THE CKAB INDUSTEY OF MARYLAND. 429 



ever, think a briii}^ solution thrown over the meat is more satisfactory 

 than thechy salt. The meat is packed in buckets after it is salted and 

 is placed in a large ice box and covered with ice, w here it remains 

 until shipped. There are commonly three sizes of buckets, holding, 

 respectively, 5^ pounds, 2i pounds, and 1 pound each. The amount 

 of meat in a bucket varies somewhat at times, according to the condi- 

 tion of the crabs and the pressure applied in extracting the moisture. 

 The thinner the crab the more moisture it contains. During the sea- 

 son of 1901 the meat from a barrel of hard crabs filled, on an average, 

 3f buckets of the largest size. Two tirms, instead of steaming, boil their 

 crabsiibout 30 minutes before removing the meat. It is claimed by some 

 that more water remains in the meat after boiling than after steaming. 



The business of putting up crab meat in sealed cans is carried on by 

 only two firms in the state — one at Crisfield and the other at Bivalve. 

 The former has already been referred to in connection with the soft- 

 crab industry, in which it is engaged. The problem of preserving 

 the meat indefinitely has been very diflicult to solve, and but few firms 

 have been successful; one of these, located in Virginia, was about the 

 first in the field. 



Use of shells. — After the meat has been extracted the crab shells are 

 cleaned and a certain number are sent with every shipment of meat, to 

 be used principall}^ in making deviled crabs. In the case of small 

 orders, say from 5 to 7 gallons of meat, buckets are placed in the bot- 

 tom of a barrel and covered with ice, and the barrel is then filled with 

 shells. When a larger shipment is made the meat is placed in one 

 barrel and the shells in another. On an average from 80 to 100 shells 

 are sent with each gallon of meat. Boys are usually employed in 

 cleaning the shells, and arc paid about 5 cents a hundred. When 

 slipped separately the shells are sent in sugar and tiour barrels, the 

 former holding 1,800 shells and the latter 1,200. 



A factory at Oxford has been engaged during the last two seasons 

 in grinding crab shells and disposing of the resultant product to fer- 

 tilizer manufacturers for use as an ingredient. When the shells are 

 brought to the factor}^ they are placed in a revolving cylinder, through 

 which a draft of hot air is passed to dry them, and then are spread 

 over the floor of the factory to allow any remaining moisture to evap- 

 orate. After they are thoroughly dried they are placed in a grinding 

 machine operated by steam, and ground into a fine meal, in which 

 condition the product is ready for shipment. Its value as an ingredient 

 for fertilizer is due to the 9 per cent of ammonia which it contains. 

 The use of the revolving cylinder is said to lessen the escape of the 

 ammonia. The shells are secured from crab houses at a nominal cost. 

 Up to the present time the factory has been able to get about one ton 

 of shells per day, which is just enough to justify its operation. 



The following talde shows the extent of the crab fishery of Mary- 

 land in 1901. The total number of men engaged was 5,388. Sixty- 



