ARTHROPOD A 



75 



165,000 pounds being sold in Oregon in one year; these are prepared 

 for shipment by placing them alive in white wine and spices, and boiling 

 for two minutes; they are then shipped in this liquid in tin containers. 

 The Astacus is not only larger but has larger claws and is more 

 lobster-like than Cambarus, hence it brings better prices. It could 

 doubtless be introduced into the east. The eggs are laid in the 

 spring and the animal becomes sexually mature the following spring 

 and reaches its full size in three or four years though these figures 

 may vary considerably in different species and under different con- 

 ditions. They can be easily raised in ponds, requiring merely air, 

 fresh water and some sort of organic food; refuse animal and vegetable 

 matter may be used. 



FIG. 53. Crayfish, Cambarus sp. X^t- 



The damage done by crayfish, in certain sections, is very consider- 

 able, especially in the clay lands of Alabama and Mississippi. The 

 crayfish often dig holes into the ground to a depth of several feet, 

 with the excavated earth piled in a circular chimney at the orifice. 

 In these clay lands the bottoms of the holes are always filled with water, 

 making ideal homes for the animals. In an area of about 1000 square 

 miles the crayfish very largely prevent the successful raising of cotton 

 and corn. They damage the young plants just after they appear, 

 generally by tearing off the tender cotyledons. 



The number of crawfish in some of the infested areas may be seen 

 from the fact that there may be 8000 to 12,000 holes to the acre, 

 and on one plantation 27 barrels of crayfish were collected in a season, 



