The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1912-10-28
Real Home Of
the Soft Shells

There may be persons who have
never heard Of Crisfield and who do
not know that it is the greatest mar
ket in the world for solt-shell crabs.
Some hotels in New York get their
supplies OF the delicious crustaceGns
direct from there and they have been
shipped as far as Seattle
Crisffeld is in Maryland. dCwn on
the lower part OF the eastern shore.
1t is not hig place. but they do send
out good things 10 eat from there
not only the soft shell crab. hut the
Giamond.back terrapin, the Tangier
oyster. which the eourmets OF Bait
more think is to he classed among the
most delicious Of the species. and
white skad. 10 which those same gour-
NETS hold that no shad is equal. And
so on. With which introtuotion en-.
ter l.. r. Carson
Mr.. Carson was al the Imperial re.
Gently. says the New York Sun. He
lives in Crisfeld. is in business there
and has made study Of the crab
scientifically and commercially.
"Crisfeld" said Mr.. Carson pro.
cuces 90 per cent Of all The soft crs BIS
consumed in this country, They are
caught within radius OF ten miles OF
the town. The old part OF Crisfisld
was built on oyster shells. but of re.
cent years the town has expanded II
was only about twelve years ago that
the discovery that the soft-shell crab
could be ropularized started a boom
and the values Of property in the last
six years have trebled.
Evolution Of Soft.Sheii Grab.
''In the waters about Dsa''s. Tangier
and Smiths islands the soft crabs are
caught in two ways. One is employed
by the 'scrapers who drag an instr,t.
ment like an oyster dredge in the wa.
ter six to twelve feet deep. from a
bateau or canoe. The other method
Is employed by the METERS. who
stand IN the bow of a skiff, pushing
the boat slowly along in shallow wa.
ter and making swoop with a iinnet
when they see crab on the bottom
Ninety per cent of the crabs thus
caught are hard-shelled, and they are
put into floats and kept until thev
shed their shells.
The first stage of crab in nro.
crossing from hard to soft Is what Is
termed locally a 'snot. The change
from snot to softer requires from
four hours TO four DAYS depending on
the condition OF the crab. The snot
becomes a peeler, when he is much
priced for bait. and a new shell ha
completely formed under the hard
coat. and then buster when The hard
she'll has started tn come loose at the
rack. Then in short time emerges
the softer, ready for the market ana
the table.
From Crustacean to Hardshell
The average life of crab is three
years, The secretary of the Virginia
state board of fisheries. who has stud
led crabs many years, says that a
single female in the spring of the year
viii produce 100000 eggs. Out OF
an those only about 200 crabs mature.
The remainder are consumed by other
fish and by crabs After LAYING her
eggs The female crab is eaten by 9th.
crs OF her species.
The season opens in our waters on
MAY and lasts until Oct. /, when the
crabs go out into very deep water
In the es"ly spring to he exact. on
March the soft crab season opens at
Morehead Cry y. c., where many
Crisfield packers 20 and operate until
the season begins at home.
Shipped Packed in Seaweed.
III when crab is unpacked in New
York, il is what is called A paper
shell which means that the shell has
| begun - harden; that means that II
the crab was properly packed it was
that hard when it started Packed III
sea ores aweed, they viii Keep soft
until they die, | shipped crabs last
summer to n friend in Houston, Tex,
a sevcnty.two hour journey. We dc
not ship IN refrigerated cars but In
refrigeratng boxes,
Some persons do not know how tc
| tel when crab is fit to eat Here
! is an 'nrallible method OF telling. The
| fact that crab is dead when 1t is
| rnracked does not mean that ii is nee
esearily spoiled The way to tell Ia IL
| WI ont one Of the back fms II Il
| lesists. the crab should be in goot
| condition. II the crab should b.
! t1ro"p away the fin viii come on
| 'asily and will he mushy on the end
! Brown spots on the top Of shells o
! crabs dc not mean anything is wrong
because You will frequently find then
on live crabs, II makes no difference
how long crab has been dead II tn
back I'm pulls out hard
Prices Of Crabs Fluctuate Greatly.
About - per cent Of the population
OF CriSGeld Is engaged IN the oyste
and fish trade hut we cannot coun
upon anything like a regular produc
ton. Crabs may be selling one day a
81 a dozen and in three days tint
,aay drop to 80 cents because OF over
production. Then a storm may cut OF
the supply and the price go soaring
again.
Hard crabs are picked into thre'
grades OF meat Claw meat. for us,
IN free lunch counters; white, 70