﻿NOTES 
  ON 
  CLAM-CULTURE. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  clams 
  as 
  food 
  for 
  man 
  

   and 
  as 
  bait 
  in 
  the 
  line 
  fisheries, 
  it 
  is 
  deemed 
  desirable 
  to 
  append 
  a 
  

   few 
  facts 
  relating 
  to 
  them 
  and 
  to 
  their 
  culture. 
  

  

  Two 
  species 
  are 
  in 
  common 
  use 
  upon 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast, 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  

   also 
  being 
  an 
  introduced 
  S])ecies 
  upon 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast. 
  The 
  quahog, 
  

   hard 
  clam 
  or 
  round 
  clam 
  {Mercenaria 
  mercenaria), 
  is 
  i^erhaps 
  the 
  more 
  

   important. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  "clam" 
  of 
  the 
  markets 
  of 
  i!^^ew 
  York, 
  Philadel- 
  

   phia, 
  and 
  southward, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  utilized 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  in 
  New 
  

   England. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  heavy-shelled 
  form 
  living 
  on 
  the 
  muddy 
  bottoms, 
  

   principally 
  below 
  low-water 
  mark, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  taken 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  rakes 
  

   or 
  by 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  " 
  treading 
  out," 
  the 
  clammer 
  wading 
  about 
  and 
  

   feeling 
  for 
  the 
  clams 
  with 
  his 
  toes 
  and 
  then 
  picking 
  them 
  up 
  by 
  hand 
  

   or 
  with 
  a 
  short 
  rake. 
  

  

  The 
  loug 
  clam 
  or 
  mananose 
  {Mya 
  arcnaria) 
  is 
  the 
  principal 
  species 
  in 
  

   the 
  markets 
  north 
  of 
  Xew 
  York, 
  and, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  comparative 
  

   lightness 
  of 
  its 
  sliell, 
  is 
  often 
  called 
  the 
  '-soft" 
  clam. 
  This 
  species 
  Avas 
  

   introduced 
  on 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  with 
  oysters 
  brought 
  from 
  the 
  East, 
  

   and 
  has 
  now 
  become 
  widely 
  distributed 
  there 
  and 
  an 
  imijortant 
  food 
  

   product. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  iirincipally 
  on 
  saudy 
  shores 
  or 
  in 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  sand 
  

   and 
  mud, 
  between 
  tide 
  marks. 
  Its 
  long 
  siphons 
  permit 
  it 
  to 
  burrow 
  

   to 
  a 
  considerable 
  depth, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  dug 
  from 
  its 
  burrows 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  

   spades, 
  stout 
  forks, 
  or 
  heavy 
  hoes 
  or 
  rakes. 
  

  

  The 
  soft 
  clam 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  only 
  species 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  

   object 
  of 
  attempted 
  cultivation, 
  although 
  no 
  doubt 
  the 
  quahog 
  is 
  

   equally 
  favorable 
  for 
  the 
  experiment. 
  

  

  In 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  tho 
  soft 
  shell 
  clam 
  spawns 
  from 
  about 
  September 
  

   10 
  to 
  October 
  20. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  of 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  size 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   oyster, 
  and 
  in 
  their 
  early 
  development 
  pass 
  through 
  practically 
  the 
  

   same 
  stages. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  free-swimming 
  stage 
  the 
  clam 
  is 
  still 
  

   very 
  small. 
  It 
  settles 
  to 
  the 
  bottom, 
  but 
  instead 
  of 
  becoming 
  attached 
  

   to 
  shells 
  or 
  other 
  firm 
  bodies 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  it 
  soon 
  burrows 
  into 
  the 
  bot- 
  

   tom 
  until 
  it 
  is 
  comjiletely 
  hidden 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  

   siphons, 
  through 
  which 
  it 
  derives 
  its 
  supply 
  of 
  food 
  and 
  oxygen 
  from 
  

   the 
  currents 
  of 
  water 
  induced 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  cells 
  provided 
  with 
  hair- 
  

   like 
  processes 
  (cilia). 
  Upon 
  very 
  soft 
  bottom 
  the 
  young 
  clam, 
  like 
  the 
  

   young 
  oyster, 
  is 
  liable 
  to 
  become 
  suftbcated 
  in 
  the 
  mud, 
  but 
  as 
  it 
  grows 
  

  

  339 
  

  

  