Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-06-28
Price Above Average Owing to
Reduced Supply.

it's glory afloat and ashore. On shore it
is conspicuous on the bill of-fare of all
the leading hotels and restaurants. and
is delicacy on the table i'll many
homes. While the crab is caught In
great quantities from Cape Cod to the
Gulf of Mexico. yet the Chesapeake Bay
can boast of furnishing the public with
the greatest quantity of these delicacies.
New York's quota of the country's sup
ply of soft crabs is less than that of
Maryland. but on account Of the super
iority of the quality of her supply re.
ceives almost as much remuneration for
her production as Maryland. The guam
tity of soft crabs taken i'll Maryland so
far this year has been much smaller
than i'll many years previous. and, OF
course, the price has been higher, but
although the prices this year have not
been as low as in former years, yet they
are not as high as they have been many
times in the past, for soft crabs have
Dttu hHOW IL W SUI AS E~'OO PSh
dozen.
Crisfield is the great crab center III
the state, and at this time the crab
industry occupies the attention OF great
numbers of her inhabitants. While. as
has been said, crabs are caught In near
" all the brackish waters, it might be
said the crab much prefers a grassy bot
tom to a sandy one and protected
shore to one likely to be disturbed by
storms, the greatest quantity being
found i'll the Tangier and Pocomoke
Sounds. The crab is very intelligent.
probably the most intelligent of all the
crustaceans. Darwin gives several in
stances of the crabs intelligence, and,
as matter of fact, everyone who has
had an intimate acquaintance with the
hard. .shelled variety can attest his abil-
ity to bite at the right time.
The hard crab, or what is often termed
the blue crab, changes his suit when
the weather gets warm. and for few
days, while his new shell is growing,
is in very defenseless condition. The
younger the crab the oftener he changes
his coat. for the crab grows only while
in the soft shell condition. So, before
crab attains his full growth he sheds
several times during the warm months
but after he has reached his full size he
seldom sheds oftener than once year.
The time it takes for soft crab to be-
come hard. shellcd one varies from
one to two or three days, and sometimes
longer The shedding process is often
very difficult. as well as sometimes IA
tai, and while the soft crab is in the
hors de combat condition he is liable to
be taken by any hungry prowler that
may happen to find him. for he is not
only sought to satisfy the appetite of
man. but that of nearly all dwellers of
the water. But when the crab has got,
ten his shell hard and fully intact the
little enemies that have sought him in
his defenseless condition had better be-
ware, as the crab eats most anything.
dead or alive.
The crab fishermen formerly used a
dip net to catch their piize-that is, an
iron hoop about IS inches in diameter.
fitted with bag of netting such as is
used in an ordinary fishing seine. ant.
attached to the hoop is wooden pole
abont S feet long. The crabbcr would
push his skiff along by means of the
handle of his crab net, and when crab
met Lis gaze quick as fash he reversed
his implement and dipped the crab up
and placed it into box specially pre-.
pared for his catch.
The old system was found to be a too
slow method, consequently some ingen.
ious crabbcr invented the modern drag
net. which is used to-day by all progres
sivc crabbcrs. This new drag net con.
sists of triangle composed of small
bars of iron, one of which is about two
feet long and the other two ID inches in
length. A piece of netting similar to
that used in the old fashioned crab net
is fitted to the long bar and brought
around and attached to parallel bar
fitted about eight inches above the 9TH
er, they being held apart by iron bars
thus making what is known as dredGe
n rope is fastened to this dredge and
made secure at the stern of a sailboat
Usually two such dredges are fastened
behind each boat. Two men man the
grabbing boats-one manages the boat,
the other attends to the crabs
Very often when crabs are plentiful
as they have been in former years, 800
Il day is not considered an unusual
catch for two men. but this season 200
Il day taken by two men is considered
very extraordinary.
In many instances attacks of cholera
morbus terminate fatally before mcdi-
cine can be procured or physician sum
moncd. The safe way is tn keep at hand
"A reliable medicine for uSp i'm Such eases