THE CRAB INDUSTRY OF MARYLAND. 419 



but with a lio-ht wind the tAvo men together handle a heavj' one. A 

 crew of three men can, witli a favorable breeze, handle three scrapes 

 at the same time. It is the object of the scraper to have the boat get 

 sufficient headway to go slightl}^ faster than the crabs can travel, so 

 that they can not escape when once in the bag. Scrapes are not allowed 

 to sink in the soft bottom, as the mud covering the bottom of the bag- 

 would furnish a means of escape. The scrapes are taken aboard every 

 few minutes, or after covering from 7o to 200 yards, and the contents 

 are emptied out and sorted over, usually on a board platform or broad 

 flat trough convenienth'' located at the side of the boat. The bulk of 

 the material brought up is grass and mud, from which the crabs are 

 picked out and distributed in the several receptacles provided for 

 them, according to the successive stages of their development. 



Scrapers endeavor to reach the crabbing grounds as early in the 

 morning as possible, before the crabs ai'e moving about and have 

 become scattered. The best catches are made between daylight and 10 

 o'clock in the forenoon, and between 3 o'clock in the afternoon and 

 evening. The bright sun in the forenoon drives the crabs back into 

 their holes until hunger forces them out again in the afternoon. On 

 cloudy days tliey remain out much longer. 



Season. — The soft-crab season extends from the rirst of May to the 

 last of October, but a majority of the crabbers discontinue fishing in 

 September to engage in 03\ster tonging. During the first two or three 

 weeks of May thej' follow what is kno\An as "mud-larking," that is, 

 scoop-netting- in marshes and along the banks of small streams, the 

 crabs being found in the mud at this season of the year. B}^ the first 

 of June the crabs become more active and the season is then consid- 

 ered at its height. The heaviest catches are made during June and 

 July^ Scoop-netting is followed throughout the season, but little 

 scraping is done after the middle of July, owing to the calm weather. 

 Very often a fisherman will begin scraping early in the day, and when 

 the wind has ceased anchor his sailboat and use his skiff for scoop- 

 netting in shallow water. In some localities the bottom grass grows 

 so thick that the scrape bag fills with it and prevents the crab from 

 entering. The scoop net is then brought into service. In water less 

 than 3 feet deep it is a common occurrence for the crabbers to leave 

 their skifi^s and wade out after the- crabs with scoop nets. 



Designations of a crah. — There are six stages of a crab's life, com- 

 monly classified as follows: First, the "hard crab,'' or one in its 

 natural condition; second, a "snot," or one that has just entered the 

 shedding stage; third, a "peeler," when the old shell has begun to 

 break; fourth, a "buster," when the new shell can be seen; fifth, the 

 "soft crab; " sixth, a "paper-shell," or "buckram," when the new shell 

 is beginning to harden. During hot weather it takes from two to 

 three days for a "snot" to become a "peeler." One tide will often 



