Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-01-23
Speaking of the Clam
The Nations Business

The clam, popular name for various BIZ
valve mollusks and some persons, is found IN
many chimes and under many scientific aliases.
He is the Indians "quahog," the New Yorker S
"Mercenaria mercenaria" (hard CLAIM and the
Bostonians "Mya arenaria" (soft clam. But
let him hide under whatever Latin name he will
or dig his way deep into the sands OF the sea-
shore, he cannot escape mans searching eye.
There are, however, several species besides the
human which are not edible. Speaking parentheti-
caly, the clam figures in heradry as we'll as on
the dinner table. II, therefore, the man who de-
signs you a coat of arms sketches clam rampant
on the escutcheon, don't take ofense, for he may
be paying you the delicate compliment of insin-
uating to the knowing that you are the descend
ant OF crusader or of one who made long
voyages by sea-Columbus, perhaps-because that
is what the clam on knights shield meant
Several kinds Of edible clans are dear to the
palate Of the Filipino The shells Of the giant
clans OF the genus tridacna sometimes attain a
length of FIVE or six feet and weigh hundreds Of
pounds. The giant species of the East Indies is
much as twenty pounds of edible flesh, while
the deeply followed shell, the inner surface of
beautiful wilderness, finds its way to European
churches as holy water fonts. The shell-shaped
sounding boards seen over pulpits in the United
States may be reminder Of another use to which
clam shells have been put These shells also
furnish natives of the Philippines and other far
eastern islands with knives axes and ammun-
ton. The tridacna shells are so hard that the
Moros used to pound them up and ram the pieces
into their rude cannon, making projectiles which
were peculiarly effective at close range. Burned,
the American clam becomes the New Englander's
bait in cod fishing.
Clans are an important food product in the
United States as we'll as in other countries, and
the soft clam is much cultivated in New Eng
load kNth sp orla 30 H. oAnI
because the cultivated clam, which brings better
price than the natural growth, is more uniform in
size than the latter. Early experiments in clam
culture were made at Essex, Mass, an act of the
legislature authorizing the selectmen of the town
to stake off in lots of one acre or less the fats
along the Essex river and let them to persons de-
string to plant" clans. Small clans were dug on
the natural beds and planted on these hitherto un-
productive flats, about 500 bushels being required
to plant an acre.
The commercial value of the clam is consider
able, but It has been found that in order to insure
prosperous industry CLAIMS should be planted
and not left to chance natural set. During sum-
mer young clans are set in large numbers, close
together, and if allowed to remain congested will
die. To collect seed for planting the small clans
are dug with an iron fork and dropped in clusters
OF from ten to twelve at regular intervals of about
one foot in long burrows dug about foot apart
The tide covers the burrows and the clans start
to burrow They require no further attention until
dug, unless it be to inspect their quality In fav-
orabe localities, cultivated clans will mature in
from nine to fourteen months after planting,
while those from natural beds usually require
from two to three years. AT Plymouth Mass,
where the natural beds were exhausted and there
were scarcely any CLAIMS left in the bay the intro
duction of scientific methods restored the clans to
their former abundance. The latest statistics avail
able show years catch of 16983,000 pounds for
the United States, at value of $l9l6,0OO