Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-27
THE SUCCULENT CRAB
A Little Maryland Town That Sup
plies the Leading Markets.
THE FEMALES ARE NEVER TAKEN.
Process of Shedding After Lying Dormant
During the Winter.
PRICES OF DIFFERENT VARIETIES
rcoRREsPoNDENcR OF THE DISPATCH.

CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DISPATCH
CRIsFIELD, Nd, April 26.-This little
town furnishes most Of the crabs all the
year around for the markets of the leading
cities of this country. The crabs are caught
in the Chesapeake Bay and are packed in
crates and barrels for shipment. Over
half the inhabitants of the town make their
living out of grabbing. Whenever a female
crab is scooped up in the crabber's net it is
always thrown back into the bay; that keeps
up the propagation, and hence the supply
is always adequate for the demand. 1t also
accounts for the luscious quality of the
huge blue crab caught in these waters.
The crabs are caught during every month
in the year and In all stages Of development.
Millions of crabs are shipped North on the
East Shore Railroad every year, and the
Maryland soft crabs meet Jersey soft crabs
in the New York markets on equal footing
in spite of the difference in the distance they
are carried. The crabs in market in winter
are always hard-shells, and, in fact, they
would be if they were brought from the
tropics. They are dredged or raked out of
the mud in the Chesapeake and its estua-
ries and thousands of them are caught by
oystermen.
THE PROCESS OF SHEDDING.
The crabs are dormant from fall until
spring even in the Gulf of Mexico where
they are more abundant than anywhere else
on this country's coast. In the spring,
when they come out Of the mud and masses
OF seaweed, they 60 right into the business
of shedding. Really, it seems as if the
crab had little else to do in summer but
shed his shell and get new one of larger
caliber. The hard crab first puts ON q leath-
cry undergarment and while it is growing
ne Is known as "comer." In a day or two,
when this under skin is completed, he is a
"shedder," and then he is fitted for bait, be-
cause his hard shell can then be stripped
of, leaving the leathery integument entire.
In this condition he is more valuable than
soft crab, owing to the constant demand
for bait and the fact that the "shedders'
ace less frequently caught than soft crabs.
In a single day the ''shedder" parts his
shell and becomes "buster." Taken then
he is the best of bait, but left in the water
Jew hours he will throw off his shell, crawl
out of it entire and commence to swell and
stretch out his elastic covering. Then he is a
soft crab par excellence.
WHEN HE TASTES BEST.
On the night of the day the crab divests
himself of his misft shell he is in the best
condition for frying. In another day, if he
is not taken from the water, his new cover
ing becomes like parchment, and in IL hours
more the parchment hardens so that it just
yields to pressure. Then he is known as
"buckler," and is of little use except as a
broiler.
Tho ,.oh 6,h;nr hrs;nas, {. ,,rt 5o,r, -
$500, 900 per year by the Fish Commission,
and probably abe estimate is by no means
complete, as it is difficult to obtain accurate
information from the men engaged in any
kind of fishing.
In Virginia and Maryland there are sew
eral big canning factories putting up crab
meat for inland cities, and the business is
carried on extensively. The crabs are
caught in summer by batting set lines with