Selectmen of Edgartown.
Ernest Ingersoll in 1879 makes the following statement concerning the quahaug fishery of Martha's Vineyard:—
Martha's Vineyard used to be bordered by good quahaug ground, but I am not aware that many are caught there now. In an old book I find the following allusion to it: "The poquau (Venus mercenaria) is found in Old Town Harbor, at Cape Poge, and in Menemsha Pond: great quantities are exported."
A. Howard Clark in 1879 says:—
Soft clams and quahaugs are abundant in the harbor, and are used by the fishermen for bait.... Three hundred bushels of quahaugs and sea clams, valued at $150, were taken during the year 1879.
If such were the conditions in 1879, the industry has had a great development. To-day Edgartown is one of the best quahaug towns of the State, and produces the finest "little necks." Comparing the production figures of 1879 and 1907, a great increase is noted:—
Production, 1879.
| Bushels, | 300 |
| Value, | $150 |
Production, 1907.
| Bushels, | 20,000 |
| Value, | $32,000 |