Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-26
F. N. PIKE, MANAGER.

which have yet TO shed, ana are prepared
TOT immediate shipment. The "shedders''
are carried to floats. These noats are made
Each OF them holds about 300 or 400 crabs.
Ihese noats are visited three or four tfmes
a Gay and the crabs that have she'd are
Which t 4u. Tor shipment The crates in
v,oeo with trays. In these the crahs are
placed between layers of crushed Ice and
seaweeo. The capacity OF each crate Is
can be packed very closely. becsuss Ihen
tneir legs have been folded and their hrss,es
placed oblfquely. so that the moisture does
h A.. nun from their mouths they show little
GRADS are sent as far north as Boston Most
OF mem travel by the Pennsyivania rsfl.
roao' winch has branch running 10 CIfsS
neg; put considerable quantity roee I'd
baltimore by the little steamer which m.Aes
daily landings. SA
Mortality Among Then.
a very important element IN estimating
the value OF soft crabs ana their m,,tet
price Is the mortality among them. Thev
are very delicate and easily injured An hsns.
ing. Besides. the shedding process 1. sever.
ana Kills many OF them. Therefore the Dur.
chase OF the crabs by the dealers AZ crts-
neid Is something Of q lottery. There a n
record OF day some years ago, when OUT
Oh .o,ai purchase OF 300 crabs taken by
packed for shipping. This mortality 4. or
Sessive AS rule. the death rate A less
tnan 70 per cent But even that renr,..-nf.
more man s2oooo loss In each season. This
i MS inoirecty on the fishermen. for the
shipper takes II into account when ma,ine
a Do Tor the hsherman's catch Compara-
lively few OF the crabs die ON the vrsv =,
me market Every effort has been made TO
without success The price rece,vss ~ az az
dealer Tor the crabs ranges from as cenfs
20 oO cents dozen. The gourmet who n.vs
" cents for the brace OF crabs on the res
gradual accretion In value and see vhers
the prohts OF crab-handiing 20
The Hard Crab.
The hard crab. from which a ohtsine6
the crab-meat for salads and dey.fled crab.
Is also caught at Crisfeld. but although
these crabs can be had In any ouantitv
the trade IN them is 30 small coupar.ttve-
ly. that II hardly represents per cent an
value OF the trade IN the soft crabs. The
hard crabs are taken with set-lines or
'trot-iines" baited with tripe The ends OF
the lines are buoyed or staked. One man
IN boat goes from one END OF the line Of
and carefully netting the crabs xhics
cling 10 the trfpe. This is the general
method OF capturing hard crabs but a
great many are taken with dip nets. and
crab fishermen. The hard crab fisheries
are very near the little town OF Crisfeld.
ana, IN fact. the greater part Of the catch
Is made In the Little Annemessex river
very near the town The crabs are In such
abundance that though less than twenty
men are engaged In fishing for them. the
take is nearly three-Quarters OF a million
OF crabs. While the soft crabs bring nom
one ana one-half to two cents each, the
hard crabs bring only fifty cents 10 si1ty
cents hundred A great many Of the
nshermen ship the crabs Themselves. in
stead OF dealing with the middlemen. The
shipping price Of hard crabs 10 sfxty-nve
cents per hundred. There n not the sane
risk In handling the hard crabs. for the
mortality amounts to almost nothing. The
same care Is not Necessary m hsndlinr
them as In handling the soft crabs. Thev
are dumped into boxes and barrels covered
with wooden strips or eack-cloth and
shipped usually without either ice or -
Another crab industry at Crf98eld 4. sAs
preparation Of crab-meat for shipsnent IN
bulk The crabs are boiled for a few min
utes. and when they are cool their sheus
are cracked and the meat Is extr.cted
with small knife. II takes from fifty 10
seventy-nve hard crabs 70 furnish a Gallon
OF crao-meat. About 800 gAIlons OF this
c9ao- meat are shipped every year, and TIE
price u orings Is about 81 20 per eailon
GEORGE GRANTHAA RAIN.