98 Thirtieth Annual Meeting 



tutcs tlie iirst difficulty, for wlien tlu'V are ])lace(l in an enclosure 

 provided with a screen which will allow a free circulation of 

 water from the outside, but shuts out the enemies, the fry are 

 carried against the screen and die. The second difficulty is quite 

 as serious and is due to the fact that at certain times the fry 

 have a tendency to leave the surface and sink to the lower depths. 



The endeavor was made to rear them in large cars, such as 

 were used at Wood's Hole for holding cod, but provided, of 

 course, with screen sides. This and other similar experiments 

 failed, because the lobsters would be carried against one side by 

 the tide and there gradually sink to the bottom, where they be- 

 came foul with accumulated silt and unused food and were also 

 apt to meet with death in fighting one another. 



The apparatus which promised the best results was first tried 

 by Prof. Bumpus in the summer of 1899. This consisted of 

 large square bags made of scrim, fastened to a float, and weight- 

 ed at the lower corners. The action of the tides and winds 

 tended to keep the sides and bottom of the bag in constant undu- 

 lating motion, and thus prevented the fry from lying long in one 

 ])lace, if they were inclined to sink. 



This was the method which was almost exclusively used at 

 Wickford during the summer of 1900. 



After making numerous experiments and watching the re- 

 sidts for about five weeks, we gradually came to the conclusion 

 that the secret of success in rearing the young lobsters was to 

 keep the water in continuous motion. This accomplishes two 

 things: it prevents the frv from settling into jiockets to smother 

 or devour one another, and it keeps food in suspension so that the 

 fry can ol)tain it. 



To prove the t-orrectness of this conclusion with the material 

 and apparatus at hand, it was decided to experiment with lobs- 

 ters which were at that time in small bags. Accordingly the 

 force of the laboratory was divided into watches, and the water 

 in tlie 1)ags was henceforth stii'red with an oar continuously for 

 a week. The result was am])le ])roof that the conclusion was cor- 

 rect. One of the most encouraging results of this method was 

 the cKmu and healthy a])]H'arance of the fry in all stages. The 

 continual stirring })revented the accumulation of parasites found 

 on the l)ody of nearly all of the specimens in the other lots. 



