112 THE SCALLOP FISHERY 



a flirt at the same moment throws back the upper shell. The second 

 motion tears the soft rim and visceral mass of the scallop and casts 

 it into the barrel, leaving the " eye " standing clear. A third move- 

 ment separates the " eye " from the shell arid casts it into a gallon 

 measure. Frequently the last two movements are slightly different. 

 The faster openers at the second motion merely tear off enough of the 

 rim to allow the separation of the " eye " from the shell, and on the 

 third movement cast the " eye " in the measure, while the shell with 

 its adhering soft parts is thrown into the refuse barrel. These last 

 two motions can hardly be separated, so quickly are they accomplished. 



(e) Shipment. The kegs in which the scallops are shipped cost 

 30 cents apiece, and contain about 7 gallons. A full keg is known 

 as a " package." The butter tubs are less expensive, but hold only 

 4 to 5 gallons. Indeed, anything which will hold scallops for shipment 

 is used to send them to market. 



When the scallops get to the market they are strained and weighed, 

 9 pounds being considered the weight of a gallon of meats. In this 

 way about 6 gallons are realized from every 7-gallon keg. With the 

 improved methods of modern times scallops can be shipped far west 

 or be held for months in cold storage, for which purpose unsoaked 

 scallops are required. Certain firms have tried this method of keeping 

 the catch until prices were high, but it has not been especially suc- 

 cessful. 



(/) Market. One of the greatest trials to the scallop fisherman 

 is the uncertainty of market returns when shipping. He does not 

 know the price he is to receive ; and, as the price depends on the supply 

 on the market, he may receive high wages or he may get scarcely any- 

 thing. The wholesale market alone can regulate the price, and the 

 fisherman is powerless. While this is hard on the scalloper, it does 

 not appear that at the present time anything can be done to remedy 

 the uncertainty of return. The scallop returns from the New York 

 market are usually higher than from the Boston market. The result 

 of this has been to give New York each year the greater part of the 

 scallop trade, and practically all the Nantucket and Edgartown scallops 

 are shipped to New York. 



Either from a feeling of loyalty, or because the market returns are 

 sooner forwarded, or because the express charges are less, Cape Cod 

 still ships to the Boston market, in spite of the better prices offered 

 in New York. Why so many Cape scallopers should continue to ship 

 to Boston, and resist the attractions of better prices, is impossible to 

 determine, and appears to be only a question of custom. 



(g) The Price. The price of scallops varies with the supply. The 

 demand is fairly constant, showing a slight but decided increase each 

 year. On the other hand, the supply is irregular, some years scallops 

 being plentiful, in other years scarce. 



