OF MASSACHUSETTS. 187 



on all sides are practically all sand, and comprise about 80 acres. The 

 whole western side is more or less productive, though the outer edge, 

 where the strong cross currents of the channel sweep over, is too much 

 rippled to be suitable for clam growth. The strip of sand along the 

 northern and northeastern sides, though rather narrow and limited in 

 area, is productive, while most of the southeastern portion, which 

 projects far into the channel, is barren and totally unadapted for soft 

 clams, though bedded with sea clams. The productive sections of this 

 flat are much dug, and altogether it is one of the most important of the 

 Ipswich clam grounds. 



The west coast of Plum Island Sound, comprising the Green's Creek 

 and Eoger Island territories, extends from the Ipswich to the Rowley 

 rivers. This division contains the bulk of the waste and barren flats 

 of the town, although there is exceptionally good clamming in Stacy's 

 Creek, Third Creek and the " Nutfleld." 



The Essex River region is rather remote for most of the clammers, 

 and hard to reach, but furnishes on the whole some of the very best 

 digging. The three main flats of this division are the Essex beach, 

 Wheeler's, and the Spit. Essex beach has a very good set, evenly 

 sprinkled over the ridgy, shifting bats that skirt the channel. 



Wheeler's is an irregular sand bar, occupying about 77 acres. Fully 

 one-half of this is very productive, and in the main portion occurs 

 another thick set very similar to that on Essex beach. 



The Spit, mainly sand or sandy mud, lies in the three towns of 

 Ipswich, Essex and Gloucester. The whole area is some 300 acres, 

 about a third lying within the town < of Ipswich. This whole bar is 

 so liable to change that any calculations based on its precise area or 

 location are decidedly unreliable. Very good digging occurs, however, 

 in limited areas on the north and west sides of the Ipswich territory. 



These four divisions comprise the clamming territory of Ipswich, and 

 aggregate 970 acres, of which 390 acres is sand and 500 mud. This also 

 includes 15 acres of mussels scattered along Ipswich River, Plum 

 Island and Green's Creek region, and about 10 acres of eel grass in 

 various localities. Over 800 acres is more or less productive, about half 

 being good clamming. 



About 50 regular clammers depend upon these flats for a living, 

 though 136 permits were issued in 1907. Here, owing to the greater 

 distances to be traversed, many power boats are used. Nearly $7,500 

 is invested in the industry, and 25,000 bushels of clams, at a valuation 

 of $18,750, are annually produced. The relative decrease in price as 

 compared with Newburyport is due to the fact that shucking is not so 

 extensively practised here. 



The town laws merely require a permit from every clammer, for 

 which no charge is made. Such permit is issued at the discretion of 

 the selectmen, and requires of the recipient six months' residence in 

 the town and two years in the State. In past years the town has made 



