OYSTERS, CLAMS, AND OTHER MOLLUSKS 251 



tor muscle of the scallop be eaten, but finds no objec- 

 tion to the eating of whole oysters. The remainder of 

 the scallop is edible and has an agreeable flavor but 

 nevertheless does not find use as food. The scallop 

 openers become very skilful and are usually able to 

 cut the eyes from fifteen bushels in a day, thus ob- 

 taining about eleven gallons of scallop eyes. 



Scallop eyes are usually soaked in fresh water 

 before they are marketed. In this way the large 

 plump eyes demanded by the trade are obtained. Un- 

 fortunately this treatment greatly reduces the length 

 of tijme the scallops may be kept without spoilage, 

 and thus makes it impossible to ship them great dis- 

 tances. Notwithstanding this, the practice of plump- 

 ing is practically universal. Probably the fishermen's 

 greediness has as much to do with the continuance 

 of the practice as anything else, for a gallon of fresh 

 scallops upon being plumped becomes a gallon and a 

 half, thus increasing the apparent quantity of 

 scallops by fifty per cent. 



Because of their larger size, sea scallops are more 

 valuable than bay scallops. Formerly it was thought 

 that these scallops occurred only from Massachusetts 

 northward, but in recent years large beds have been 

 found along the coast of Long Island, and off the 

 coasts of New Jersey and North Carolina. The fish- 

 ing methods are similar to those just described, ex- 

 cept that larger dredges and boats are used. Large 

 trawl nets are also used in the Southern fisheries. 



Portland, New York, and Boston are the best mar- 

 kets for scallops. 



