﻿210 
  RKroKT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

   KATE 
  OF 
  GllOWTH 
  OF 
  THE 
  YOUNG. 
  

  

  Whcji 
  fii»'ure 
  8 
  is 
  compared 
  with 
  tiour(> 
  7 
  it 
  is 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  increase 
  

   in 
  tiv»i 
  weeks 
  is 
  considerable. 
  Tiie 
  niaxiniuni 
  lencrth 
  on 
  July 
  10 
  was 
  

   11 
  mm., 
  on 
  August 
  1(>, 
  20 
  mm. 
  It 
  must 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  during 
  

   this 
  period 
  the 
  number 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  was 
  enormously 
  great. 
  In 
  one 
  

   region, 
  where 
  clams 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  most 
  crowded, 
  a 
  count 
  showed 
  an 
  

   average 
  of 
  1,100 
  to 
  the 
  square 
  foot 
  on 
  July 
  10. 
  With 
  so 
  great 
  a 
  

   number 
  the 
  food 
  supply 
  nuist 
  have 
  been 
  inadequate. 
  Growth 
  proba])ly 
  

   would 
  have 
  l)een 
  nuich 
  more 
  rapid 
  if 
  food 
  had 
  been 
  more 
  plentiful. 
  

   • 
  Several 
  thousand 
  clams 
  were 
  removed 
  from 
  these 
  beds 
  on 
  July 
  27 
  

   and 
  planted 
  below 
  low-water 
  mark 
  at 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  at 
  a 
  point 
  where 
  

   conditions 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  favorable. 
  They 
  Aven^ 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  swift 
  cur- 
  

   rent 
  where 
  no 
  other 
  clams 
  were 
  present. 
  For 
  some 
  reason 
  the 
  great 
  

   majority 
  soon 
  perished. 
  Mead 
  showed 
  thai 
  clams 
  planted 
  in 
  a 
  box 
  of 
  

   sand 
  suspended 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  from 
  a 
  houseboat 
  grew 
  faster 
  than 
  those 
  

   which 
  were 
  crowded 
  on 
  the 
  beach. 
  

  

  CONDITIONS 
  DETERMINING 
  EXISTENCE, 
  AND 
  THE 
  RAPIDITY 
  OF 
  

   GROWTH 
  ON 
  ARTIFICIAL 
  BEDS. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  been 
  shown 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  certain 
  detinite 
  conditions 
  which 
  

   are 
  necessary 
  for 
  growth 
  on 
  natural 
  beaches 
  and 
  flats, 
  and 
  that 
  when 
  

   these 
  conditions 
  arc 
  not 
  present 
  clams 
  can 
  not 
  live. 
  It 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  

   stated 
  that 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  on 
  the 
  bottom 
  depends 
  upon 
  

   peculiar 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  environment. 
  We 
  may 
  now 
  consider 
  a 
  series 
  

   of 
  experiments 
  designed 
  to 
  test 
  these 
  observations. 
  They 
  will 
  show 
  

   also 
  that 
  the 
  artificial 
  rearing 
  of 
  clams 
  may 
  l)e 
  accomplished 
  with 
  little 
  

   labor 
  and 
  at 
  small 
  expense. 
  Oyster 
  culture 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  

   though 
  nuich 
  more 
  simple 
  in 
  its 
  methods 
  than 
  in 
  Europe, 
  is 
  many 
  

   times 
  as 
  difficult 
  and 
  expensive 
  as 
  clar»i 
  culture 
  would 
  be, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   present 
  depleted 
  condition 
  of 
  our 
  shores 
  clams 
  arc 
  sometimes 
  worth 
  

   nearly 
  as 
  much 
  per 
  bushel 
  as 
  oysters. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  foregoing 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  clams, 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  a 
  

   study 
  of 
  such 
  cases 
  will 
  not 
  demonstrate 
  the 
  possibilities 
  of 
  clam 
  

   growth. 
  The 
  conditions 
  of 
  growth 
  arc 
  most 
  unfavorable 
  on 
  beds 
  so 
  

   greatly 
  crowded. 
  Early 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1899 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  artificial 
  

   beds 
  were 
  prepared, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  manj'^ 
  thousands 
  of 
  clams 
  

   were 
  planted 
  upon 
  them. 
  Beds 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  various 
  localities 
  where 
  

   the 
  surroundings 
  were 
  different, 
  and 
  each 
  was 
  left 
  undisturbed 
  for 
  

   a 
  3'ear. 
  

  

  The 
  main 
  objects 
  of 
  the 
  experiment 
  were 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  

   growth 
  under 
  as 
  many 
  difi'erent 
  conditions 
  as 
  possible 
  — 
  in 
  slow 
  as 
  

   compared 
  Avith 
  rapid 
  currents; 
  in 
  closely 
  crowded 
  and 
  thinly 
  planted 
  

   beds; 
  the 
  relative 
  amount 
  of 
  growth 
  of 
  small 
  and 
  large 
  clams; 
  growth 
  

   after 
  exposure 
  for 
  difi'erent 
  periods; 
  growth 
  after 
  a 
  transfer 
  from 
  

   brackish 
  to 
  salt 
  water, 
  etc. 
  

  

  