ABOUT LOBSTERS 



57 



terial was found to adhere to a plug made of cellulose ace- 

 tate so that all, or nearly all, the discolored material was 

 withdrawn from the claw with the plug. No other plug 

 tested possessed this characteristic to any degree. This plug 

 is recommended as a means of diminishing the amount of 

 discolored material in the claw following withdrawal of the 

 plug after cooking." 



Black infected claw meat is repulsive in the cooked 

 lobster, and many of the largest buyers recognize that this 

 unappetizing black meat reaching the dining table will have 

 an adverse effect on marketing. 



Plugging the claw is not done primarily to protect the 

 housewife. It is done to prevent one lobster from injuring 

 another, even to the extent of completely cutting a lobster 

 in two. A lobster is fighting mad and more than usually 

 pugnacious when he is taken out of the water. Usually only 

 the big, crusher claw is plugged. Figure 12 shows how this 

 plugging is done. It requires a little skill to prevent the un- 



Fig. 12. Plugging a lobster 



