74 THE MOLLUSK FISHERIES 



a question of a few years when the natural supply will be completely 

 exterminated. The only salvation of the industry in Wareham is to 

 increase the natural supply by quahaug farming. 



Summary of Industry. 



Area of quahaug territory (acres), 1,300 



Number of men, ........... 50 



Number of boats, .......... - 



Value of boats, ........... - 



Number of dories, 50 



Value of dories, $750 



Value of implements, .......... $250 



Production. 



"Little necks": — 



Bushels, 3,000 



Value, $7,500 



Quahaugs: — 



Bushels, 3,000 



Value, $3,000 



Total : — 



Bushels, 6,000 



Value, .$10,500 



Wellfleet. 



The town of Wellfleet possesses the finest quahaug industry in Massa- 

 chusetts. More men are engaged in the business and the annual pro- 

 duction is larger than that of any other town of the State. 



In colonial days the towns of Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet were 

 incorporated as one town, — the town of Eastham. In 1763 an act 

 was passed incorporating the North Precinct of Eastham into a district 

 by the name of Wellfleet, " Reserving to the inhabitants of said town 

 the privileges by them heretofore enjoyed of all ways to and of erecting 

 houses on the beaches and islands for the convenience of the fishery 

 of all kinds, and of anchorage and of landing all goods or wares at 

 any of their common landing places in any of the harbors of said 

 Eastham in like manner as they might have done if this act had never 

 been made and passed." By this act were created the two independent 

 towns of Eastham and Wellfleet, which held in common all fisheries, 

 thus giving the mutual right of the shellfish eries to both towns. 



In 1797 another act of incorporation, separating Orleans from East- 

 ham, was enacted, which provided that the benefits of the shellfisheries 

 of these two towns were to be mutually enjoyed. 



The result of these two acts was to give Eastham and Wellfleet and 

 at the same time Eastham and Orleans mutual rights of the shellfishery, 

 but forbidding mutual shellfisheries between Wellfleet and Orleans. 

 While this may seem to give theoretically the advantage to Eastham, 



