REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 19 
general conclusion seems to be warranted, namely, that the 
especially productive areas are not the same from year to year. 
VIIL. A Contrinvrep INVESTIGATION OF THE LirEe-HISTORY OF THE 
Ciam. Mertruops or ARTIFICIAL PROPAGATION AND CULTIVA- 
TION. 
This investigation has been continued, with the laboratory at 
Wickford as headquarters, and experiments have been conducted 
in other parts of the Bay. The work this year has been based 
upon the observations and experiments made during the two 
previous years upon the natural history of this shell-fish. Your 
honorable body granted permission to this commission to have 
for experiment three acres of land between high and low tide, on 
which to conduct experiments on a larger scale than was hereto- 
fore warranted by our knowledge of the methods of clam-culture ; 
and an account of the same will appear in the following pages. 
In this work the commission had the co-operation of the United 
States Fish Commission, and has been the recipient of many 
courtesies from gentlemen owning land bordering the shores. 
In the following paper will be found the results of the investi- 
gations of the past season. 
