146 THE MOLLUSK FISHERIES 



Owing to the shallow water, most of the work is done by tonging. 

 Flat scows, 25 by 10 feet, are generally used for this work, as they 

 afford excellent footing for the oysterman in tonging and plenty of 

 room for the oysters. These scows, which have a capacity of 100 

 bushels, can be anchored by stakes or iron piping, and definite areas 

 covered by the tonger. In the fall the oystermen make their " culls " 

 on these scows. Chatham is the only town in Massachusetts where 

 scows are in general use. Dredging is done only to a limited extent 

 by 3 oystermen, the others all using tongs. Twenty men are engaged 

 from four to six months of the year in the oyster business at Chatham. 



The production for 1906-07 was 14,550 bushels, valued at $23,987. 

 The oyster industry has been increasing every year, the production for 

 1906-07 being one-third more than the 1905-06 output. The oystermen 

 are unanimous in saying that the oyster business of Chatham is steadily 

 improving. 



No " seed " oysters are raised in Chatham, as no large set has ever 

 been caught, and all attempts in this line have proved unsuccessful. 

 All the " seed " oysters are brought from Greenport, L. I. These run 

 from two to four years old, the larger oysters being preferred. As a 

 rule, oystermen are forced to take what they can get when they buy seed. 



The only natural enemy which infests the Chatham oyster is the 

 oyster drill (Urosalpinx cinerea). The damage done by this pest is 

 slight, amounting to nearly $S00 annually. 



Harwich. 



No oyster industry is now carried on in the town of Harwich. A 

 natural oyster bed once existed in Herring River, and occasionally a 

 few oysters can be picked up at the present time; but the bed is prac- 

 tically fished out. This bed once extended a distance of three-quarters 

 of a mile in the lower part of the river. 



In 1824 an act was passed to prevent " the wilful destruction of 

 oysters and other shellfish in the town of Harwich," which shows that 

 even as early as 1824 the natural bed in Herring River was on the 

 verge of depletion. 



Dennis and Yarmouth. 



The oyster industries of Dennis and Yarmouth are so connected 

 that they will have to be considered as belonging to one town. 



Four grants have been leased in the two towns, but only 2 of these 

 are worked. Three grants are situated in Bass River, while the fourth, 

 which is not operated, owing to the shifting sand, lies outside Dog 

 Fish Bar. The 2 grants which are worked are situated in Bass River, 

 and comprise an area of 10 acres of hard bottom, all of which is suit- 

 able for oyster culture. The Bass River grants, which are taxed at 

 the valuation of $1,000 apiece, expire in 1914. 



Mill Creek, in West Yarmouth, one of the most valuable shellfish 

 areas in the town, originally contained a natural oyster bed which 

 extended from the mouth of the creek up for 1,000 feet, comprising 



