The evening times., 1899-06-29
MARY1AND's CRAB INDUSTRY.
Scarcity of the TOOthsOme Crusta.
cean Makes II Profitable.

Scarcity of the TOOthsOme Crusta-
cean Makes 1t Profitable.
Easton, Md. June 29.-The Talbot crab
business is more than usually profitable
this season to the crabbers. and quite
profitable also to the packers. although the
demand cannot be met. Hard crabs are not
SO plentiful as usual, but prices have
advanced from so to 60 cents a barrel TO
81 and $1.25. so that trotline crabber can
make, and is making. from SO to $12 a
week. working five days. Saturday and Sum-
day being omitted. The price at the steam
ing houses for standard crab meat has ad-
vanced 25 per cent.
A prime quality is now separated in the
gallon. 1t is the tenderloin lying in the
cavities where the two broad fippers. or
back fms" of the crab are inserted.
There are but two small pieces Of this
meat in each crab. With every gallon Of
crabmeat 25 cleaned topshells are fur
nished free, for making deviled crabs.
Five cents a hundred is payed for clean
ing them. and at this work fast operator
can make $1.50 day. In these crab pack
ing houses the utmost attention is paid to
cleanliness. and everything about them is
dS Sweet dS Il ~ Sitdt uSGi VI iSC 10
used. Every crab Is alive when put into
the steam chest. The pickers are mostly
white women. They become very deft-
handed and expert. and can make from 50
to S12 a week.
Thousands of barrels OF salted eels and
picked tripe are sold during the season for
bait AT the beginning of the season eels
are used; now tripe bait has the right OF
way. The stuff is bought at wholesale by
hharG
Local fishermen put up the eels. Whining
ton, Del, is the headquarters for tripe.
One hundred dollars will furnish a crabber
or rather two crabbers, as they mostly
hunt in couples-with an outfit. consisting
of boat, lines, bownets, barrels. and bait
Oxford and Tlghman's Island are the
principal crab packing and shipping points
in Talbot county. AT these points the
catch of the crabbers from the Choptank
as far up as crabs swim. from its creeks
on the Talbot side, the Trod Avon, Broad
Creek, Eastern Bay and nearby Chesa-
peake waters find ready market for ev-
cry days work, either for consumption by
the packers there or for shipment TO Bal
timore in barrels. AT all the prominent
wharves there are agents for Baltimore
commission houses looking for hard crabs.
This great crab business has been the de-
veiopment Of few years. 1t was until re-
tuOuEul lllpOssiUit " LIZ
crabmeat business into competition with
the lobstermeat business, and the first at
tempts at crabmeat packing resulted in
failure.
The full development of this industry
has not yet come. In the process of
steaming. picking and packing hard crabs
there is much residuum which is now
waste, as the means Of its commercial
utilization have not yet been discovered.
For instance, in the domestic use Of crabs
the yellow fat is carefully preserved, to be
used in cooking TO enrich the white meat.
1t is most delicious in homemade crab
soups, etc, taking the place Of butter, be-
ing superior to it in richness and flavor.
But in preparing crabmeat for shipment
this yellow fat is carefully eliminated and
thrown away, as its keeping qualities are
poor and the smallest quantity will spoil
the whole package of white meat. Expert
ments are being made to reduce this rich
and now valueless product Of the crab into
an oil, or a crab butter, which will keep.
The heart, liver, stomach and lungs-vul-
carly known as dead men-of the crab are
thrown away. Experiments may develop
these into a marketable commodity, as
we'll as the meaty fms and the meatless
shells.
The marvellous expedition in transporta-
tion facilities assists the crab business
greatly. To be able to put Oxford crabs
in Chicago in thirty-two hours. as can be
done, means much in the business.