River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-07-30
ABOUT THE CRAB.
Conner" "a ..shedder'' and "A soft Shell.
One After the other.

Conner a ..shedder' and a soft Shell.
One After the other.
With the beginning of June an in
dustry springs up which gives employ
ment to more men along the shores of
New Jersey and Long Island than is
generally known. Signs Of its awaken
ing are now To be seen in fish markets,
in the shape of fiat seaweed-lined trays.
full of wicked-looking crabs, and signs
with the alluring invitation 10 buy
''Shedd crabs for bait. 81 per dozen"
About this time in southern waters.
and little later in the bays around the
city, the ordinary murderous blue crab
feels gentle melancholy stealing over
his spirit. He sulks and hides himself
under the grassy banks, and. if caught,
it viii be found that the shell at the
sharp ends is slightly soft and yields TO
the touch. lie Is, however. still very,
very hard around the shears and will
ing and anxious TO prove it. In this
condition he is known by fishermen as
conner" and is often kept in fat fish
cars in tideway, for, though not yet
valuable, great possibilities are con-
tanned in his wicked, lively body.
After a few tides have flowed over
him. he becomes the thing that draws
dollars from saltwater fishermen dur
ing the season, a shedder crab, with
wicked intentions but limited eapabil-
titles. The shell cracks along the joints
and the body prOtrudes at the legs and
claws. If the crab is now left in the
water for another tide, he begins 10 I'M
dress himself, often rolling over on his
back. Gradually he wiggles one leg
ont of the Out-grown armor, then an
other, and SO on in succession; the shell
opens underneath his body. and after
much struggling and tribulation limp
and helpless soft crab lies on the bot
tom, a prey to every fellow-inhabitant
of salt water.
If, however, the crab is taken out of
the water, the process Of shedding is ar
rested at once, and the fisherman who
buys him for bait peels the shell off the
unfortunate creature whenever he is
ready 10 use him. When a crab is thus
ready for 'peeling' he is called
ripe. and the process is probably not
painful. as the shell adheres only
slightly at a few points, and may be
lifted off the back almost in one piece.
The ''shedder" stage is the only one at
which the crab can be used for bait.
If lac il used before getting ripe, the
skin will be found so thin and the flesh
so soft that it viii not adhere to the
hook. while later on. when the cruSta-
cean becomes a soft crab. the meat
is too fiabby for bait. But then comes
the epicurc's chance, and soft crab.
done 10 a crisp golden brown, an d
served 81 toast. with Just a dreamy
hint remaining of the butter that has
been spent on him. will leave behind
him memory To linger like star
through dark life of dyspepsia.
If the crab escapes the fisherman and
the resultant frying-pGn, a tough
leather skin forms over him, and he
becomes ''leather-back." Then the
new shell forms, and soon he energies,
gorgeous in a hard new shell. red.
white and blue. to take up again his
warfare against every other living
thing, including his own relatives, and
the bare feet of the small boy who
threads" for CLANS. N. y. Tribune.