176 THE MOLLUSE FISHERIES 



farmer can cater to a particular trade by regulating the size of the 

 clams marketed. He may find it more profitable to market a small 

 clam after a short period of growth, or vice versa, on the same principle 

 that a farmer raises hogs for the market. 



North of Boston, in localities favorable for fast growth, such as the 

 Essex and Ipswich rivers, by planting large seed of at least 1% inches 

 in the spring, marketable clams of 2^/2 to 3 inches can be obtained in the 

 fall after six months' growth. Here the clams grow only during the 

 summer months, and nothing would be gained by leaving them over 

 winter. In this way a crop each year can be raised on these farms. 

 In other localities of slower growth it will take from eighteen to twenty- 

 four months to raise a crop. The clam farmer will have to regulate 

 the size of the seed and length of growth to best suit the needs of his 

 farm. 



Advantages of Clam Farming. — Clam culture possesses several ad- 

 vantages over the old free-for-aU digging: (1) steadier returns; (2) 

 easier work; (3) better pay; (4) more clams per man. If the clammers 

 of the Commonwealth only realized these facts they would make a 

 united effort toward clam culture. 



History. 



I. Early History. — The history of the Massachusetts clam industry 

 began in obscurity. Even before the time of the earliest settlers the 

 native Indians depended largely upon this abundant mollusk for their 

 food supply, as is clearly indicated by the scattered shell heaps which 

 mark their ancient camp fires. Upon the arrival of the Pilgrims, clam 

 digging was incorporated among the most time-honored industries of 

 the Commonwealth, and in times of want the early colonists depended 

 largely upon this natural food supply. With the arrival of the colonists 

 really began the first epoch of the clam fishery as an economic factor 

 in this Commonwealth, a period which lasted nearly two hundred years. 

 This period marked the exploitation of clam grounds merely for home 

 consumption. Money was scarce, inland markets were practically un- 

 known, and the importance of this shellfish was confined merely to local 

 quarters. 



II. Rise of the Bait Industry. — Early in the last century a growing 

 demand for clams as bait for the sea fisheries became apparent. Clams 

 had always been utilized for this purpose more or less, but an increased 

 demand called for the development of an important industry in this 

 line. Various centers of activity were established, particularly at New- 

 buryport, Essex, Ipswich, Boston harbor and Chatham. The clams 

 were mainly shucked, that is, removed from the shell, and shipped either 

 fresh or salted in barrels to the fishermen at Gloucester, Boston and 

 Provincetown. This industry opened up new fields of employment for 

 many men and boys, and brought considerable ready money into various 

 coast communities. 



