﻿216 
  

  

  EEPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  other 
  regions 
  it 
  is 
  many 
  times 
  as 
  great, 
  yet 
  the 
  difference 
  between 
  these 
  

   two 
  localities 
  was 
  great 
  enough 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  decided 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  

   rate 
  of 
  growth. 
  

  

  About 
  5,000 
  clams 
  were 
  planted 
  here, 
  but 
  unfortunatel}" 
  for 
  our 
  

   comparison 
  with 
  the 
  other 
  beds, 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  of 
  smaller 
  size 
  than 
  

   in 
  that 
  region. 
  A 
  very 
  large 
  number, 
  however, 
  were 
  1-| 
  inches 
  long 
  

   when 
  planted, 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  this 
  size 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  beds 
  alreadj^ 
  

   described. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  case 
  the 
  approximate 
  increase 
  in 
  clams 
  of 
  this 
  

   size 
  was 
  556 
  per 
  cent, 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  Til 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  We 
  find, 
  as 
  would 
  be 
  expected, 
  that 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  growth 
  is 
  

   greater 
  in 
  the 
  smallest 
  clams 
  planted. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  table, 
  clams 
  If 
  

   inches 
  long 
  when 
  planted, 
  increased 
  556 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  the 
  year, 
  while 
  

   those 
  2f 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  increased 
  28 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  This 
  

   is 
  illustrated 
  in 
  figures 
  9 
  and 
  10. 
  In 
  each 
  figure 
  the 
  upper 
  clam 
  is 
  

   of 
  the 
  size 
  planted, 
  the 
  lower 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  mean 
  after 
  a 
  year's 
  

   growth. 
  The 
  clams 
  in 
  figure 
  9 
  were 
  planted 
  in 
  a 
  more 
  favorable 
  

   locality 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  case, 
  but 
  the 
  result 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  much 
  

   the 
  same 
  if 
  both 
  had 
  grown 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  bed. 
  Under 
  the 
  most 
  favor- 
  

   able 
  circumstances 
  a 
  growth 
  of 
  several 
  years 
  must 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   produce 
  a 
  6-inch 
  clam 
  — 
  and 
  individuals 
  of 
  that 
  length 
  are 
  sometimes 
  

   found. 
  

  

  A 
  point 
  of 
  practical 
  significance 
  in 
  this 
  connection 
  is 
  that 
  clams 
  from 
  

   1 
  to 
  1.5 
  inches 
  in 
  length, 
  which 
  are 
  much 
  too 
  small 
  for 
  sale, 
  ma}^ 
  in 
  

   the 
  course 
  of 
  a 
  year, 
  when 
  not 
  too 
  greatly 
  crowded, 
  reach 
  a 
  fair 
  

   marketable 
  size. 
  Now 
  on 
  most 
  clam 
  beaches 
  and 
  flats 
  areas 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  

   found 
  on 
  which 
  these 
  small 
  clams 
  are 
  so 
  closely 
  crowded 
  that 
  growth 
  

   is 
  hardl}^ 
  possible. 
  Sometimes 
  these 
  areas 
  are 
  suddenly 
  depopulated, 
  

   and 
  sometimes 
  they 
  exist 
  for 
  years 
  with 
  little 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  average 
  

   size. 
  If 
  these 
  clams 
  were 
  dug 
  and 
  properl}^ 
  spaced, 
  the 
  increase 
  would 
  

   certainly 
  be 
  very 
  great. 
  There 
  would 
  usually, 
  of 
  course, 
  be 
  no 
  object 
  

   in 
  planting 
  clams 
  much 
  more 
  than 
  2 
  inches 
  long. 
  

  

  The 
  spacing 
  of 
  dams. 
  — 
  Another 
  fact 
  must 
  be 
  noticed 
  in 
  connection 
  

   with 
  the 
  increase 
  shown 
  in 
  these 
  tables. 
  All 
  these 
  clams 
  were 
  planted 
  

   close 
  together 
  for 
  this 
  region. 
  Five 
  were 
  placed 
  on 
  every 
  square 
  foot. 
  

   The 
  beds, 
  also, 
  and 
  there 
  were 
  17 
  of 
  them, 
  were 
  all 
  placed 
  as 
  closely 
  

   as 
  possible. 
  Without 
  doubt 
  if 
  the 
  clams 
  had 
  been 
  more 
  widely 
  spaced 
  

   growth 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  still 
  more 
  rapid. 
  A 
  good 
  clam 
  ground 
  would 
  

   probal)ly 
  support 
  several 
  times 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  this. 
  

  

  