366 Fortieth Annual Meeting 



by themselves. On the next day when removed it was 

 found that about half of the eggs had hatched from each. 

 From this lot of fry, which equaled in number the eggs 

 from one egg lobster, 7465 fourth-stage lobsters were 

 produced. 



The effectiveness of the apparatus was also determined 

 in another way. Ten thousand one-day old fry were 

 counted into a car and from this lot 6946 were reared to 

 the fourth stage, a percentage of 69.4 per cent. The best 

 previous result was 50 per cent from a lot of 1000. When 

 it is borne in mind that in nature not more than 1 in 1000 

 of the fry hatched reach the fourth stage, these numbers 

 assume greater proportions. 



Furthermore great cheapness can be claimed for our 

 method. The original cost of a plant of the same capacity 

 as our present one would be under $2000. During the past 

 year 511,000 fourth-stage lobsters were reared at a cost of 

 a little less than $1000. This price includes food for the 

 fry, labor, gasolene, oil, repairs and, in short, all the actual 

 expenses of the plant, but does not include the cost of egg 

 lobsters. 



It is often asked how many of the lobsters we liberate 

 reach marketable size. From the fact that when a lobster 

 molts it sheds everything which could be marked it is im- 

 possible to answer this question accurately. But what is 

 claimed for our method is that whereas in nature probably 

 not more than one-tenth of one per cent reach the first 

 "bottom" stage, under our method from forty to sixty- 

 nine per cent have actually been reared. 



We realize, however, that it is not enough to successfully 

 rear the lobsters to the bottom stages. An equally im- 

 portant matter is to get them established in their future 

 homes in the ocean bed. This problem we have been at- 

 tacking from two different points, namely : 



(1) The devising of more effective means than mere 

 liberation. 



(2) The effort to rear the fry to a still older stage and 



