OF MASSACHUSETTS. 219 



Buzzards Bay. 



The section of Massachusetts bordering the shores of Buzzards Bay 

 supports a flourishing' quahaug, oyster and scallop fishery, capable of 

 great development. The clam industry, however, never very extensive, 

 is of very slight significance at present, and can never attain the same 

 degree of importance as the other shellfisheries, owing to the limited 

 area available for clams. To those familiar with the harbors of New- 

 buryport and Duxbury and their vast tidal flats with their latent possi- 

 bilities, the shores of Buzzards Bay present indeed a notable contrast. 

 Bluff and hilly for the most part, and frequently rocky, nowhere do 

 they show extensive flats suitable for clam culture. That clams grow 

 wherever opportunity permits is evident, for they are found on gravelly 

 stretches or among rocks all along the coast, except in those localities 

 openly exposed to the full force of the sea. But allowing for all 

 possible favorable features, the lack of any considerable territory is a 

 disadvantage that will forever act as a barrier to any expansion. 

 Falmouth and Dartmouth on the east and west sides of Buzzards Bay 

 respectively differ materially from the remaining towns of the district, 

 in the fact that the characteristic soil of their clam grounds is sand ; 

 while the other towns have little in the shape of available territory 

 except gravel stretches along the shores of coves, small areas of mud, 

 and the rocky beaches of points and headlands. The yearly output 

 hardly anywhere suffices for the needs of home consumption. Nowhere 

 is any attempt at exportation possible. The business, such as it is, 

 is carried on in a very intermittent fashion, chiefly in the summer, 

 with but a small investment of capital. 



Special local regulation seems to remain aloof from the problem of 

 insuring a future clam supply. That the combined area of all the 

 towns of Buzzards Bay does not equal that of a single town in the 

 Cape Ann district is an undeniable truth; but the fact nevertheless 

 remains that an industry far more considerable than exists at present 

 could be supported, and it is truly to the interest of the towns of this 

 region to make the best possible use of their limited advantages. 



Falmouth. 



Falmouth has a long coast line not only on Buzzards Bay but also on 

 Vineyard Sound. The flats at North and West Falmouth on the bay 

 side are similar to those of Wareham and Bourne, though there are 

 several small patches of quite good digging. On the southern shore 

 there are clams scattered along the coasts of the various indentations, 

 particularly at Waquoit Bay. 



