The Pearl Oyster

Contrary to a generally held view that pearls are found by chance in oysters, almost all are now produced from farms. This book is a comprehensive treatment of all aspects of the biology of pearl oysters, their anatomy, reproduction, genetics, diseases, etc. It considers how they are farmed from spawning and culturing larvae in hatcheries to adults in the ocean; how various environmental factors, including pollution affect them; and how modern techniques are successfully producing large numbers of cultured pearls. This is the ultimate reference source on pearl oysters and the culture of pearls, written and edited by a number of scientists who are world experts in their fields. Comprehensive treatment of pearl oyster biology and pearl culture Written by the top world authorities Highly illustrated and figured Of practical relevance to a broad readership, from professional biologists to those involved in the practicalities and practice of pearl production

Explains why oysters make pearls and dangerous snakes have diamond-shaped heads.

When Pearl's sheltered life shatters in the 1930s when her mother dies, her only option is to move in with poor family relations and shuck oysters in the local plant on Oyster Island, Maryland. Determined to live a morally proper life, the last thing she wants is an affair with a white man, but Caleb, the plant owner, knows a pearl when he sees one. The successful widower is the "oyster king" of the island, but his intense desire for his forbidden new employee, a woman of color, threatens everything he's built. What begins as a private sexual liaison flowers into strong feelings that don't fit the social mores of the island. When their secret is discovered, they risk losing everything. They dared to pluck the pearl, but will their love be strong enough to keep it forever?

A story about the amazing life of an oyster and how a pearl is formed.

Before New York City was the Big Apple, it could have been called the Big Oyster. Now award-winning author Mark Kurlansky tells the remarkable story of New York by following the trajectory of one of its most fascinating inhabitants–the oyster, whose influence on the great metropolis remains unparalleled. For centuries New York was famous for its oysters, which until the early 1900s played such a dominant a role in the city’s economy, gastronomy, and ecology that the abundant bivalves were Gotham’s most celebrated export, a staple food for the wealthy, the poor, and tourists alike, and the primary natural defense against pollution for the city’s congested waterways. Filled with cultural, historical, and culinary insight–along with historic recipes, maps, drawings, and photos–this dynamic narrative sweeps readers from the island hunting ground of the Lenape Indians to the death of the oyster beds and the rise of America’s environmentalist movement, from the oyster cellars of the rough-and-tumble Five Points slums to Manhattan’s Gilded Age dining chambers. Kurlansky brings characters vividly to life while recounting dramatic incidents that changed the course of New York history. Here are the stories behind Peter Stuyvesant’s peg leg and Robert Fulton’s “Folly”; the oyster merchant and pioneering African American leader Thomas Downing; the birth of the business lunch at Delmonico’s; early feminist Fanny Fern, one of the highest-paid newspaper writers in the city; even “Diamond” Jim Brady, who we discover was not the gourmand of popular legend. With The Big Oyster, Mark Kurlansky serves up history at its most engrossing, entertaining, and delicious.

Excerpt from The Pearl-Oyster Resources of Panama Indians who valued only the meat of pearl oysters could not understand the white man's Joy at seeing the pearls, which they could not eat. The fact that Indians who inhabited the territory of the Isthmus of Panama were not interested in pearls and did not use them for adornment is confirmed by subsequent archaeological explorations. For pearls were not found in the graves. Which. Besides skeletons. Contained large numbers of shark teeth and sting rays' spines. It is known, however. That together with various sea foods. Including crawfish. Pearl oysters were commonly eaten by the tribes inhabiting the eastern shore of the Gulf of Panama and the islands. At the beginning the pearl fishing was profitable. In u days Balboa's men gathered about 96 ounces of pearls. The success of the first days encouraged the Spaniards. They organized pearl fishing parties. Employed large numbers of Indian divers. And showed them how to open the oysters without roasting them, as was their custom. And spoiling the pearls. Scarcity of historical records makes it impossible to estimate the quantity and value of pearls gathered at this time from the Pearl Islands. It is known. However. That upon leaving the coast of the Gulf of Panama. Balboa received from a local chief a tribute consisting of 160 ounces of gold and 200 large pearls. The value of the pearls shipped from the New World to Spain is not known. The official records of the amount of the quint or one-fifth of the appraised figure which the King's officers collected as a duty on pearl fishery are scarce and obviously too low. Von Humboldt (1822) mentions that until 1530 the annual value of the pearls shipped to Europe averaged. According to the Spanish Treasury records. Only 800 piastres. He probably refers to pesos a silver or gold coin weighing about 25 grams and equivalent to the American dollar. One must remember. However. That real values of different Spanish coins known as peso duro. 'peso fuerte. Peso sencillo should be determined on the basis of their purchasing power at different historical periods and cannot be compared directly with the present day evaluations. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.