﻿340 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  larger 
  its 
  powers 
  of 
  locomotiou, 
  which, 
  though 
  limited 
  in 
  degree, 
  persist 
  

   throughout 
  life, 
  enable 
  it 
  to 
  extricate 
  itself. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  its 
  free-living 
  habit, 
  the 
  methods 
  in 
  use 
  for 
  catching 
  oyster 
  

   spat 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  utilized 
  for 
  the 
  growing 
  of 
  seed 
  clams. 
  Although 
  so 
  

   far 
  as 
  known 
  no 
  successful 
  attempt 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  obtain 
  clam 
  si)at, 
  

   it 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  a 
  moderately 
  soft 
  bottom 
  naturally 
  devoid 
  of 
  

   clams 
  could 
  be 
  made 
  available 
  by 
  covering 
  it 
  with 
  a 
  coating 
  of 
  sand 
  of 
  

   sufticient 
  depth 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  sinking 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  

   stages 
  after 
  it 
  falls 
  to 
  the 
  bottom. 
  Later 
  in 
  life 
  they 
  are 
  better 
  able 
  to 
  

   care 
  for 
  themselves. 
  

  

  In 
  certain 
  places 
  the 
  planting 
  of 
  seed 
  clams 
  has 
  been 
  attended 
  with 
  

   some 
  success, 
  as 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  account: 
  

  

  Quite 
  au 
  iuteresting 
  feature 
  iu 
  couuectioii 
  with 
  the 
  clam 
  fisheries 
  at 
  Essex, 
  Mass., 
  

   was 
  fouud 
  iu 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  chim-culture. 
  In 
  1888 
  an 
  act 
  was 
  passed 
  by 
  the 
  legisbiture 
  

   authorizing 
  the 
  selectmen 
  of 
  the 
  town 
  to 
  stake 
  off 
  in 
  lots 
  of 
  I 
  acre 
  or 
  less 
  each 
  of 
  

   the 
  flats 
  along 
  the 
  Esses 
  River, 
  and 
  let 
  them 
  to 
  persons 
  desiring 
  to 
  plant 
  clams 
  for 
  a 
  

   rental 
  of 
  $2 
  per 
  acre 
  or 
  lot 
  for 
  five 
  years 
  and 
  an 
  additional 
  fee 
  of 
  50 
  cents. 
  Thus 
  

   far 
  374^ 
  acres 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  up 
  and 
  seeded 
  with 
  clams. 
  Small 
  clams 
  are 
  dug 
  on 
  

   the 
  natural 
  beds 
  and 
  planted 
  on 
  these 
  hitherto 
  unproductive 
  flats. 
  About 
  500 
  

   bushels 
  are 
  required 
  to 
  plant 
  an 
  acre 
  properly. 
  During 
  the 
  first 
  two 
  years 
  (1889 
  and 
  

   1890) 
  the 
  people 
  were 
  slow 
  to 
  avail 
  themselves 
  of 
  the 
  jirivilege 
  of 
  planting 
  for 
  fear 
  

   that 
  after 
  they 
  had 
  spent 
  their 
  time 
  and 
  labor 
  they 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  secure 
  i)ro- 
  

   tection 
  from 
  trespassers. 
  But 
  iu 
  1891 
  and 
  1892 
  lots 
  were 
  obtained 
  and 
  planted. 
  

   The 
  principal 
  difficulty 
  encountered 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  the 
  clams 
  by 
  the 
  sand 
  

   washing 
  over 
  them, 
  the 
  bottom 
  in 
  some 
  localities 
  being 
  soft 
  and 
  shifting. 
  In 
  1892 
  

   there 
  were 
  25 
  acres 
  that 
  were 
  quite 
  productive, 
  about 
  one-third 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  catch 
  

   of 
  the 
  section 
  being 
  obtained 
  from 
  them. 
  The 
  catch 
  from 
  these 
  lots 
  is 
  not 
  definitely 
  

   known, 
  but 
  is 
  estimated 
  at 
  about 
  2,500 
  barrels. 
  

  

  The 
  cultivated 
  clams 
  possess 
  some 
  advantage 
  over 
  the 
  natural 
  growth 
  from 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  uuilorm 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  are 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  

   clams. 
  They 
  bring 
  $1.75 
  per 
  barrel, 
  while 
  the 
  natural 
  clams 
  sell 
  for 
  $1.50 
  per 
  barrel 
  

   This 
  is 
  the 
  price 
  received 
  by 
  the 
  catchers. 
  One 
  acre 
  of 
  these 
  clams 
  is 
  considered 
  to 
  

   be 
  worth 
  $1,000 
  if 
  well 
  seeded 
  and 
  favorably 
  located 
  so 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  danger 
  of 
  

   being 
  submerged 
  with 
  sand. 
  This 
  valuation 
  would 
  be 
  too 
  high 
  for 
  an 
  average, 
  since 
  

   all 
  the 
  acres 
  are 
  not 
  equally 
  well 
  seeded 
  and 
  located. 
  The 
  clammers 
  are 
  generally 
  

   impressed 
  that 
  the 
  industry 
  cau 
  be 
  extensively 
  and 
  profitably 
  developed, 
  and 
  their 
  

   only 
  fear 
  is 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  secure 
  lots 
  permanently. 
  The 
  greater 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  land 
  available 
  for 
  this 
  purpose 
  is 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  deeds 
  of 
  peojile 
  owning 
  farms 
  

   along 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  the 
  consent 
  of 
  the 
  land-owners 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  obtained 
  before 
  lots 
  

   can 
  be 
  taken 
  up. 
  It 
  seems 
  probable, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  business 
  will 
  continue 
  to 
  

   progress 
  unless 
  checked 
  by 
  complications 
  that 
  may 
  arise 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  occupancy 
  

   of 
  the 
  grounds. 
  — 
  Report 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  1894, 
  pp. 
  139, 
  140. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  hoped 
  that 
  these 
  planted 
  clams 
  would 
  propagate 
  on 
  the 
  new 
  

   beds, 
  but 
  the 
  expectation 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  realized, 
  owing, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  to 
  the 
  

   unsuitableness 
  of 
  the 
  bottom, 
  a 
  fact 
  which 
  would 
  also 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  

   absence 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  iu 
  the 
  first 
  place. 
  

  

  The 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  soft 
  clam 
  is 
  quite 
  rapid, 
  and 
  Dr. 
  Eyder 
  has 
  shown 
  

   that 
  at 
  St. 
  Jerome 
  Creek, 
  Maryland, 
  the 
  shells 
  reach 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  between 
  

   1^ 
  and 
  11 
  inches 
  within 
  several 
  months 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  spawning. 
  

  

  