THE CLAM INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 587 



opposite end of the trough and through hot water which causes the clams to 

 gape. The motion of the rack shakes the meats out. When the meats and shells 

 reach the opposite end, jets of cold water are played upon the meats to cool 

 them rapidly in order to prevent them from becoming tough. The meats are 

 then picked off the frame and placed in large pans while the shells pass on and 

 are dumped outdoors. 



The meats are then dressed and cleaned. This is accomplished by splitting 

 them on one side with scissors so that they are opened wide. The dark mass near 

 the end of the siphon which contains much sand and dirt is clipped off. The 

 cut meats are washed in a special washing machine, consisting usually of a cylin- 

 drical perforated drum which revolves half a turn in one direction and then half 

 a turn in the opposite direction. The siphon and side walls are cut away from 

 the washed meats and discarded, and the stomach is slit open and cleaned out. 

 The cleaned, dressed meats are minced in a meat grinder. The ground meats are 

 placed in the hopper of an automatic filling machine which feeds the desired 

 quantity of clam meat into the cans which pass under it on an endless belt. Some 

 of the juice of the clams which runs out during the dressing process is added to 

 the filled cans. The tops of the cans are put in place and the cans are exhausted 

 at about 210° F (99° C) for about 8 minutes. The tops are then sealed and the 

 cans are processed at about 220° F (104° C). One-pound cans are processed for 

 90 minutes, and half-pound cans are heated for 70 minutes. After processing, 

 the cans are quickly cooled with streams of cold water to prevent the clam meat 

 from becoming tough. 



Clam Nectar. During the grinding of the meats of clams a considerable quan- 

 tity of liquid is expressed. Although some liquor is added to each can, a consid- 

 erable surplus remains. This is canned separately and sold as clam nectar. The 

 hot liquor is placed in 1-pound cans which are then sealed and sterilized. If the 

 liquor is cold when canned, the cans are exhausted before sealing in the same 

 manner as in the canning of razor clams. The 1-pound cans of nectar are cooked 

 in an autoclave for an hour at 240° F (116° C). 



Clam liquor is also obtained from clams of the genus Donax, too small for 

 utilization in any other way. 



Clam Chowder. Clam chowder for canning is usually prepared from the hard 

 or quahog clam inasmuch as this clam possesses a pronounced clam flavor. If 

 milk is used as an ingredient in the preparation of chowder, it is necessary to add 

 small quantities of a citrate or phosphate to prevent separation. 



The preparation of clam chowder has been described by Cobb (1919). The 

 formula includes the following proportions: 2500 quahog clams, 25 pounds of 

 bacon, 25 pounds of white potatoes, 7 pounds of onions, 25 pounds of toma- 

 toes, /4 pound of chopped parsley, Je pound of thyme, 1 ounce of sweet mar- 

 joram, 1 pound of salt, /2 pound of ground white pepper, and 15 gallons of water. 

 The clams are thoroughly washed, drained, and chopped; potatoes and bacon 

 are diced; then all ingredients are boiled for 10 minutes, after which the whole 

 is placed in cans and sealed. When filling the cans it is necessary to stir constantly. 

 The No. 3 cans are processed for 80 minutes at 250° F (121° C); quart cans are 

 processed for 50 minutes at the same temperature. 



Condensed clam chowder is prepared by the same formula, except only half 

 the above quantity of water is used. The cans are filled with the solids, and the 



