270 THE WEALTH OF THE SEA 



ing crabs whose new shells can be seen; (5) soft 

 crabs, newly molted; (6) buckrams or paper-shells, 

 whose shells have begun to harden. 



Soft crabs are much more valuable than hard 

 ones, but much more care must be taken in handling, 

 packing, and shipping them. Some soft crabs are 

 taken in dip-nets and scrapes, but most of them are 

 obtained by keeping peelers and busters in shallow 

 floats until they shed their shells. The usual float is 

 about four by twelve feet, and fifteen inches in depth, 

 and is made of pine or cypress. 



The crabs are sorted into several lots before being 

 placed in the floats. Those about to shed are placed 

 in the shedding floats. Other floats contain those 

 which will molt in a day or two while still others hold 

 the green peelers. The crabs in floats are not fed, and 

 the water is often so warm that the mortality is high. 

 Much of this loss might be prevented if the floats 

 were made deeper and shaded from the hot sun ; and 

 as crabs become more and more valuable, it is likely 

 that greater care will be taken. 



When first molted crabs are too soft and weak to 

 stand shipment, they are allowed to remain in the 

 floats a few hours before being removed for pack- 

 ing. Soft crabs are always shipped alive, packed in 

 shallow wooden trays each containing one layer of 

 crabs. A layer of seaweed is placed over the bottom 

 of the tray on which the crabs are placed, each one 

 resting on its apron and lapping over the next in the 

 row. The crabs are covered with a sheet of parch- 

 ment paper upon which seaweed and crushed ice are 



