12 



BIOLOGICAL REPORT 31 



statement represents the full system utilization that 

 continues, except that residential development be- 

 gan supplanting fanning as the major nonurban land 

 use, and much of the farmland of Thoreau's day is 

 now reforested (currently 61% of the land is for- 

 ested). 



In the 1 600 , s and 1 700"s major uses of the bay- 

 watershed were, as stated, related to farming and 

 fishing. The bay not only provided harvest but was 

 also the major mode of transport, especially given 

 the sandy roads of the region. Farming was on a 

 relatively small scale, primarily for subsistence, 

 through the 1 8th century. Corn was the principal 

 crop and served not only as a source of food but 

 also as currency. Wheat was not prevalent as it did 

 not grow well and suffered from mildew; however, 

 rye was successfully grown along with onions and 

 beans. Sheep were especially important during this 

 early period as they provided both mutton and wool 

 for clothing that "made up in durability what they 

 lacked in grace" (Kitteridge 1930). 



Standing at the land and sea interface, the salt 

 marshes of Buzzards Bay provided for major ex- 

 ploitations of farming and fishing. These marshes 

 were used throughout New England as a source of 

 the salt marsh hay. Spar Una patens. Marsh haying 

 was important to early settlers as the economy of 

 the region was largely dependent on animals. The 

 abundance of salt hay provided a ready source of 

 food and fodder for oxen, horses, cattle, and sheep. 

 Salt hay was also used as packing material and in- 

 sulation for the "ice houses." After years of com- 

 mon ownership, the marshes were divided up into 

 private ownership, bought and sold much like house 

 or wood lots. Salt haying along Buzzards Bay pro- 

 gressively diminished with increased availability of 

 cultivated hay from inland areas and largely stopped 

 after the "Portland Storm" in 1 898. Ice rafting during 

 this major winter storm destroyed most of the posts, 

 known as hay staddles, upon which salt hay was 

 set to dry above the flooding tides. In recent times 

 the high quality of salt hay as a garden mulch, 

 relatively free of weed seeds, has renewed demand. 



The watershed was deforested by the 1 8th cen- 

 tury by the combined effects of agriculture and the 

 need for wood for cooking and heating as the 



population grew. The uncut forested watershed ob- 

 served by Gosnold survives only in isolated patches. 

 Substantial amounts of wood were also cut to fuel 

 fires for the production of salt through evaporation 

 of seawater, an important local industry providing 

 salt for the curing of the abundant fish collected from 

 nearshore and offshore waters. In 1 863 a fertilizer 

 factory based on the use offish was established in 

 Woods Hole, with Buzzards Bay to supply much of 

 the required menhaden (Brevoortia tyr annus) (the 

 9,072 1 annually required was more than could be 

 caught from the bay alone, however, so it was 

 supplemented by catch from other waters) (Fawsett 

 1990). 



Unlike in Cape Cod Bay, there are no reports 

 of the occasional pilot whale beachings on Buzzards 

 Bay shores, which provided a safer and easier 

 source of whale products for the local residents. 

 The larger-scale commercial whaling industry from 

 the early to late 1 800's, however, was a bay-wide 

 enterprise with whaling ships being built in or sailing 

 from New Bedford on the west. Woods Hole on 

 the east, and Wareham at the head of the bay. The 

 substantial profit to be gained from whaling encour- 

 aged many sea captains to settle in the towns around 

 the bay. Baleen, being strong but elastic, was a valu- 

 able commodity for corsets, fishing poles, and the 

 like. Even more important was the harvest of all 

 species of whales for their oil. Whale oil was highly 

 prized for lamps, and the waxy residue from pro- 

 cessing of this oil, known as "spermacetti" (sperm 

 whales supply the purest and largest quantities of 

 oil), was equally valuable for making wax candles. 

 These candles burned twice as long as traditional 

 candles made from mutton, beef, bear, or deer fat; 

 in fact, the pure flame given off by spermacetti 

 candles was long used as a standard measure for 

 artificial light. "One candle-power" was identified 

 as the amount of light given off by one pure 

 spermacetti candle weighing 28 g. 



The demand for spermacetti resulted in the con- 

 struction of a candle house in Woods Hole in 1 836, 

 at the height of the whaling industry. Woods Hole, a 

 village of Falmouth, was already an important sea- 

 port, and although much smaller than the other sea- 

 ports of New Bedford, Provincetown, Truro, and 



