134 Maine: agricujIvTural, Experiment station. 191 i. 



Last year this Station conducted an investigation of the 

 oyster situation in the State and the results of the examinations 

 were given in Official Inspections 30. It was shown in this pub- 

 lication that the best oysters upon the market contained but lit- 

 tle over 3 per cent of free liquid; that is, liquid which would 

 drain from the oysters through a colander in about 10 minutes. 

 If oysters were iced or watered the free liquid would run up as 

 high as over 40 per cent. No distinctions were made in price 

 between the oysters that carried from 3 to 4 per cent free liquid 

 and those which carried from 30 to 40 per cent. No prosecu- 

 tions were made as a result of the findings of last year, but the 

 dealers were warned in many cases that a repetition of our find- 

 ings would mean a fine under the food laws. At the beginning 

 of the present oyster season our inspectors collected in various 

 parts of the State a considerable number of samples of oysters. 

 It was gratifying to note that the percentage of oysters carry- 

 ing the small amount of free liquid had largely increased over 

 that of last year. A numiber of dealers were found, however, 

 and among them several who had been warned the year before, 

 who were still selling oysters that carried from 30 to 40 per cent 

 free liquid. In all such cases hearings were appointed and 

 prosecutions begun. In almost every instance the dealer plead 

 guilty and paid the fine. 



At the same time that the inspectors were collecting the sam- 

 ples of oysters, a large number of samples of opened clams 

 were collected and from the results obtained upon these samples 

 it is evident that at the beginning of the present season the clam 

 situation was in about the same position as the oyster situa- 

 tion was two years ago. Of the scores of clam samples 

 analyzed during the past two seasons the lowest amount 

 of -free liquid found was 9.4 per cent. The highest amount 

 found was 44.5 per cent — ^^almost half free liquid. By far the 

 largest portion of the clam samples carried over 30 per cent of 

 free liquid. Investigations into the method of digging, prepar- 

 ing and handling clams have been made, and it is found that 

 the practice is in general as follows : 



A large dealer will often have as many as 50 or 60 diggers 

 who work for him alone. The clams are dug during the day 

 time, taken to the home of the digger and during the evening 

 the whole family enters into the work of opening the clams. 

 Before being opened the clams are usually washed in sea water 



