﻿212 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISB. 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  a 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  actual 
  supply 
  on 
  the 
  beds, 
  for 
  since 
  that 
  time 
  sales 
  

   have 
  increased, 
  until 
  in 
  1898 
  Maine 
  marketed 
  1,109,936 
  bushels. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  mentioned 
  to 
  show 
  that, 
  while 
  a 
  ta})le 
  of 
  market 
  sales 
  usually 
  

   may 
  indicate 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  beds, 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  some 
  cases 
  in 
  

   which 
  it 
  will 
  not. 
  An 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  themselves, 
  however, 
  

   can 
  giv^e 
  onl}^ 
  an 
  approximate 
  and 
  incomplete 
  estimate 
  of 
  their 
  condi- 
  

   tion. 
  Where 
  this 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  the 
  indications 
  are 
  that, 
  with 
  the 
  

   exception 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  Maine, 
  these 
  tables 
  o-ave 
  a 
  correct 
  estimate 
  

   of 
  the 
  conditions 
  of 
  clam 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  States 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  

   of 
  their 
  compilation, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  decrease 
  has 
  been 
  more 
  rapid 
  since 
  

   that 
  time. 
  Long 
  Island, 
  too, 
  is 
  fast 
  repeating 
  the 
  experience 
  of 
  New 
  

   England. 
  Even 
  in 
  Maine, 
  the 
  beds 
  now 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  suffering 
  from 
  

   excessive 
  digging, 
  and 
  the 
  State, 
  in 
  1899, 
  passed 
  a 
  law 
  prohibiting 
  the 
  

   sale 
  of 
  clams 
  in 
  any 
  form 
  from 
  June 
  1 
  to 
  September 
  15 
  of 
  each 
  3^eai-. 
  

   I'rom 
  a 
  practical 
  standpoint, 
  then, 
  there 
  is 
  great 
  need 
  that 
  the 
  condi- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  growth 
  be 
  determined 
  by 
  experiment. 
  

  

  EXPERIMENTS. 
  

   METHODS 
  EMPLOYED. 
  

  

  The 
  beds 
  for 
  the 
  experiment 
  were 
  laid 
  out 
  at 
  Woods 
  Hole. 
  The 
  

   locality 
  was 
  not 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  that 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  selected, 
  for 
  

   the 
  beaches 
  are 
  narrow 
  and 
  almost 
  everj^where 
  ston}', 
  making 
  digging 
  

   difficult, 
  and 
  the 
  rise 
  and 
  fall 
  of 
  the 
  tide 
  is 
  not 
  great. 
  These 
  condi- 
  

   tions 
  made 
  planting 
  and 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  clams 
  very 
  difficult 
  also, 
  and 
  

   clams 
  for 
  planting 
  were 
  not 
  easilv 
  to 
  be 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  v^cinit3^ 
  The 
  

   locality 
  was 
  chosen 
  because 
  certain 
  short 
  strips 
  of 
  beach 
  are 
  controlled 
  

   by 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  and 
  upon 
  them 
  trespassing 
  could 
  

   be 
  prevented. 
  Because 
  conditions 
  of 
  grow^th 
  were 
  unfavorable, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  it 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  the 
  results 
  obtained 
  here 
  could 
  be 
  realized 
  

   almost 
  anywhere 
  where 
  clams 
  will 
  grow 
  at 
  all. 
  

  

  Clams 
  to 
  be 
  planted 
  were 
  collected 
  from 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  Buzzards 
  

   Bay 
  and 
  Vineyard 
  Sound. 
  Some 
  were 
  dug 
  at 
  West 
  Falmouth, 
  others 
  

   at 
  Mattapoisett 
  and 
  Hadley 
  Harbor, 
  while 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  were 
  taken 
  

   from 
  the 
  brackish 
  waters 
  of 
  Long 
  Pond, 
  east 
  of 
  Falmouth 
  Heights. 
  

  

  The 
  plan 
  was 
  to 
  prepare 
  beds 
  by 
  digging 
  clams 
  already 
  in 
  the 
  

   ground, 
  and 
  to 
  plant 
  small 
  clams 
  which 
  should 
  be 
  left 
  for 
  a 
  j^ear 
  before 
  

   being 
  removed. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  these 
  clams 
  was 
  determined 
  by 
  a 
  meas- 
  

   urement 
  of 
  every 
  individual. 
  They 
  were 
  measured 
  in 
  eighths 
  of 
  an 
  

   inch. 
  Those 
  of 
  a 
  size 
  were 
  collected 
  and 
  planted 
  together. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  necessary 
  that 
  there 
  should 
  be 
  some 
  means 
  of 
  determining 
  

   positively, 
  when 
  finally 
  removed, 
  lie 
  exact 
  position 
  of 
  clams 
  whose 
  

   size 
  had 
  been 
  determined 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  planting. 
  A 
  method 
  by 
  which 
  

   this 
  was 
  most 
  successfully 
  accomplished 
  was 
  devised 
  by 
  Dr. 
  H. 
  C. 
  

   Bumpus. 
  On 
  a 
  selected 
  area, 
  four 
  posts 
  were 
  driven 
  inclosing 
  a 
  space 
  

  

  