310 Our Food Mollusks 



estimating this area at 50,000 square feet set with clams 

 at least 1,000 per square foot, we have the enormous 

 total of 50,000,000 young clams. Averaging, as I found, 

 about 3,000 per quart, there are about 17,000 quarts, 

 which is over 500 bushels of young clams. The produc- 

 ing power after two years' time, of these 500 bushels we 

 may scarcely estimate. From certain productive flats 

 less than 500 two-year-old clams filled a bushel basket. 

 This young set on Rowley Reef goes 100,000 per bushel. 

 If all were thriving after two years, we would find a 

 gain in volume of 160; i.e., if to-day we were to plant 1 

 bushel of this set, within two years we would be able 

 to die: over 160 bushels of fair-sized, marketable clams. 

 Many of these clams, even if carefully transplanted, 

 would die; yet, if but a half survive, the gain in volume 

 of even 80 bushels is enormous. 



" Near the center of the most thickly set area I found 

 a tidal pool, roughly 12 feet long by 6 feet wide, and 

 about 15 inches deep. At first sight it seemed but an 

 inch or two deep, but upon wading into it I sank to my 

 knees. Imagine my surprise when I found it was not 

 mud into which I sank, but a mass of living clams. 

 Here were more than 60 cubic feet of solid clams. 



" The first day I visited the reef I dug a short trench, 

 about 15 feet long, across a portion of this thickly set 

 flat. The day following I found several pailfuls of 

 young clams gathered by the force of the water into clean 

 heaps. When such natural tide pools fail in their sup- 

 ply, it is possible to dig others, and, by turning over the 

 thickly seeded flat, to let the tides and waves fill the new 

 pools with the dislodged clams." 



Verv little attention has been paid to these collections 

 by clammers, but they are well worth careful observa- 



