OF MASSACHUSETTS. 173 



What sized clams are best for planting? 



The size best adapted must be determined for each flat. Shore flats with 

 little current will allow the planting of any size, from % inch up; flats 

 with a swift current necessitate a larger clam (1 to 1% inches), as the 

 smaller will be washed out of its burrow; soft mud also demands a larger 

 clam, as the smaller will be stifled by the oozy silt. 



What are the physical conditions that influence the growth of clams? 



There appear at least three essential conditions for rapid growth of clams: 

 (1) a good current; (2) low and level flat; and (3) a tenacious soil, rela- 

 tively free from decaying matter. 



A low flat gives the clams longer feeding periods, as the water remains 

 over them longer, therefore there is a greater growth. This has been ex- 

 perimentally shown by Dr. A.. T). Mead. 



According to Prof. J. L. Kellogg, clams cannot do well in a soil which 

 contains much decaying organic matter, as the acids eat away the shells. 

 Soils of this description also facilitate the spread of infection from one 

 clam to another. 



Current is the chief essential for successful clam culture. The term 

 " current " does not imply a rapid flow of water, but rather a good circula- 

 tion of water over the flat. In the Essex and Ipswich rivers the clam flats 

 have a continuous current. On such flats the growth is more rapid than 

 on flats which have no circulation of water, in addition to the mere rise 

 and fall of the tide. The current performs the work of (1) keeping the 

 flats clean and carrying away all contamination, but its most important 

 work is as (2) food carrier. 



Value of a Clam Farm. — The value of an acre of clam flats, if 

 properly cultivated, is about $450 per year for the average clam flat. 

 Many of the more productive flats will yield a far greater amount, 

 while others will not jdeld as much. It has been often erroneously 

 stated that an acre of clam flats would produce $1,000 per year. This 

 is a decided overestimation, as it would be hardly possible for the most 

 productive flat to yield that amount. It is possible, however, for a 

 good flat to yield about $750 per year, but this is only under the most 

 favorable conditions. Such yields as these are large for the claminer, 

 whose average yearly income is only $400 (a few of the more expert 

 clammers make possibly $700 to $750), and a man possessing a clam 

 farm of 1% to 2 acres would make a good living. 



Method of operating a Clam Farm : choosing the Ground. — In 

 choosing a grant, the planter should have in mind three things: (1) the 

 accessibility of the grant, for his own convenience, and nearness to 

 the market, as much of the success of clam farming depfods upon the 

 expense of marketing the product, and the ease with which it can be 

 disposed of; (2) the length of time allowed for labor by the exposure 

 of the flat (flats vary greatly in the amount of time exposed each tide, 

 the low flats being submerged nearly all the time, and the high flats 

 having a much longer exposure), — a high flat possesses the advantage 

 of allowing a longer working period for the clammer; (3) the natural 

 facilities of the flat itself as regards the growth of clams. Moreover, 



