Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1881-06-25
A CHAPTER ON LOBSTERS.
How LObsters are Easily Frightened
-Canning-How They Exist.

Previous to the establishment of the
oil works at Hunters Point and Green
point, N. Y, says the Scientific Aneri-
can, the Holsters caught at He'll Gate
were considered to be the finest that
came to the New York markets. But
the few caught now are so strongly i'm
pregnated with sludge, acid, and coal
tar, that it is next to impossible to eat
them. There is no doubt that the blast
ing at He'll Gate destroyed immense
quantities of Holsters; so great dread
have Holsters of thunder that they will
cast off their large claws when loud
clap occurs or when gun is fred. In
olden times captains of vessels often
extorted blackmail from lobster fisher
men by threatening to fire cannon over
their fishing grounds, knowing full well
that the concussion would cause the
Holsters to cast their claws, thereby de-
stroying their value. Our common
lobster belongs to the order of long
tailed crustaceans, which includes the
crayfish, prawns and shrimps. AS an
article of food the lobster is the most
important of all crustaceans, and dates
back to the early ages of the world.
Latium was famous for its Holsters,
and Athenaus, whose cook book is the
Oldest in the world, mentions Apicius,
who spent much of his time at this
place on account of its Holsters.
On the Maine and Nova Scotia coasts
thousands of girls, women and boys are
employed in the canning of Holsters.
On the first floor of these canning es-
Establishments are brick furnaces, in
which are placed large copper boilers
heat. AS fast as the Holsters are re-
ceived fresh from the fishermen they
are plunged into the hot water for few
minutes, after which they are distrib
uted on long benches covered with zinc.
The women and girls then break them
up and extract the solid meat from the
the tails and large claws, the only parts
used in filling the cans, which are then
placed in shallow boilers to expel the
air before sealing them up, after which
they are taken to the second floor to be
labeled and packed in boxes capable of
holding four dozen cans; these sell at
four dollars per box. The number of
Holsters boiled per day varies from one
thousand to three thousand. The Amer
lean canned lobster goes to all parts of
the civilized world.
To show how prolific Holsters are, it
is stated that no less than $4,000 eggs
were counted in single female. The
eggs are carried by the female under
the abdomen, and are fastened and en-
tangled to silk-fringed appendages. As
the outer layers of eggs become ripe the
mother constantly stirs them with her
small hind claws, either to clear them
of sediment or parasites, or else to aid
the larvae in breaking through the shell.
The "coral" formed in cooked lobster
is the roe or egg masses of the female
lobster. As to the sight of the lobster
it may well be good, for he is possessed
of compound eyes like those of insects,
only the lenses are square instead of
hexagonal. The lobster often freaks
both in colors and the form of the large
claws. When in charge of the Aqua
rum / had several specimens of deep
blue and a beautiful light blue Holsters,
also three of bright crimson, and
many with double large claws.