A METHOD OF LOBSTER CULTURE. 233 
especially the strongly flavored and oily varieties, but the pieces uneaten foul 
the car and are therefore objectionable. Clams cut out and finely chopped or 
ground have been in very general use with us. The expense, however, of 
digging and opening and the considerable waste in the larger pieces of tough 
muscle, together with the amount of decayed residue which accumulates in the 
course of two weeks during which the fry usually remain in one car, are objections 
to its continued use. 
In a careful series of food experiments at our station Doctor Emmel decided, 
after using clam, liver, beef, and some other foods, that chopped raw beef gave 
best results, all points considered. However, with a large quantity of fry to 
feed, it was found to be difficult to prepare cheap raw beef finely enough divided 
for practical use. Boiled beef coarsely ground (Hamburg steak), boiled, and 
ground again, and then beaten up in water with an egg beater, was used with 
gratifying results during the latter part of the present season. It has the 
advantage that it is easily prepared, even though the cheapest and toughest is 
chosen, and that when prepared in this way the pieces are small and corre- 
spondingly numerous. The particles are readily held in suspension, and when 
put into the water little by little with a long-handled scoop or shaken through a 
fine netting (fig. 6, pl. rx) they form a cloud of light-colored and easily visible 
particles and are distributed so evenly that they are available at every feeding 
to all the thousands of individuals in the car. Prepared in this manner, the 
beef leaves scarcely any residue; most of the uneaten finely divided pieces are 
carried out gradually through the windows. In its use one prime precaution 
must be taken; it must not be allowed to become stale or previously soaked 
with water. Care should also be taken to put the raw beef into boiling water 
and so to coagulate and conserve its albumens. 
For the reason alluded to, namely, to keep the larve not only well fed but 
constantly satiated, thereby preventing cannibalism, it is necessary to feed them 
often, and we adopted the schedule of feeding every two hours through the 
night and day. Even with the best possible food—and this has yet to be dis- 
covered—there is a ‘‘knack”’ in feeding, and it is one of the points in the care of 
the fry which repays careful attention, for, besides having the advantages just 
mentioned, adequate food undoubtedly increases the rate of growth and short- 
ens the larval period. 
Parasitic growth—The dangers from diatomaceous, fungous, and similar 
parasitic growths are especially serious when the time between moults, due to 
cold water or poor food, is relatively long. For this reason the temperature is a 
factor to be considered, when possible, in locating a hatchery. At our station 
the duration of the whole larval period is from nine to (rarely) twenty-one days, 
most of the larve hatching in about twelve to fourteen days. We have found 
that shading the cars, as Professor Gorham recommended, seems to prevent to a 
marked degree the growth of diatoms, and also that in the wooden cars recently 
