246 THE WEALTH OF THE SEA 



About that time the little-necks or small quahogs 

 came into favor, and the demand soon grew so great 

 that the natural clam beds could scarcely supply it. 

 The hard clam fishery is an important one in Massa- 

 chusetts, Rhode Island, New York, North Carolina, 

 and Florida. There are still many great beds of these 

 clams along the coasts of the Southern States that 

 have never been disturbed. 



Inasmuch as quahogs are usually found in rather 

 deep water, much more complicated equipment is 

 required for their taking than for soft clams. Where 

 the clams are taken in relatively shallow water, 

 various t3rpes of rakes are used. For deeper water, 

 small dredges are in common use. Both rakes and 

 dredges are operated from boats. As soon as the clams 

 are brought ashore, they are washed and graded. In 

 Massachusetts, the quahogs are graded into small 

 and large "little-necks," medium and large "sharps," 

 and large "blunts." The little-necks are the smallest 

 and most valuable grade. Blunts and sharps are 

 alike except for the difference in the thickness of the 

 edge of the shell. The blunts are thick-lipped and 

 have a somewhat heavier shell than the sharps, which 

 have sharp edges. Little-necks vary from 1.5 to 3 

 inches in length, whereas medium sharps and blunts 

 range from 3 to 3.75 inches and large ones from 3.75 

 inches up. 



If the market is dull, the quahogs are often either 

 bedded in sand or spread on floats submerged in pro- 

 tected waters. The clammer has only to spread his 

 clams out on a tidal flat, and they will burrow into 

 the sand and continue their growth. The use of 



