The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-22
LoesTEaS DOWN EAST.
The Reason why They Never Become a
Drug In the Market.

Something like $50 men make a bust
ness of catching Holsters in Cumber-
land county alone, and the most of
these are, OF course, men who live on
the shores of Casco bay. In September,
according TO the figures furnished by
Fish Warden Gribben. who keeps track
OF all lobster arrivals and shipments
here. 3IS,194 HOLSTERS were brought into
Portland. and the figures this month
Will probably be larger than this. OF
this number 1888 were boat lob
sters." or caught i'm Casco bay.
The lobster business Is rapidly on
the increase in Maine" says Mr.. Crib
ben. More men are finding employ
ment In the lobster fisheries I'm this
state every year and more Holsters
are being caught N shipped out OF
the state. The Portland dealers are
finding their business charging every
year. They now supply the markets of
st. Louis. Chicago. Minneapolis, and
other towns still farther west. and
their heaviest shipments, OF course. are
To New York city.
MANY people wonder why Il Is that
when Holsters are abundant the prices
do not drop to a corresponding figure.
This is because the dealers have big
pounds. in which the Holsters are plac-
ed when they are plenty. and held for
March and other seasons of the year
when Holsters are scarce. There are
probably all the way from 500. 900 to
900. 900 Holsters I'm pounds now all along
the coast Of Maine. These pounded
Holsters have to be well fed on fish.
and the people who have charge Of
the pounds have TO be very careful
not to overfeed them. for IL they do
the HOLSTERS will die with alarming
rapidity.
THE fishermen get on an. average Of
10 cents apiece for Holsters all the year
ann md - ~ AA.. .... -AAA
thing out of the business. OF course,
the fishermen do not devote all their
time to lobster catching. Some OF
them are now giving up clustering for
a time n are going smelling. This
pays pretty well al this time of the
year. The smelts are not so very plen-
tiful. a they are mixed up with
small behring's. which are worth very
little. on IN average Is boxes Of
smelts a day go through Portland. be-
ing shipped TO Boston and New York
markets from PASSPORT. Yarmouth and
Portland. Smells are s cents a pound.
and there are about so pounds to n
box. So you see that as each man ships
one or two boxes every day, he Is
making a good thing out of this WORK.
The consumption of Holsters Is on
the increase. and as this fish increases
in numbers and becomes more plenti-
full. the demand constantly increases.
There are now seven owned
and oprated by Portland firms which
make two or three trims here a week
with Holsters. which they ave gath
cred up along the coast from fishermen
or pound keepers. besides any number
\ OF small schooners We are not get
ting any Nova Scotia Holsters now
The law in Nova Scotia protects lob
sters from July to January. and in
January IL is SO stormy that the lob
ster smacks do not find Il very profit
able to attempt the long and hard voy-
g to Nova Scotia after these fish.
~ Holsters are being canned In
Maine now" continued Mr.. Gribben.
"Once this was a big business here.
but the short-lobster law killed Il In
this state. The Gamers do not find