OFl^ICIAL INSPE^CTIONS 35. 135 



to remove sand and mud from the outside. There are two 

 methods employed in opening or shucking the clams. The best 

 method is to open them cold, as the clams have a better flavor 

 than those opened hot, as is sometimes practiced. In the latter 

 method the opener immerses his hands in hot w^ater or the 

 clams are put in hot water to make them open more easily. 

 The clam liquor is usually thrown away. The opened clams are 

 washed in fresh water and they are often allowed to stand in 

 this water over night until the wagon of the dealer comes 

 around in the morning to collect the catch of the preceding day. 

 This practice of soaking the opened clams in fresh water results 

 in a swelling of the clam meat in a manner similar to the result 

 obtained in the floating of oysters. The difference between the 

 fresh clam meat and clams which have been soaked is illus- 

 trated by two analyses recently made in our laboratory. Fresh 

 clams opened in the laboratory gave in dry matter fro'm the 

 drained meat 24.9 per cent of total solids. A sample analyzed 

 about the same time from a lot of clams which had been soaked 

 gave 15.9 per cent total dry matter, a difference of 9 per cent. 

 The dry matter in some of the clams which we analyzed ran as 

 low as 12 per cent. 



There is no reason why clams should not be sold in as solid 

 a condition as oysters are sold at the present time. Clams 

 which are properly dug, washed, opened, rinsed and drained 

 will not carry much, if any, more free liquid than the best 

 oysters which are found upon the market at the present time, 

 and clams which are not soaked in any way should contain at 

 least 20 per cent total dry matter. 



As in the case of oysters, the standards for opened clams in 

 force in this State do not contain any arbitrary figures for free 

 liquid or total solids. The standard reads as follows : "Opened 

 shell fish are from unpolluted beds and are opened, packed, and 

 shipped under sanitary conditions in sanitary containers with- 

 out the addition of water or direct contact with ice." 



The requirements of this standard are not ambiguous and 

 they can be easily followed by every dealer in shell fish in the 

 State if he wishes so to do. Thus far no prosecutions have 

 been made in regard to the clams obtained. The dealers are 

 warned, however, that prosecutions will be made in a manner 

 similar to the oyster prosecutions if in the future violations are 

 found. 



