages per week.......--------- 10, 800 Manager, salesmen, buyers, office force. 1, 000 employed at home sewing buttons (female). .......-..--.--------- 3, 000 6, 400 Motalawaeesper weeks seers acta soem es ane Setar acie 69, 000 ROWERS WAGES DOL VADs 2 osc. cdae aos eset esa e wens we leaiteiaiee 3, 450, 000 SHELLS. Amount of shells, district, ete. ae ese Oe Nee 2 - : Amount. | pies Total cost. Tons. | Vialangla TRI @uh ce Cah bee ae Some Saeco Cee eee eee eee 14,400 | $15. 00 $216, 060 Ohio River... '.....-.-2-: TS OLA s ee ae 13,440, 15. 00 201, 600 FAT KANSAS ULV Olea cette sine s setae a ctrae a a\seeieiss sox