=Clams.=--Clams are shellfish which, though not so extensively used as the oyster, are valued food products. The clams of commerce are of two kinds. The species known as long or soft clam is abundant on the New England coast, and is of considerable commercial importance both fresh and as a canned product. This is the clam used at clam bakes, for which the New England coast is famous. Its technical name is _Mya arenaria_. The other species, the round or hard clam, northward known as quahog, is the most common clam of the markets south of New York. Its scientific name is _Venus mercenaria_. A very small round clam is known as the little neck. This has a flavor which is extremely delicate and it takes the place, in the warm months, of the blue point oyster on the menus of the hotels and restaurants. The clam may be considered as a supplemental shellfish to the oyster, being most delicious and most abundant during the closed oyster season. The average weight of the round clam is about 60 grams, of which about one-fourth is flesh, one-fourth liquid, and one-half shell and refuse. There are many specimens very much larger than this but the weight is given for those usually eaten. _Composition of Clams._--Edible portion: Water, 78.57 percent Protein, 14.86 „ Fat, 1.78 „ Ash, 2.49 „ Undetermined, 2.30 „ The liquid which escapes upon the opening of the shell is composed chiefly of water and salt and its composition is as follows: Water, 96.02 percent Protein, .65 „ Fat, None Common salt, 2.81 „ Undetermined, .52 „ The flesh of clams, it is seen, is not very different from that of fish in general. It is composed chiefly of water and of the nutrients the protein is the predominating constituent. The ash content is somewhat higher than is the case with fish. If the flesh and fluid substance of the clam be considered together the composition of the whole mass is represented by the following data: Water, 86.11 percent Protein, 8.71 „ Fat, 1.01 „ Ash, 2.63 „ Undetermined, 1.54 „ _Composition of Water-free Substance of the Flesh._-- Protein, 69.37 percent Fat, 8.32 „ Ash, 11.64 „ Undetermined, 10.67 „ _Composition of the Dry Substance of the Liquid Portion._-- Protein, 16.37 percent Fat, .10 „ Ash, 70.41 „ Undetermined, 13.12 „ _Composition of the Dry Substance of the Flesh and Liquid Together._-- Protein, 62.81 percent Fat, 7.30 „ Ash, 18.92 „ Undetermined, 10.97 „