New-York tribune., 1906-06-03
SET FREE AT LAST.

With these changes in form there are accom-
panying changes in the color of the lobster. In
the earlier days the color may oscillate between
blue and red, changes determined by the con-
traction or expansion of certain large red pig
ment cells which lie just below the skin. In the
third stage. when the lobster is about five days
old, the green coloration begins TO be evident
This color is very prominent in the fourth stage
Strange enough, this green appearance. So char
acIertsttc Ofsthe adult lobster, is lost for While
again until much later date. IN the mean
time the fifth, sixth and later stage Holsters pass
through color changes which may be roughly
designated as rich brown, drab, slate and blue
slate, blue and olive green, respectively, until
ultimately, in the eleventh stage. there appears
the colcration of mottled green and brown char
acteristic of the adult lobster.
When the young Holsters have entered the
fourth stage they are nearly ready for liberia
ton They are carefully counted out from the
large Matching bags into common storage bag.
from which they are later removed TO large gal
vanized iron cans In these they are trans
ported, in lots of from two thousand to ten thou
sand, 10 all parts of NarTagansett Bay, where.
at low tide, they are liberated along some rocky
shore, that they may quickly make them
selves secure before they run the risk of being
devoured by the myriads Of hsh which are ever
on the lookout for such delcacies.
From this time or the lobster is alone in the
world 10 seek his own food and TO fight his
own battles But this he is able 10 do in
spite of the fact that five or six years must
elapse before he need dread being brought TO
market. Last summer there We're liberated in
the waters of Narragansett Bay over one hun
dred thousand young Holsters. II should not be
many years before valuable results appear
from these large plants, which the improve
ments in the Matching and raising process are
rendering greater each successive year. The
lobster nShermen along the shore are alrSady
testfytng 10 the great abundance of short lob
sters. and few years more should do much TO
revive the lobster fishing industry.
such is the treatment that the young lobster
receives during his time OF captivity from hatch
ing TO his lbera ton. But this labor is not the
the completed process has been the slow and
gradual evolution of a very simple plan. every
year sees some new Improvement added. Ex-
periments are constantly being performed to
determine the practical value Of many seemingly
trivial points, such as the cOarseness of copper
screening fer the windows, the proper slant of
the paddle blades. the rapidity of rotation the
best number of Holsters to place in a single bag.
the influence of temperature, of light and shade,
and many other apparently Insignificant details
which long experience has shown TO be Of vast
Importance.
Not only this but the crew of assistants com
posed mainly of graduate students in biology at
lens of interest and importance. such as the re-
generation Of lost parts Of the lobster, the rate
Of growth. the influence of foods the effects of
light end the changes in form and color in the
successive stages. all of which have q greater or
less bearing upon the work as a whole.
This triumph in the solution of the problem of
lobster Matching has awakened intense interest.
where the fisheries commissions of Scotland.
Germany. Denmark and England have long been
baffied by constant failures.
Various fisheries commissions both at home
and abroad. are planning hatcheries based upon
the method and apparatus used at the Wexford